100%

Scanned image of the page. Keyboard directions: use + to zoom in, - to zoom out, arrow keys to pan inside the viewer.

Page Options

Share

Something wrong?

Something wrong with this page? Report problem.

Rights / Permissions

The University of Michigan Library provides access to these materials for educational and research purposes. These materials may be under copyright. If you decide to use any of these materials, you are responsible for making your own legal assessment and securing any necessary permission. If you have questions about the collection, please contact the Bentley Historical Library at bentley.ref@umich.edu

October 30, 1992 - Image 14

Resource type:
Text
Publication:
The Detroit Jewish News, 1992-10-30

Disclaimer: Computer generated plain text may have errors. Read more about this.

50 YEARS AGO...

Campaign Day
Includes Big Rally

This column will be a week-
ly feature during The Jewish
News' anniversary year, look-
ing at The Jewish News of to-
day's date 50 years ago.

SY MANELLO

Special to The Jewish News

T

he subject of all atten-
tion at this time was the
nearing of the Jewish
Campaign Day, mark-
ing the largest drive in the his-
tory of the metropolitan area.
Dr. Abba Hillel Silver was
scheduled to be the featured
speaker at the upcoming ral-
ly at the Hotel Tuller. Other
prominent figures had ad-
dressed preliminary meet-
ings: Dr. Alexander Loudon,
Netherlands ambassador; Jan
Ciechanowsky, Polish ambas-
sador; and Cimon P. Diaman-
topoulos, ambassador from
Greece.
A forerunner of today's
Holocaust Museum was the
exhibit at the Weirs building
which documented the con-
trasts of old world beauty and
the Axis devastation. Includ-
ed were pictures of wanton de-
struction by the Nazis, the
glass-topped wall confining
the Warsaw Ghetto and bod-
ie,s of patriots being hanged.
An interesting proposal was
made for the Detroit area by
a national leader. Dr. Israel
Goldstein, president of the
Synagogue Council of Ameri-
ca, supported Dr. Glazer, rab-
bi of Temple Beth El, in
forming a Detroit Synagogue
Council. Detroit was thought
to be the best choice to be first
for such a group being " one of
the best organized Jewish
communities in America."
Neighboring communities
had their share of important
events. In Ann Arbor, Dr.
Abram Sachar was guest
speaker at the dedication of
the new Hillel building. The
Flint Hebrew School graduat-
ed seven pupils in a Sunday
ceremony. The Michigan B'nai
B'rith Council held its semi-
annual meeting in Bay City
with Rabbi Jerome Folkman
as main speaker.
Our community had at

least two "famous" people,
who also brought nachas
to their parents. Dorothy
Nathan, daughter of Mr. and
Mrs. Nathaniel Nathan, was
the only Jewish girl from
Michigan to be secretary to
a congressman; she also was
supervising George CYBrien's
reelection campaign for the
13th District. Rabbi Morton
A. Bauman, son of Harry
Bauman, entered the Har-
vard University Chaplains
School.
Many Detroiters in the
armed services were reading
The Jewish News even if they
got the issues somewhat late.
They also were writing to tell
us how much they enjoyed the
"good tidings from home."
This issue reprinted a letter
from Pvt. Ralph Bernstein,
who had just received the
Rosh Hashanah issue.
Some well deserved recog-
nition for funds raised went
to the Detroit Fruit Vendors
Association as President Mor-
ris H. Goldberg reported that
the group had sold $50,000
worth of war bonds and
stamps. In addition, Emil
Kahn, president of Congre-
gation Beth. Moses, reported
the synagogue sold $57,000
worth of bonds.
The ads fifty years ago told
that we were pursuing the
same things to make our lives
more enjoyable: food, creature
comforts, home fashion and
entertainment. Sampson's
Jewish Super Market on
West McNichols offered one-
stop shopping; Wayne Baths
at Second re-opened as
Detroit's only natural miner-
al baths; Pupko's on 12th
Street was offering spreads
and drapes for children's
rooms for $3.95 and $4.95
each; and the Telenews The-
ater was showing 49 world
news events, Letter From
Bataan and a trip through
the Japanese war front in Pa-

cific Frontiers.

It was just before election
time, and the paper was filled
with political ads. The most
important statement, then as
now, was the editorial with
headline "Be Sure To Vote On
Tuesday."

