THE JEWISH NEWS COMMEMORATIVE ISSUE

1942-1992

EARLY SUPPORT

An influential group of supporters got The Jewish News off the ground.

L

BY KIMBERLY LIFTON

Staff Writer

6

eonard Simons
remembers well
the beginnings of
The Jewish News.
It cost him $500.
Walter Field remembers,
too. It cost him the same.
Yet money wasn't the
issue. The two men really
wanted to help the Jewish
Chronicle editor, Philip
Slomovitz, launch his own
newspaper. It was time, they
said, for their friend Mr.
Slomovitz to be his own boss.
And it was time, they said,
to afford Mr. Slomovitz his
own voice — a newspaper of
his own that would adhere to
Zionist values and help him
fight a lifelong battle
against anti-Semitism.
So with a few other $500
checks, and one large in-
vestment of $10,000 from
Maurice Schwartz (father of
Honigman attorney Alan E.
Schwartz), they gathered
enough funds to start The
Jewish News. Mr. Schwartz
served as co-publisher with
Mr. Slomovitz. As the pre-
ferred stockholders, they
formed a board of directors
for The Jewish News.
Other directors were
Isidore Sobeloff, then ex-
ecutive director for the Jew-
ish Welfare Federation,
Judge Theodore Levin, Abe
Srere and Remy Wineman,
each former presidents of the
Federation.
In addition, a 56-member
community advisory corn-
mittee included Rabbi Leo
Franklin, spokesman for the
Reform community, Rabbi
Max J. Wohlgelernter of the
Orthodox community,
educator Bernard Isaacs,
businessmen Sidney Allen
and Morris Garvett.
Both Mr. Schwartz and
Mr. Slomovitz wanted the
newspaper to include repre-

THE JEWISH NEWS COMMEMORATIVE ISSUE

sentatives from the entire
Jewish population so the
paper could represent all of
Detroit Jewry.
Fifty years later, the
newspaper Mr. Slomovitz
founded is still strong. Yet
most of the original finan-
ciers have passed on, no
longer able to enjoy the
success of their investment.
The only three original
backers remaining are Mr.
Simons, a retired advertis-
ing executive who lives in
Southfield; Mr. Field, a
retired paint manufacturer
living in Bloomfield Hills;
and Mr. Sobeloff, who now
lives in Los Angeles.
Mr. Simons, founder of
Simons, Michaelson, Zieve
Advertising in Troy, met Mr.
Slomovitz through business.
He designed the original
Jewish News logo, and
helped Mr. Slomovitz design
his early pages.
"I ran ads and he was the
editor," Mr. Simons said.
"Phil and I always hit it off.
I have learned more from
Phil than I have from any-

Long-time cronies Walter
Field, Philip Slomovitz and
Leonard Simons.

one —even the rabbis — in
my life.
"I remember that a group
of us got together and said
we should put Phil in busi-
ness," Mr. Simons recalled.
"There were a lot of
machers from the Jewish
Welfare Federation in-
volved. The Federation was
happy. They weren't happy
with the Jewish Chronicle."
They had no say edito-
rially, but most chatted
regularly with Mr.
Slomovitz. They helped each
other. Right away, Mr.
Simons recalled, Mr.
Slomovitz had a following.
Mr. Slomovitz was a loyal
friend who published ar-
ticles they wrote. Today they
still have that loyal friend,
who occasionally meets with
Mr. Field and Mr. Simons for
lunch in Southfield.
"He's a great little guy,"
Mr. Simons said. "I love
him. He taught me so much

Jewish history in his
columns."
Mr. Field has known Mr.
Slomovitz for 65 years. That
amazes him. They met when
Mr. Field bought the Zionist
House, where meetings were
held for Detroit's Labor
Zionist Organization, in
1943. "Phil wrote about it,"
Mr. Field recalled.
"Phil is a special human
being," Mr. Field said. "He
felt he could express more on
Zionism as his own boss.
"The Jewish News became
a great publication," Mr.
Field said. "You can't
duplicate Purely Commen-
tary."
Taking Mr. Slomovitz
away from the Chronicle, the
men agreed, effectively put
the other newspaper out of
business. Without Mr.
Slomovitz, Mr. Simons said,
"they didn't have a paper."
"It is a wonderful thing
The Jewish News is here,"
Mr. Field said. "Otherwise,
you couldn't know the truly
important things about
Judaism." ❑