104 Friday, October,11, 1985 THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
„-

Max Sosin has earned
a reputation as the
Myron Cohen of
Detroit
that of
a master
storyteller.

BY SANDRA MAURF.7
Special to The -Jewish News

Bill Pugliano

hey tell a story that in jail the
prisoners don't have the time to
fraternize so they give all their
stories numbers and from their
cells the prisoners will yell out
"Number 67" and everybody laughs.
"Number 74", they all laugh. A new
prisoner wanted to fit in with the
crowd so he yells out "Number 4." Not
a sound from anybody. So he turns to
his cellmate and he says "What the
hell is the matter with them? The
other night someone pulled Number 4
and everyone 'was in hysterics." The
cellmate said, "Well . . . it's the way
you tell it."
Max Sosin has been telling, his
stories to Jewish audiences for as
long as he can remember; "Ever
since I was maybe three years old, I
started to sort of entertain. Company
would come to the house and my

117194
HEBREW UNION COLLEGE
LIBRARY —
WALTER ROTHmAN• LIBR
CINCINNATI
OH 45220

parents would put me up on a chair
and I would sing or whatever." Best
described as a "borscht-belt" come-
dian, his rich humor is spiced with a
lot of Yiddish, a little German and
Russian, and topped with plenty of
the schmaltz that Jewish audiences
appreciate.
When a person watches Sosin
perform, they can't help wonder why
his entertaining, is just a sideline.
"As a profession I wouldn't enjoy it.
As a hobby, that's different. A hobby
you are doing for love, you enjoy it,
it's something that you get a kick
out of. As a profession, you 'are con-
stantly worried whether you are
doing well or whether you will be
called again especially if it is your
livelihood or part-livelihood. I didn't
want to worry.
"My compensation from all of
this ' is when I see a -smiling audi-
ence, it's penicillin. When you see
happy people, regardless of where it
is, it's a tremendous feeling of
achievement because if 'you can
bring a moment of happiness to a
person, I don't cue when or where,
it's 'a great achievereent."!
Did I ever , tell you -that there's a
tremendou s advantage in having, a:
name like LiPshitte? The advantage

:

is that no one bothers to, ask you
what it was before you changed it.
Rabbi Morton Yolkut of Cong.
B'nai David of Southfield has known
Sosin since hemming the rabbi of
the synagogue eight years ago.
"In Hebrew his (Sosin's) name is
sason, meaning joy. And as his
name, so is he. I think his major
contribution to this community is
that he has brought a lot of joy and
happiness not only when he per-
forms on stage but when he sees
you, he always has a story. You
leave him smiling. That is a tre-
mendous gift to be able to bring. a
little joy in this' often cruel world.
He has a story for all occasions and
they are usually funny. And if 'they
are not funny, you laugh with-him
because he has an itifectious laugh.
"Max is one of the most belove4
members of not only the congrega-.
tion, but of the Jewish community.
He is well known and , hag' , ,
entertained - in the communi ty
haps more than any other indrvid
that I'm- aware of."'
, They tell a story that ccliffe
and a rabbi went to =see:a b
match. Before the fight, one: of
fighters was crossing shimselt$0,4

,

''

Continued on Page 78