Fisher Labels Clinton
Poor Choice For Jews

KIMBERLY LIFTON STAFF WRITER

M

ax Fisher, one of
Detroit's most in-
fluential Jewish
community leaders,

says he first got involved in
Republican politics because
"Jews were captives of the
Democratic Party."
For that reason, Mr.
Fisher said, he has remained
active and a close friend and
adviser to GOP presidents
throughout the past four
decades —Dwight
Eisenhower, Richard Nixon,
Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan
and George Bush.
Now, Mr. Fisher said, he is
fearful of any repercussions
of a huge percentage of the
Jewish voting bloc going to
Democratic candidate Bill
Clinton. Jewish Democrats
are predicting that Mr. Clin-
ton will secure the largest
percentage of Jewish votes
since FDR garnered 90 per-
cent in 1940 and 1944.
Last week, Mr. Fisher
issued a four-page memo to
the media which blasted Mr.
Clinton as a poor choice for
the American Jewish com-
munity. Mr. Fisher said his
views are "the definitive
statement on issues of con-
cern to Jewish voters."
"In more than 40 years of
activity in Jewish affairs
and Republican politics, I
have never seen the Jewish
community so readily place
itself in lockstep with a can-
didate so lacking any real
experience with the vital re-
lationship between the
United States and Israel,"
Mr. Fisher wrote.
"Meanwhile, the Jewish
community demands no real
answers from Bill Clinton on
any of the Jewish agenda's
tough questions."
The statement, written on
Bush-Quayle campaign sta-
tionery, said Mr. Fisher is
the dean of American Jewish
community leadership. Mr.
Fisher was the founding
chairman of the Jewish
Agency and has chaired both
the United Jewish Appeal
and the Council of Jewish
Federations.
Lewis Roth, spokesman for
the National Jewish Dem-
ocratic Council, warned that
Mr. Fisher's views do not
represent the entire Jewish
community.
"Bill Clinton and Al Gore
deserve the Jewish commun-
ity's strong backing because

of their unshakable support
for Israel and a vision for
revitalizing the economy
and their belief in a woman's
right to choose, among other
issues," Mr. Roth said.
"This letter is a pathetic
diatribe by a Republican
campaign desperate for
votes, determined to distort
the truth," Mr. Roth said.
"Max Fisher ought to be
ashamed of himself for len-
ding his name to such
nonsense."
Reached through Bush-
Quayle campaign workers
who contacted Mr. Fisher at
the King David Hotel in
Jerusalem, Mr. Fisher said
he sent out the letter be-
cause "the most important
thing is that the Jewish
community be taken seri-
ously as a political force.
"When 90 percent of the
Jews were voting Democrat-
ic (1940 and 1944 for
Franklin Delano Roosevelt),
Jews had no influence in the
Republican Party," he said.
"When I first got involved in
Republican politics, there
was no Jewish voice in the
Republican Party."
In this election, Mr. Fisher
said, "Jews are being taken
for granted by the Democrat-
ic Party."
In the letter, Mr. Fisher
accused Mr. Clinton of
avoiding the Jewish corn-
munity by not making any
public appearances since he
received the Democratic
Party nomination.
Among many accusations,
Mr. Fisher pointed fingers at
two people working for Mr.
Clinton: Harold Ickes, depu-

Max Fisher:
Backing GOP.

ty chairman of the Dem-
ocratic National Committee,
whom he says helped
"manage the pro-PLO Jesse
Jackson forces at the 1988
Democratic National Con
vention"; and retired Admi-
ral William Crowe, a defense
adviser who opposed the,-
Gulf War because he feared
it would offend the Arabs.
In Arkansas, Clinton-Gore
staffers called the letter,
"preposterous."
Mr. Clinton's national
Jewish adviser and deputy
political director, Sara
Ehrman, worked 11 years
for AIPAC, and his cam-
paign chairman, Mickey,
Kantor, serves on the
AIPAC board of directors.
During the High Holy
Days, 110 people from the H
Clinton-Gore campaign at-

Deadlines

The Jewish News is permanently changing its local
news deadline to noon Thursday for the following week's
publication. The change will allow more time to copy-edit
and proofread material sent to the newspaper. The
deadlines are:

Local news, noon Thursday
Birth announcements, 10 a.m. Tuesday
Out-of-town obituaries, 10 a.m. Wednesday

All materials to be published must be typewritten,
double-spaced, on 8 1/2 by 11 paper, and include the name
and daytime telephone number of the sender. For com-
plete information on submitting press releases, marriage
or other announcements, call the News Department, 354-
6060.

Back to Top

© 2024 Regents of the University of Michigan