DETROIT

FIFTY YEARS AGO

This colurmi will be a
weekly feature during The
Jewish News' anniversary
year, looking- at The Jew-
ish News of today's date
50 year-s ago:

PHIL JACOBS

Managing Editor

Once again The Detroit
Jewish News published a
front page of headlines,
referring to the major
stories on the inside of the
paper. Also, a front page:
photograph showed the
arrival of then-World
Zionist Organization
leader Dr. Chaim Weiz
mann to New York. Dr.
Weizmann, who would
become Israel's first pres-
ident, came to this coun-
try with the hopes of
"cementing American
sentiments in behalf of a
Jewish Palestine.'
red-inked two-line
banner headline pro
claimed, "Polish Jews
Send Frantic Appeal To
World For Food." A
related story talked about
how the number of mon
thly Polish Jewish burial
records was increasing by
the thousands. In a single
month, according to the
article, many more
burials were recorded
than in entire previous
years.
Another front page
story told of how German
Jews were being saved
from deportation to camps
by Catholic priests who
were more than willing to
convert them. These
priests, according to the
article, were threatened
with disciplinary action
from the Nazis.
The banning of the anti-
Semitic publication, So-
cial Justice, from the fed-
eral mails did happen.
The magazine, published
out of Royal Oak by
Father Charles Coughlin
of the Shrine of the Little
Flower, was also hit
by U.S. Attorney Gen-
eral Francis Biddle, who
said that all necessary
steps to prevent distiribu-
tion outside of the mails
would be made.
Federation's Women's
Division reported that it
had gained 65 percent of
its $91,000 campaign
goal. The Allied Jewish

14

FRIDAY, APRIL 24, 1992

Campaign was asking the
community to meet a goal
of $985,000.
This week's list of
"Jewish Boys In The
War" included: Pvt.
\William Goldstein, Corp.
Alfred B. Lippitt, Corp.
Julie Sandler and
Seaman Sol Elkin.
Evelyn June Ross mar-
ried Lt. William J. \Veins-
tein, and Janet Goldsm ith
married Louis Waltman.
Miriam Levin announced
her engagament to
Stanley B. Friedman.
Other engagements mere:
Selma Pollack to Jack_
Winston, Jeanette 13resler
to 1st Lt. Max Myerson,
GeraldineWarren to
Corp. Albert Ziff, Shirley
Mae Stein to Jack Epps,
Ruth Ilosoff to Milton
Fishman, Edythe Holin
stat to Marvin Barnett,
and Francine Rapoport to
Sam Weinstein.
Mr. and Mrs. Mauri
W. Katz welcomed home a
baby daughter, Sharon
Jean. Martin Edward was
born to Mr, and 1VIrs.
Frank Tessler, Douglas
Andrew was born to mi.'
and Mrs. Newton L
Jackson, Sharon Lind
was born to 1\4r. and Mr
David Ross, and'Theodor
Stephen was born to Mr.
and Mrs. Loren Kadet.
At Sam's Cut Rate, Inc.,
this -week, a ball bearing
lawn mower was on sale
for $6.95, marked down
from $8.95.
Cunningham's Drug
Stores was offering a bot-
tle of Fitch's Dandruff
Remover Shampoo for 59
cents. Also, this was the
first week of ,Detroit Jew-
ish News classified ads.
Fred Butzel, president
of the 1942 Allied Jewish
Campaign, was pictured
in a full-page advertise-
ment with the headline,
"A Message From
Yourself to Yourself."
The ad asks Detroit Jews
to take stock of the
freedoms and material
gains they have in this
country, and to re-
examine how they can
help.
Fresh Air Camp at
Blaine Lake announced it
was accepting registra
tion.s. Tuition fee for each
period of two weeks was
$25. El

