David E. Heineman Day Set for April 20

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Historical Museum to Honor Detroit -Fla

By IRVING I. KATZ
Exec. Secretary, Temple Beth El
Historiographer of the Jews of
Michigan
It is not generally known that
Detroit's artistic and colorful flag
was designed in 1907 by a Jew
—David E. Heineman. The orig-
inal sketch is in the Art Museum.
The beautiful flag consists of four
quarters and reflects important
phases of Detroit's long and- ex-
citing history. First, you look up-
on the blue field of America,
dotted with 13 stars to indicate
the original colonies. Then, in the
upper right quarter, the old im-
nerial standard of England with
three couchant lions. Lower left
you see the imnerial white banner
of France; with its golden lilies.
And last, at the lower right, you
observe the alternating red and
white' stripes, signifying the Re-
public of the United States.
Sonerimpnsed in the center of
all this is the official seal of De-
troit adopted in 1826, when the
memory of the devastating fire of
1E05 was still fresh, with its ac-
companying LOtin legend—Spera-
inns Meliora Resnrget Cineribns
—"We hope for better things. We
will arise from our ashes" (a re-
vision of the City Seal was adopt-
ed by the Common Council on
March 24. 1954).
On April 20, 1948. 41 years
after Heineman executed the de-
sign. his flag was rated the of-
ficial emblem of the city by the
Council and the then Mayor
F',Igene I. Van Antwerp. It first
flew from the staff above the
old City Hall on New Year's
Day, 1949. The only official rec-
ognition of the flag was its in-
corporation in the decoration of
the old City Hall as a stained
glass window above the rostrum
in the Council chamber.
At the initiative of Allen War-
sen. honorary president of the Jew-
ish Historical Society of Michigan.
of Detroit adopted a resolution
the Common Council of the City
on April 20, 1971. acknowledging
the city's debt of gratitude to
David E. Heineman for design-
ins the flag of Detroit and paying
tribute to his memory. The resolu-
tion adopted the suggestion of the
Detroit Historical Commission of
which Leonard N. Simons is presi-
dent (he has held this honored
office for 27 years) that the orig-
inal stained class window por-
traying the flag of Detroit be
placed in th. window above the
entrance of the Detroit Historical
Museum and that a public dedica-
tory ceremony be held at the De-
troit Historical Museum on April
20, 1972. With this historical back-
ground of the flag of Detroit. I
shall now acquaint you with the
- parents of David E. Heineman and
with David Heineman himself.
Among the pioneer Jews of De-
troit. who became a successful
clothing manufacturer and a

prominent citizen of the city, was
Emil S. Heineman. He was born
Dec. 11. 1824. at Neuhaus on the
Oste. near Hamburg.
In those days. it was the cus-
tom to send a boy, upon the ex--
piration of his school days, to
some tradesman in another city.
to be taught a handicraft or be
given a business education. In
1840, when he was 16, Emil was
sent to -Oldenburg to learn the
practical duties of business. The
Revolution of 1848 raised hope
in the hearts of young men that
Germany would become a united
and great nation, but the reac-
tion in 1850 dispelled these hopes;
and. Emil determined to seek - his
fortune in the New World. Obtain-
ing a reluctant consent from his
father, he took passage on the
Washington, the pioneer trans-
DAVID E. HEINEMAN
Atlantic steamer, and after a two-
week voyage, landed in New York
in the spring - of 1851. From there Jew. He was a lover of books and
he went to Cincinnati and after had a very interesting and valu-
a short stay there he came to De- able collection of coins. He was
troit, where he secured employ- a man of culture and broad sym-
ment in David Amberg's clothing pathies. When the 1883 Art Loan
store. His fellow clerk was Edward Exhibition was planned and guar-
Breitung, afterwards a prominent antors were needed, Emil Heine-
resident of the- Northern Penin- man put up $1,000 as one of the
sula and its representative in guarantors.
This exhibition resulted in the
Congress_
founding of the Museum of Art.
The commercial training and the
Heineman was prominently id-
instruction in the English lan- entified with Temple Beth El,
guage, which Emil had received serving as trustee of the Temple
at home, enabled him in 1853 to and as president of the Beth El
open his own business. In 1854 a Hebrew Relief Society.
fire destroyed the block in which
He was married in 1861 to
Heineman's business was lo-
cated and for many years after- Fanny Butzel of Peekskill, N.Y.
and
they were the parents of
wards he occupied one or more
of the stores under the - old Na- David E., Solomon E., Flora
(Mrs.
Charles Thurnauer) and
tional Hotel, now the site of the
First National Building. At the Emelia (Mrs. Benjamin, Peritz).
Their home on Woodward and
outbreak of the Civil War, he fur-
nished military clothing to the Adelaide, which Heineman pur-
chased
for $20,000 in 1862, was
state, and later to the general gov-
ernment, and after that engaged one of the finest in the city, and
had
a
most
attractive garden. On
exclusively in the wholesale trade,
manufacturing ready-made clothing the top floor, Heineman_installed
the first billiard table in Michigan,
and men's furnishings.
which was used by such notables
His two brothers-in-law, Mag-
as Governor Lewis Cass, U.S.
nus and Martin Butzel, were ad-
Senator Zechariah Chandler, Gov-
mitted to partnership in 1862,
ernor John J. Bagley, and many
and the firm went under the
others.
name of "Heineman, Butzel and
Mrs. Heineman was a woman
Comp a n y." Heineman was
of great artistic attainments. It
engaged for 35 years in mercan-
was her custom to conduct fre-
Vle life in Detroit, and during
quent soirees at her home for
this period witnessed the tre-
poets, writers and artists. She
mendous growth of the city's
served as president for some 30
industries.
years of the Detroit Ladies' So-
Mr. Heineman was associated ciety for the support of Hebrew
with many of the representative widows and orphans in Michigan,
corporations of the city, and was popularly known as "The Frauen
among the first subscribers to the Verein." -
Detroit Fire and Marine Insurahce
Emil Heineman died in 1896
Co., and one of its early and his wife in 1911. Both are
directors. He was an original sub- interred in the Heineman family
scriber to and director of the plot in Beth El's Section of Wood-
Michigan Life Insurance Co:, mere Cemetery.
and of-the Fort Wayne and Elmond
David E. Heineman was one
Street Railway Co., of which
of the most colorful figures in
he was later treasurer. In 1885
Detroit's civic, social -and cul-
he erected a fine buildings on
tural life in the early years of
Cadillac Squhre.
this century.
He was known as a public-in-
He was born on Oct. 17, 1865,
spired citizen and as an exemplary in the old Heineman homestead on

