THE JEWISH NEWS COMMEMORATIVE ISSUE
1942-1992
Making Their Marks
David
Hermelin
create Jewish cultural pro-
grams, including radio and
television shows.
Rabbi Adler was similarly
dedicated to his congregation,
where he initiated such pro-
grams as the Beth Hayeled
nursery, the Adult Kibbutz,
and a children's summer pro-
gram. His wife, the late
Goldie Adler, also was active
in establishing numerous pro-
grams at the synagogue.
Under Rabbi Adler's direc-
tion, Shaarey Zedek moved
from its facility on Chicago
Boulevard in Detroit to its
current home in Southfield.
The cornerstone for the new
building was laid in June
1962.
and
Moishe Haar
Shloime Bercovich were
educators in the 1930s and
1940s whose ideas influenced
literally thousands of young
Jewish students.
Mr. Haar came in 1926 from
St. Louis to Detroit, where he
was hired as a teacher at the
People's School Society, which
Dr. Bolkosky in his book Har-
mony and Dissonance: Voices
of Jewish Identity in Detroit
1914 1967, said comprised
"anti-Zionists, or 'pure' Yid-
dishists."
Also in 1926, Shloime Ber-
covich of New York was nam-
ed head of the People's School.
Several years later, the school
became known as the Sholem
Aleichem Institute.
Under Mr. Bercovich's direc-
tion, students addressed each
other and their teachers as
"comrade." Women played
leading roles in all aspects of
the school.
"Along with Moishe Haar
(who started the school's first
reading circle) . . . Bercovich
immersed thousands of
Detroit's East European Jews
in Yiddish culture through
literature, history and
drama," Dr. Bolkosky writes.
-
From the top:
Bernard Isaacs,
Harlene
Appleman,
Isidore Sobeloff
with David Ben-
Gurion and Rabbi
Leon Fram.
14
THE JEWISH NEWS COMMEMORATIVE ISSUE
Jane Sherman has for
many years been a leader in
the Detroit Federation, in-
cluding serving as the first
female chairman of the Allied
Jewish Campaign.
Mrs. Sherman has been a
longtime supporter of Israel,
especially in the field of U.S.-
Israeli trade and of Project
Renewal, through which
Detroit's Jewish community
is linked with an Israeli
neighborhood. Residents of
Yavne, the current Project
Renewal city, often call out to
visitors, "Do you know Jane
Sherman?"
Among her many positions,
Mrs. Sherman has served as
vice chairman of the national
UJA, a member of the Jewish
Agency board of governors, a
member of the United Israel
Appeal board of directors and
board of trustees, and vice
president of the Detroit
Federation.
Rabbi Leo Franklin of
Temple Beth El was a pas-
sionate advocate for the
American way of life.
"As long as the Jew leads
the right sort of life in the
community, he is as good as
any man," he said.
Rabbi Franklin came to
Detroit in 1899 and quickly
became a spokesman not on-
ly for the temple but for much
of the city's Jewish communi-
ty. A believer in the impor-
tance of interfaith relations,
Rabbi Franklin helped found
the Detroit Round Table of
the National Conference of
Christians and Jews and fre-
quently spoke at local
churches.
As head of Beth El, Rabbi
Franklin saw that the temple
offered social services and
other benefits to new Jewish
immigrants. According to
author Sidney Bolkosky,
these programs "laid the
foundation for organized
Jewish charities in Detroit."
In fact, Rabbi Franklin
helped form the United
Jewish Charities, explaining
that "the Jew is the keeper of
his brother."
Rabbi Franklin retired after
serving more than 40 years as
head of Beth El. His assistant
at the time, Rabbi Leon Fram,
did not succeed him, most
likely because Rabbi Fram
was a Zionist and much of the
congregation was not. Rabbi
B. Benedict Glazer, also a
Zionist, eventually took over
the helm of the congregation.
Henry Wineman was a
contemporary of Fred Butzel,
and the two worked closely on
numerous social welfare pro-
jects to benefit the Jewish
community.
A Federation president and
Campaign chairman in the
1920s, '30s, '40s and '50s, Mr.
Wineman believed one of the
community's priorities was
caring for its poor. During the
1930s and '40s, he worked to
raise money to help Jews hur-
ting from the Depression and
to aid Jews trapped in Nazi
Germany.
Active in the Jewish Na-
tional Fund and an organizer
of the Jewish Community
Council, Mr. Wineman's
greatest contribution was pro-
bably his work in reaching
out to all sectors of the Jewish
population. lbgether with Mr.
Butzel, he worked to unite
the often fragmented Jewish
community, which in the
earlier part of the century in-
cluded everyone from East
European immigrants just off
the boat to sophisticated mer-
chants with prosperous
businesses.
Rabbi Isaac Stollman of
Congregation Mishkan Israel
was active in Jewish Federa-
tion (he was among the
signatories to the articles
associating the Federation),