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8
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Friday, december 13, 1985
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
PURELY COMMENTARY
Continued from Page 2
Significance Of
Holocaust Events
•
YOU'LL FIND MORE PARTS IN THE
BRACELET OF THIS AWARD-WINNING
THALASSA THAN YOU WILL IN A
ROLLS-ROYCE ENGINE:
You're looking at the bracelet of what is perhaps the most beautiful watch
in the world: the award-winning Thalassa. We've taken it apart to make a point
about the excellence of this superb, water-resistant timepiece.
In the pell-mell rush to praise technology, people often lose sight of the thing
that makes watchmaking the art it is: handcrafting.
Jean Lassale never forgets.
It takes us 656 parts to craft each exquisite gold and steel Thalassa bracelet.
Twelve to a link. Fifty-six more than in the engine of a Silver Cloud: which has a
mere 600 major moving parts.
Every single one of those parts is slipped precisely into place by hand.
If you've ever struggled with the tiny parts of a model ship you know what
that entails.
Perhaps we could have built this Thalassa bracelet with fewer parts. But
then, it wouldn't be as supple, as flexible, or as fitting.
With fewer parts, Thalassa might still have won the Laurel d'Or in
Monte Carlo as Watch of the Year. And no one would have noticed.
But we'd know. And you'd know. And that makes all the
difference in the world to us.
OJE AN LASSALE
s.a. Geneve
Perhaps the most beautiful watch in the world.
j ewe I I ers
3001 West Big Beaver Road Troy, Michigan 48084
The names - Rolls-Royce" and "Silver Cloud" are registered trademarks
• There are 600 major internal moving parts in the engine of the Rolls•Royce Silver Lioua
Retention of the limelight on
the Holocaust Center is justified
by the seminars conducted in
the interest of human rights and
historical truisms.
The local Holocaust Center is
very young calendar-wise. In ac-
tivism it provides guidance and
studies of its purposes for
peoples of all faiths.
This has become evident in
the seminar series that have al-
ready been conducted ecumeni-
cally, with concern that corrects
previous communal errors.
An example of the important
achievements was provided dur-
ing the past week when some
150 students from area high
schools, perhaps 95 percent of
the students being of Christian
faiths, gathered at the
Holocaust Memorial Center to
hear, see, discuss the revelations
in the important settings. Such
have been the inspired efforts by
non-Jews like the Rev. James
Lyons, concerned Jews like
Rabbi Charles Rosenzveig, Dr.
John Mames and their associ-
ates who cover all religious and
social areas to inspire participa-
tion in the studies made possible
by the guidelines of the impor-
tant seminars.
This is a recording of facts
and the cementing of devotional
concerns that assure the mottoes
of righteousness and never
forgetting the Nazi crimes.
That's a way of preventing re-
currence of the horrors.
Detroit Jewish
History In Works?
Leonard N. Simons
Every recorded incident of
Jewish achievement and occur-
rence supplements historical re-
cords. There is much to be as-
sembled for a properly re-
searched history of this commu-
nity. Detroit is perhaps the only
major American Jewish commu-
nity still without a published
Jewish history. The shortcoming
is soon to be corrected.
Without breaking confidence,
since the subject has been under
scrutiny for several years, it can
be predicted that the Detroit
Jewish history will be a reality,
perhaps the coming Maich.. The
highly respectd Prof. Robert
Rockaway of Tel Aviv Univer-
sity, the former native Detroiter
who had a professional post at
the University of Texas before
going to Israel, is the author of
the first portion of the projected
history leading up to the late
1930s.
Whatever is published always
depends on constantly dis-
covered facts that create
addenda.
If there is a single person who
keeps providing addenda, he is
Leonard N. Simons, octogena-
rian who never stops research-
ing when he is confronted by a
subject of affection: Jewry, Is-
rael and Detroit. The evidence
of such a characteristic is in his =(
Simons Says, a volume filled
with data, anecdotes and em-
phasis on actual experiences.
Now come the addenda. A few
months ago, L.N.S. undertook to
write a history of Franklin Hills
Country Club. It was a difficult
task because so few documents
were available. Nevertheless, he
got to the root of his assign-
ment. Many who would other-
wise be forgotten are again in
the limelight as a result of his
labors. The brief brochure re-
introduces Federal Judge
Charles C. Simons. It recalls the
role of Meyer L. Prentis. It
suggests a chapter in Detroit's
Jewish history.
The L.N.S. pamphlet, pub-
lished only for members of
Franklin Hills Country Club,
does even more than that. It
traces the club history to a rela-
tionship with the Phoenix Club
and the pioneers in the Detroit
Jewish community and has a
fascinating share in history-
writing.
It would do well if Leonard
Simons were to undertake to
write the history of the Phoenix
Club. He has already discovered
a few items defining the club's
fame. He lets us know that it
was founded in 1872 and he has
discovered minor records about
its 50th anniversary celebration
in 1922.
How many remember the
Phoenix Club which was located
on John R? L.N.S. informs us
that Phoenix was located on
John R near Erskine, opposite
Harper Hospital. It disbanded in
1942 when Nate Shapero retired
as its president. Leonard Si-
mons' lifetime advertising
agency associate Lawrence
Michelson was a member of the
board at the time.
Those of us who had contacts
with Phoenix will recall that it
was the center of major commu-
nity affairs, where philan-
thropies were planned. One such
event recalled here is an occa-
sion when Dr. Judah L. Magnes,
then president of the Hebrew
University in Jerusalem, came
to Detroit in behalf of the Joint
Distribution Committee. There
were many such events and
when L.N.S. hopefully writes its
story it may prove to be
Addendum Number One to the
Detroit Jewish story.