One More Way We
Cover The Community.
Agencies Undertake
Archival Endeavors
RUTH LITTMANN STAFF WRITER
wo years ago, Tillie Brand- participants on ways to effectively
wine of Bingham Farms re- create archives for communal,
ceived a strange request professional or personal use. En-
from a distant relative liv- thusiasm for the event, she
thinks, was in part motivated by
ing in New York City.
The relative, who was working upcoming landmark events, in-
on a genealogical study, asked cluding Adat Shalom's 50th an-
Ms. Brandwine to search for in- niversary, JARC's 25th
formation on a Detroiter named anniversary and the closing of
Max Blum or Bloom. He wasn't Borman Hall.
Pivotal times often spur orga-
sure about the spelling.
"I was going to tell him, 'No," " nizations to create archives,
Mrs. Brandwine says. "I didn't "a puzzle that fits together in
various ways," Ms. Alterman
have time for this."
But the long-distance caller says.
For the past three years, Ms.
then relayed some infoi illation
that literally hit home. Max Blum Alterman has worked on the Jew-
— or Bloom — lived at 172 ish Community Archives located
Windemere in Detroit before
the 1920s. That was Mrs.
Brandwine's street when she
was a little girl.
"These Blum people — or
Bloom people — probably
lived across the street from
us," she says. "That's when I
thought, it's beschert (fate).
I've got to do this."
Ms. Brandwine's hunt
commenced at Detroit's Pub-
lic Library, which holds the
expansive Burton Historical
Collection. But she found no
information there on Max.
Instead, Ms. Brandwine
came across an eerie black
and white negative of a
young woman's face. She
recognized that face. It
was hers. Shocked, Ms.
Brandwine consulted a li- Tillie Brandwine at 22.
brarian about the negative's
origin. The librarian re-
sponded: "Why? Do you know in the Walter Reuther Library of
Labor and Urban Affairs at
that person?"
Mrs. Brandwine explained Wayne State University: The ob-
that yes, it was she at age 22. jective is to maintain records of
The librarian figured the nega- Federation and its member agen-
tive had been included in Bur- cies and make them available to
ton's archives when a local the public.
'We go back to them on many
photography studio closed and
occasions. Its very important that
donated photos with names.
This surprising discovery led we have records accessible to us.
Ms. Brandwine to further inves- There are researchers who come,
tigate archives in metro Detroit. literally, from all over the world
Along with a group from the Jew- to use our collection," Ms. Alter-
ish Federation, she embarked man says. "I'm very interested —
upon a quest to study Jewish as you are — in making sure that
cemeteries in the tri-county area none of the records that are so
and document information for precious to us are lost."
Ms. Alterman addressed a
people trying to trace their fam-
ily roots. Rabbis applauded the group of aspiring archivists from
Jewish Federation Apartments,
endeavor.
"Rabbis I spoke with said not Jewish Home for Aged, Sinai
only would the cemetery project Hospital, JARC, Agency for Jew-
be a valuable historical record, ish Education and other agencies
but it would be a mitzvah as and synagogues. The free semi-
nar was underwritten by an
well," she says.
Representatives of many Jew- archives grant from the Max M.
ish agencies in metro Detroit Fisher Jewish Community Foun-
share that sentiment. At a Nov. dation.
Joyce Bichler, Federation
16 seminar, Federation Archivist
Sharon Alterman instructed 35 ARCHIVAL page 10
i.
Jill Davidson Sklar hard at work.
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