Purely Commentary

Woodward and Adelaide, one of
the lovely mansions that lined
Woodward Avenue before the ad-
vent of the - automobile. He re-
-ceived an excellent education in
private schools and-with tutors and
then entered the Old Detroit High
School where he graduated, in
1883, as president of his class.
He spent the next year in Europe
and 'upon his return entered the-
University. of Michigan in 1884,
where he took a.degree in philo-
sophy in 1887. He also studied
law at the university's law school
and in the office of Walker and
Walker, one of Detroit's. best
known law firms. He was admitted
to the Bar in May, 1E89, and sub-
sequently to Federal and United
States Supreme - Court practice.

In 1893 he betanie chief as-
sistant city attorney of Detroit
and had charge of all the City's
court work. During the three
years that he was in office he
complied and revised the ordi-
nances of Detroit, a book of 700
pages.
At the urgent request of Gov-
ernor Hazen S. Pingree, Michi-
gan's great reform- governor, Mr.
Heineman became a candidate, in
1899, for the State Legislature
from the city at large. Of the 10
legislators so elected he received
the highest number of votes
throughout the city. He served
for one regular and three special
sessions.
Beginning with 1902, he served
for seven years as a member of
Detroit's Cominon Council of
which he was elected president
in 1906. He served Detroli as
alderman, assistant corporation
counsel and finally, froin 1910
to 1912, as controller. Daring
World War. I, be was food ad-
ministrator for Wayne County;
He ran for the office of - lieute-
nant governor but was defeated.
In addition to his personal legal

work and his numerous civic and
political undertakings, Heineman
originated the city manager plan
of government for cities. He was
director, vice-president and twice •
president of
Michigan League
of Municipalities.
His intense interest in art made ,
him a vital figure in the program -
that resulted in the - establishment
of Detroit's famed Art Center,
which includes the Detroit Insti-
tute of Arts on one side of Wood-
ward Avenue and the Detroit Pub-
lic Library on the other. He had
the foresight to arrive at an un-
derstanding with Senator Thomas
W. Palmer, in 1892, that the city
have first option on the Senator's
old homestead at Woodward Ave.
and Farnsworth St. for a
library. When the Art Institute
pre-empted this land, Heineman
was successful -in tying up the
land across the street- for library
purposes. He then procured for
the city the acceptance of the
Andrew Carnegie Gift of $750,000

the

after if had been_ rejected by the...
_Council and given up as hopeless -
_by the:Board of -Library Commial ,-. -
sioners. -ThiaLgift- was the nucleus-
:of the present library and the
branch library system: -
Heineman - was: regarded "as -a
critic Of art and Music, but he en. .
joyed -the . fierealiire-azid-take:of
the political: arena -more._11e:Avas
a good story, teller.- He was-one:Of
the most gifted - of The
lavi-
makers, and in those-distant days

