CLOSE-UP

Since the turn

of the century,

several

Jewish-owned

businesses have

remained alive

and well.

III KIMBERLY LIPTON

Staff Writer

26

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 19, 1990

I

n the year 1900, Michigan's Jewish
community — estimated at 9,000 — was
growing.
Already in place in Detroit, where a majority
of the Jews lived, were 18 Jewish organizations,
including four congregations; a funeral home; a
day school; the Jewish Ladies' Sewing Society;
the Phoenix Club, a family social club;
Gemiluth Chasudim Association, which provided
$10 to $25 loans without interest; and United
Jewish Charities, the fund-raising arm of the
Jewish community.
With the turn of the century, Detroit secured
its first Jewish businessmen's club, the Standard
Club, at 79 Miami Ave. There, 75 members
gathered the first Sunday of each month,
discussing business ideas, creating new ones
and networking.
Many of the earliest businessmen peddled food
— bread, fruit, fish, meat, poultry and
vegetables, and some dealt in junk. They started
with humble beginnings, and some developed
large businesses, prospering through much of
the new century.
Yet only a few of these pioneers founded
businesses that are still thriving and run by
their third and fourth generations. Here are
some of their tales: