BUSINESS JEWISH ROOTS page B11 Jonathan Brateman Properties 474-3855 NIBBLES & NUTS "To Sweeten The Deal" CANDY BASKETS AND TRAYS FOR ALL OCCASIONS OUR SPECIALTY 737-8088 33020 NORTHWESTERN Outside Of Michigan MasterCard 1 1-800-752-2133 Special Candy & Sugarfree Available Local & Nationwide Delivery tile Industries, Kuttnauer Apron Specialties, Louis Siegel's B. Siegel & Co., Wolf Himelhoch's store, and Hen- ry and Andrew Wineman's People's Outfitting. Discount and chain stores were pioneered by Sam Os- nos (Sam's Cut Rate Drugs) and Nate Shapero (Econom- ical Drugs and later Cun- ningham's). In the `50s, Israel Davidson's Federal Depart- ment Stores became a major force in town. While few Jews rose through the bias within the burgeoning automobile in- dustry, there were notable exceptions: Louis Mendels- sohn became treasurer and chairman of the board of Fisher Body and his brother Aaron was secretary. Later, in 1919, Meyer Prentis was named treasurer at General Motors. But he was the only major Jewish player on the automobile scene for many decades. In later years, especially as the Depression ended in the late 1930s, Jewish involve- ment in heavy industries doubled. These were the foundation years of the Ed- ward C. Levy Co., Max Zi- vian's Detroit Steel, Allen Industries, Kasle Steel, the Hamburger family's Produc- tion Steel, and Harry Grant and Harry Goldman's South- ern Scrap Metal. It was during this decade that Max Fisher followed in his father's footsteps in the oil business. The Citrins were also a prominent name in this field. During the height of the Depression, a local study es- timated that 54 percent of Jewish working adults were in "trade." Some 26 percent were proprietors, managers or officials, many in dry goods, clothing, food stores, "junk, or rags." A 1936 study in Fortune magazine estimated 90 per- cent of U.S. scrap metal busi- nesses were owned by Jews, a figure that was reflected in Detroit. In a 1930s study, Henry Meyer estimated that 25 percent of all laundry workers in the city were Jew- ish as were 90 percent of the owners of Detroit's linen and laundry supply businesses. Morris Schaver, who began making laundry deliveries via Detroit's streetcars, be- came wealthy as the owner of Central Overall Supply Co. Other famous local names the Lapides family, Qualit,. Laundry; the Milinsky famil ly, Wayne Laundry; Harry Schumer, General Linen Supply; Dave Rosen, Econo my Linen; the Leibson fami ly, Domestic Linen; Harr Laker, Ace Wiping Cloth. Many of Detroit's majo food chains developed fro Depression era fruit stands or groceries. Abraham Bor- man's Borman Foods (later Farmer Jack) and Abne Wolf and the Packer chain were among them. Other big names in Detroit's grocery history and Jewish history are Wrigley, Great Scott!, Big Bear, Shopping Center and ( Dexter-Davison. From a small, dense area east of Woodward known as Hastings Street (now the Chrysler Freeway), and bounded by Gratiot and East Grand Boulevard, Detroit's Jewish community has grown and moved steadily to newer areas north and west. While many of the pio- neering Jewish families, and businesses, are no longer in existence, they laid the groundwork for a Jewish business community that is diverse, active and success- ful. ❑ Will Clinton Zap Boycott? JAMES D. BESSER WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT W ith a new ad-'\ ministration in town, Israel's friends in Wash- ington hope to ignite a big push against the Arab boycott against Israel in the next few months. /\ Much of that hope cen- ters on Commerce Sec- retary Ron Brown. In the past, Mr. Brown has strong- ly advocated enforcing laws prohibiting American com- panies from cooperating with the boycott. He now heads the agency that en- forces anti-boycott com- pliance and whose anti- boycott efforts have been too lax for the tastes of most pro- Israel activists in recent years. "Ron Brown is very knowledgeable about this issue," said Jess Hordes, Washington director for the Anti-Defamation League.