a. councilmanic.debate with David
Heineman participating was some-
thing to be seen and -heard.
Heine-Ma
n had wide financial
interests. His bUsbiels . connections
included managing director .of the
Fort Wayne and Belle Isle Rail- .
way. Co. (one of the -- original
street railway lines of Detroit);
director of the Detroit Fire and -
Marine _ InsuranCe- Co., - -and of
Merz Capsule: Co..-' and . president
of the Heineman_ Realty- CO:-
.
artistic-- spirit found its
mitiet_•n -the founding of the-Rob-
ert Hopkin Club and its succes-
sor the "Scarab - Club.. --
-
He was- the anth-ar of the bill
creating the Board of State
Library- Conimissioners and he
served as a - member or as the
president .wider. three governors.
He was awarded a honorary degree
of master of arts by the Univer-
sity of Michigan in 1912.
Heineman was a. member - of
the American Institute- of Arche- --
obey and president- of -its- local
society, the -Palestinn Exploration
Fund, the Michigan HistOrical
cietY, to whose publication_he- con-
tributed .freqii-ently- and member
and delegate of:the,National Civic -
Federation. He also served as pres-
ident of the State .Anti-Tuberculo---.
sis Society, president-of the -Bo-
hemian Club of Detroit, member
of Phi Beta Sapper Zion Lodge
of MasOns;_ Moslein -TemPIe- Uni;-
versity Club, -Detroit Boat Club,.
Old- Club of St.' Chiire Flats, life --
member of the Elks and Odd Fel:"
lows,- and many other- organize-,
tion`n:
Heineman was a s tu dent - of
Jewish. affairs and he contributed
several papers on the early - his- --
tory of :the Jews in lfichigan _
the publications of the American__ •
Jewish Historical Society, of which _
hn. was n Member. He served- as _
president- of. Pisgah . Lodge .7.1nai
Brith and - wag the organizer in
1900 of the first- YkiliA-in- De,
trait.
- .
Always- regarded as a confirmed-
bachelor, he surprised - even his
closest friends when; . at - age 54, :-
he married Tessa •(Jessa)- Dem-
mon, daughter of Prof: Isaac M. :-
Demmon a veteran member of -
the University of Michigan faculty. -
Heineman traveled abroad 17

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_

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,

times and had a fluent knowledge... -
of German, - Italian - and French.
He died is 1935 and was btiried in.
the-Heineman Wilily Plot - in_
-
-El's secti'o2 of Woodmere Ceme
tery.

Heroic Story of - Hannah Seriesh

By Philip
Slomovitz

(Continued from Page 2)
One needs something to believe in, something for which
stuff that courage is made—and the name Hannah --
"I- don't know whether I've already mentioned that
one can - have wholehearted enthusiasm. One needs to
Senesh is among the imperishable monuments:-to devotion_
I've become a Zionist. This word stands for a number of
feel that ones life has meaning, that one is needed in
to Israel:
things, To merit means, in short, that I now consciously
this - world. Zionism -fulfills . all this for me . . . rm con-
An admirer who--has not been identified -buried_ her -
and strongly feel I am a Jew, and am proud of it. My
vinced Zionism is --jeWtry;' solution to its problems, and
in the "Martyrs' Section" of the Jewish cemetery _and in
primary aim is to go to Palestine, to work for it. Of
that the outstanding - work being. done in-"Palestine is
1951
her remains were briiught to Israel for reburial with
course - this did not develop from one day to the next; it
not in vain." - -
full_ military honors- _
was a somewhat gradual development. There was first
Incorporated in her _dairy -is the :text of an address
Her end was- tragle.yet, in her martirdom, she left
talk of it about three years ago, and at that time I
-she delivered in February'of 1939 on the subject: "Roots
great heritage_ for - her people—a lesson,. in Courage, .inf ---
vehemently attacked the Zionist movement. Since- then
of. Zionism, or the Fundamentals of Zionism." What a
faithfulness to the
ideal=an admonition to -genern-
people, events,_ times, have all brought me closer to
magnificent credo for a young girl who later was to give Aiwa to cane never to abandon faith; to holdjast --to an
the idea, and I am immeasurably happy -that I've- found'
her life for- her people and her cause.
ideal, to fight for the right, to help -rescue the `oppressed,
this ideal, that I now feel firm ground under my feet,
The chapter in this book by her comrade-in-arms
to resist barbarism IPor such -aniessage "Hannah Seneshn
and can see a definite goal toward which it is really _ Yogi Palgi on "How-She Fell" is a niagnifieent- addendum - Her Life and Diary" will be
cherished as
historic_ -.
worth striving. I am going to start learning Hebrew -
to a g.reatstory about a marvelous heroine. It is of such
record of a great deed by a true =heroine of this century.-

a.

56 Friday, March 31, 1972

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THE

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