Oak Park Police, Jewish Citizens
Discuss Recent Crime Incidents

AMY J. MEHLER

Staff Writer

O

ak Park police met
with Jewish repre-
sentatives last week
to allay fears over neighbor-
hood safety.
The meeting, held April 15
at the Jimmy Prentis Morris
Jewish Community Center,
stemmed from stories of
students from the Sally
Allan Alexander Bais
Yaakov School for Girls be-
ing chased by drivers after
school and from reports of a
sniper firing onto 1-696
freeway traffic from atop a
Church Street deck.
"We wanted to see what
we can do as a neighborhood
to make our community a
little safer," said Rabbi Eric
Krohner, executive director
of the Yeshiva Gedolah in
Oak Park.
Also discussed was an in-
cident reported April 9, in
which two boys from
Yeshiva Beth Yehudah, on
their way home from school,
were harassed and thrown
off their bikes by seven boys,
ages 11-14. The attack oc-
curred in the 1-696 park
behind JPM.
According to Jeffrey
Brackett, the officer in
charge of the case, all seven
youths have been identified
and could be charged in ju-
venile court with assault
and battery. Because racial
slurs were used, additional
charges could be filed under
the state's Ethnic Intimida-
tion Act.
Officer Brackett, who at-
tended the April 15 meeting,
believes the attack was an
isolated event, not -some-
thing neighborhood
residents should worry
about.
"I don't think this was
something ethnic or racially
motivated," Officer Brackett
said. "It just so happened
these boys (the victims) were
Jewish, but these guys
weren't looking to start up
with Jewish boys. They were
sitting around wanting to be
tough and these two boys
came along."
Detective Lieutenant
Steve Fairman, who spoke to
a group of eight Oak Park
residents, stressed the im-
portance of reporting prob-
lems to the police depart-
ment.
"This way we're able to get
on top of it right away in-
stead of having to work it

after the fact," Officer Fair-
man said. "If there's a prob-
lem, we want to know about
it."
Officer Fairman said there
would be an increase in
patrols, but said he felt there
was very little crime in Oak
Park.
"There's nothing really to
worry about. It's a quiet
neighborhood, with very
little going on that could be
described as criminal," he
said. "We, of course, want to
be responsive and have as
much discussion between
groups as possible." Rabbi
Krohner said the meeting
was "informal" and was

called to create heightened
awareness. "We just want
the police to know that we
care about what goes on in
Oak Park and that we're
concerned about our safety."
The meeting was attended
by Oak Park Mayor Gerald
Naftaly; Jeffrey Brackett,
Bob Jenkins and Steve
Fairman of the Oak Park
Department of Public Safe-
ty; Rabbis E.B. Freedman of
Yeshiva Beth Yehudah,
Yoel Sperka of B'nai Israel
and Gitty Silverstein of Bais
Yaakov; Gary Torgow,
Rabbi Mordechai Wolmark,
and Menachem Levin of
Machon L'Torah. ❑

Rabbi Pachter To Lead
B'nai Moshe Synagogue

ALAN HITSKY

Associate Editor

C

ongregation B'nai
Moshe will open its
new building in West
Bloomfield in the next few
months with a new rabbi.
B'nai Moshe has hired
Elliot Pachter from Adat
Shalom Synagogue to be the
seventh rabbi in its 81-year
history.
Rabbi Pachter is a. native
of Grand Rapids and his
wife, Naomi Weckstein, is a
Detroit native. They have a
1-year-old son. The rabbi
said staying in the Detroit
area near family and friends
was a major incentive for
him to apply for the B'nai
Moshe position.
He has worked as assistant
rabbi at Adat Shalom for the
last five years and had re-
cently been promoted to
rabbi. But, B'nai Moshe
"was an opportunity for me
to lead a smaller congrega-
tion, to remain here, and to
help strengthen the Conser-
vative community here,"
Rabbi Pachter said. "It
won't affect my friendships
at Adat Shalom."
Rabbi Efry Spectre of Adat
Shalom said, "I was happy to
bring Elliot in (to Adat
Shalom) and I'm happy he is
remaining in the area. The
time has come for him to
lead his own congregation."
Adat Shalom is looking for a
replacement.
Rabbi Pachter's appoint-
ment "will make B'nai
Moshe whole," said B'nai
Moshe president Michael
Grand. "Our lay leaders, the
chazzan (Louis Klein) and

Elliot Pachter:
To lead B'nai Moshe.

sexton (Shalom Ralph) have
done a marvelous job over
the last year-and-a-half
(since the resignation of
Rabbi Allan Meyerowitz).
But the appointment of
Rabbi Pachter will fill gap-
ing holes" and provide
leadership.
Rabbi Pachter is scheduled
to begin at B'nai Moshe on
Aug. 1.
Mr. Grand cited the follow-
ing as areas that need im-
mediate rabbinic attention
at B'nai Moshe: adult edu-
cation, rabbinic decisions,
funerals, shiva calls,
"comforting and consulta-
tion."
Rabbi Pachter, 32, is heav-
ily involved at Adat Shalom
with the weekly Nosh N'
Drash program for high
school students, the pre-
marital and Jewish parent-
ing programs, chavurot