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I CLOSE-UP
The Jewish community always
has been small — never having many
more than 200 families. Few Jews still
do business within the city limits, but
most of the families have roots in Ben-
ton Harbor.
Shortly after it was incorporated
as a city in 1866, Benton Harbor
became a shopper's paradise. Mer-
chants came to its downtown area to
open clothing stores, restaurants,
foundries and scrap metal businesses.
Jewish settlers found the business
environment attractive, and moved to
the small town with hopes of striking
it rich as farmers and merchants.
Some found great wealth in the scrap
metal and retail businesses.
In 1965, when St. Joseph started
booming, the already sparsely popu-
lated Jewish community began mi-
grating to the city's surrounding the
Benton Harbor city limits, and most
took their businesses with them.
A few Jewish families continue to
dominate the lucrative scrap metal
businesses that still are head-
quartered in Benton Harbor. And
other families have found success in
the volatile retail businesses, which
have moved to the surrounding cities.
Others have opted for the profes-
sional fields.
"This community has been good
to me;' said Jeff Ibbian, who with his
father owns a scrap metal business.
"The Jewish business people are very
competetitive and fortunately, I have
prospered?'
Jack Keller, who heads a well-
respected law firm, and his wife Julie,
are two of the most active Jewish
leaders in the community. They like
the small-town life.
"Jews come to small towns be-
cause there is a lot of opportunity to
"Benton Harbor has
such potential ... it was
thriving once and can
be again."
succeed and make money;' Julie
Keller commented.
Unfortunately, she said, the com-
munity of great potential has suffered
a financial beating. As a result,
children go away to college and usual-
ly make their homes elsewhere if they
don't have family businesses waiting
for their return, observers pointed
out.
"All we need are jobs;' Julie
Keller said. "If Elkon works, it will
help Benton Harbor's image of being
glutted with people who don't want to
work. It will change people's at-
titudes."
Like other residents of the com-
munity, the Jewish families are
cautiously optimistic about the Elkon
car. Yet they agree with state officials
that the car company is likely to at-
,1,11, a,/
A 1,(11 I l lAA
A boarded up theater marquee boasts a city theme.
"We will try to identify the hous-
tract other large business projects to
ing problem, renovate some of the old
the city.
"Benton Harbor has such poten- houses and build new subdivisions,"
tial," added Pauline Jaques Milli- City Manager Alex Little said.
"If we get 500 new jobs and they
champ, project liaison for the Mich-
igan Department of Commerce. "It all move into the (neighboring) town-
was thriving once and can be again. ships, we have problems. My Number
When the Elkon car comes into town, 1 priority is to provide adequate hous-
ing to keep people in the city."
other companies will follow?'
Mayor Wolf said he would like to
The mayor and other observers
maintain that publicity efforts alone tear down all the downtown buildings
won't improve the staggering south- and start from scratch, but realizes
western community of 14,000. So that demolishing Benton Harbor's
government officials and area busi- slums is impractical.
The city is about $10 million in
ness leaders have launched a com-
prehensive demographic study to debt and suffers from a sagging $50
identify the problems and prepare a million tax base. Economic advisers
said the 4.5square-mile city should
master plan.
Among the business represen- support a tax base at least three times
tatives is David Whitwam, president that figure.
Benton Harbor's problems are
and CEO for Whirlpool Corp. in
contained within its perameters. The
neighboring St. Joseph.
"We must realize that Benton city abuts Lake Michigan and is
Harbor has slipped into the negative neighbor to the well-to-do city of St.
column in all categories;' Whitwam Joseph. Benton Harbor is nestled bet-
said at a recent Twin Cities Chamber ween Detroit and Chicago along
Michigan's west coast, just off 1-94.
of Commerce reception.
A bridge and the St. Joseph River
"For any plan to be viable, we
must realize that no community can divides Benton Harbor from four
be an island. The greatest corrective surrounding communities of about
measures must be centered where the 60,000 residents in total.
Aside from the Israeli-Michigan
needs are greatest — in Benton Har-
venture, the city has managed to lure
bor?'
The $150,000 study, to be com- other new businesses, Little said.
pleted by Harland Bartholomew and State support is an added bonus, he
Associates, Inc, a national municipal said.
Other ventures under way include
planning group, will be paid through
donations and grants from the state a planned riverfront project aimed at
Department of Commerce, officials beautifying the area along the St.
Joseph River. A private developer
said.
has purchased a run-down hotel
that he plans to convert into 96
waterfront condominiums with a
160-slip marina.
A public boardwalk also is pro-
posed for the riverfront.
Little said the project should be
completed by spring, and would add
$3 million to the 1988 tax roll. The
condominiums would be sold for
$53,000 a unit, Little said.
"We want to maximize our water-
ways for recreation and tourism," Lit-
tle said. "This will help boost
tourism."
Little said a 1987 Downtown De-
velopment Authority grant for
$300,000 has helped the city fix roads,
renovate some downtown buildings,
repair gutters and put up Christmas
decorations.
He said the city plans to resurface
most downtown streets this spring.
"We really just need a few
breaks;' the mayor said. "Everybody
realizes we need help. The state is
bending over backward to help. We
have been dragging down the whole
county!'
If Wolf has his way, Benton Har-
bor will be on the road to prosperity
within five years. For the first time
since the city's demise began in the
mid-1960s, Wolf and other communi-
ty leaders have turned feelings of
despair and disillusion to optimism.
Just 90 miles away from Chicago,
35 miles north of South Bend, Ind.
and 180 miles west of Detroit, Benton
Harbor in its prime was a weekend