1 9 4 2 Celebrating 50 years of growth with the Detroit Jewish Community 1 9 9 2 THE JEWISH NEWS SEVENTY-FIVE CENTS APRIL 24, 1992 / 21 NISAN 5752 Father Coughlin's Church Will Host Interfaith Event Goodbye Kishke, Hello Quiche NOAM M.M. NEUSNER Staff Writer T he house that Coughlin built is now toasting Jewish- Christian friendship. While known for shepher- ding one of Michigan's finest Catholic churches, the late Father Charles Coughlin left a legacy of anti- Semitism after his 40 years at the Shrine of the Little Flower in Royal Oak. Now, a fund-raising event for the Ecumenical Institute for Jewish-Christian Studies is being held at the church on May 11. About 100 people will attend the event, and each will donate at least $250 for the institute. "This could only happen in America," said Rabbi M. Robert Syme of Temple Israel, who will speak at the event. "Who would've believed that a rabbi would be invited to speak at the Shrine?" During the 1930s and ear- ly '40s, Father Coughlin Welcome to the new world of kosher cuisine. Page 24 The Shrine of the Little Flower. hosted a radio show from his Royal Oak church. On the show, which gained a nationwide audience during the Depression, he routinely vilified Jews as communist conspirators and moral degenerates. He was later censored by the Roosevelt administration and de- nounced by the Roman Catholic Church, but his legacy as an anti-Semite is still etched in the memories of Detroit's Jews. "Jews viewed it as a bas- tion of anti-Semitism," said Richard Lobenthal, director Continued on Page 28 Negotiations For Sinai, DMC Affiliation Halted KIMBERLY LIFTON Staff Writer D etroit Medical Center on Wednesday called off merger negotia- tions with Sinai Hospital, one of the last remaining major independent health care institutions in Detroit. "The relationship has been positive and educational for both organizations," said Phillip Schaengold, Sinai's president and chief ex- ecutive officer. "The timing of this affiliation was ob- viously not right." Neither DMC President David Campbell nor spokesman Douglas Klegon were available for comment. In January, Sinai and DMC launched a feasibility study to evaluate a merger arrangement for the two organizations. It was the se- cond round of merger talks between the two institu- CLOSEUP tions, which halted negotia- tions in December 1990. Results of the study were reviewed Tuesday by DMC's board of trustees, whose members voted to suspend talks that would incorporate Sinai into the DMC health care system. "I'm confident both organ- izations will be able to con- tinue successfully and in- dependently while searching for other opportunities," Mr. Schaengold said. "It certain- ly clears the air and sets a direction for Sinai." DMC's board agreed to ex- plore opportunities for other relationships of "mutual in- terest" to Sinai and DMC. Meanwhile, Sinai officials said they will remain open to future opportunities, but added they are confident they can make it alone. Last month, Sinai released its second quarter financial report, showing profits of $1.6 million. Last year, the hospital reported a $2.8 mill- ion loss during the same period. Sinai officials attribute its economic recovery to many factors, including the hiring of an outside consulting team, the Hunter Group, who laid off 200 employees last year in its quest to im- prove a bleak financial pic- ture. Hunter consultants left the hospital in February when Mr. Schaengold came on board, leaving the hospital with a more consis- tent daily census count, averaging 380 in-patients, and tighter financial con- trols. In addition, officials credit Sinai physicians, who helped boost the daily census count after they formed a coalition at the end of 1990 to actively get involved in the hospital's future. 111