Jewish Farmers
Reunite This Weekend

ALAN HITSKY ASSOCIATE EDITOR

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I

hey were a product of
the Great Depression, a
socialist experiment that
lasted less than four
years. But they created a
farming community in Michi-
gan for hundreds of Jews who
had few other opportunities in
the 1930s.
That grand experiment of
60 years ago will be marked
this weekend in a reunion of
35 people who have ties to the
Sunrise Farm. It existed from
1933 to 1937 between Chesan-
ing and Saginaw (10-15 miles
west of Birch Run).
Morris Davidson of West
Bloomfield remembers the
Sunrise Farm as 9,000-10,000
acres of rich land, purchased
in 1933 "primarily by anar-
chists from New York and
New Jersey." Under the lead-
ership ofJ.J. Cohen, editor of
the leftist Jewish newspaper
Frie Arbiter Stimme (Free
Workers' Voice), the colony be-
gan with 70 families.
Dr. Davidson was 13 at the
end of 1933 when his family
bought a membership in the
colony. Although his family
was apolitical and Orthodox,
most of the 150-170 persons
who started the colony were
needle tradesmen and anar-
chists.
"It wasn't your typical def-
inition of 'anarchy,' " Dr.
Davidson recalled. "It was co-
operation and peace, without
controls by the state. In the
end, we had an organization
not too dissimilar from today's
Israeli kibbutz."
The colony's land and equip-
ment belonged to the entire
community, and all major de-
cisions were made during the
farm's weekly town meeting.
"It was a very democratic way
of living," Dr. Davidson said.
The housing on the proper-
ty was decrepit shacks used by

migratory workers. The
shacks did not have plumbing,
heat or running water. The
Sunrise colonists had to "in-
sulate, renovate, develop wa-
ter and sewage systems, and
bring in plumbing and
kerosene stoves," Dr. David-
son said.
"Initially people were com-
fortable, but I don't know if I'd
call it snug."
One large, main building,
called the hotel by the
colonists, housed singles, mar-
ried couples without children,
and as many as 150 young
persons each summer who
came to volunteer at the farm.
The needleworkers-turned-
farmers planted several thou-
sand acres of sugar beets, 500
acres of grain, and grew pep-
permint, onions, melon, sweet
corn and carrots. Eventually,
the farm had 50 milk cows, a
dairy barn and a cheese house.
Much of the farm's produce
was sold at Detroit's Eastern
Market.
"We did learn to be farmers
and we did a fine job," Dr.
Davidson said. "We also had
our own school and library,
and had weekly visits by
artists and speakers, espe-
cially during the winter. It was
a fine environment, despite
the many hardships."
But by 1936-37, the De-

Morris and May visited the farm in 1992.

pression began to wane. Jobs
started becoming available,
and many colonists began to
leave. The federal government
purchased the property and
began a rehabilitation project
for persons still down on their
luck. Today, the Sunrise prop-
erty is divided into eight pri-
vate farms.
The former colonists and
their families are meeting at
a motel near Flint this

