This Chanuk

SIMONS page 3

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He is credited with being a
founder or financial savior of the
Michigan Cancer Foundation,
Wayne State University Press,
Jewish Community Archives and
the Detroit Historical Commis-
sion. He was a founder of Sinai
Hospital and chaired the Jewish
Home for Aged, March of Dimes
and Jewish National Fund.
He also was active with
Jewish Federation.
He was president of Tem-
ple Beth El and Franklin
Hills Country Club and was
active with more than 50 or-
ganizations.
Rabbi Hertz called him
"Mr. Detroit in almost every
activity ... He was just big-
ger than life. He had a lot of
opinions and wasn't bashful
about expressing them. But
he had worlds of friends."
In an interview, Allan
Gelfond of the Jewish Fed-
eration recalled Mr. Simons'
wit and charm. "He was one
of those people
Leonard
who was able
Simons:
to talk to peo-
and
ple of all ages. Humor
service.
He had an af-
fection for young people, and
they certainly took to him."
Joel Jacob, 36, met Mr. Simons
nine years ago when he was re-
searching old Jewish companies
in Detroit. His family's business,
M. Jacob & Sons, is 110 years old.
"Don't you know who I am?"
Mr. Simons asked him. "My re-
lationship with your family goes
back to when I was 5 years old. I
used to do your great-uncle's
homework for 25 cents."
That conversation began a
lasting friendship. "Some people
don't relate well to young people,"
Mr. Jacob said, "but Leonard Si-
mons was like a 20- or 30-year-
old. He had answers to all my
questions about businesses, their
founders and how they gave back
to the community.
"He loved to spend time with
young people who were interest-
ed. I talked to him almost every
day. We would share stories and
I'd gain advice. And it wasn't that
he had to look it up in a book. He
knew it.
"Jewish Federation Apart-
ments — that was his idea," Mr.
Jacob said. "Michigan Cancer
Foundation ... His knowledge was
so incredible, we'd call him the
Jewish Dun and Bradstreet."
Max Fisher, who knew Mr. Si-
mons for more than 60 years,
said, "We lost a real good person.
Any good cause he was for. He
was my golf partner and we
worked together on UJA (United
Jewish Appeal) and at Beth El.
Leonard was a self-effacing guy
— he had no ego."
Rabbi Minard Klein of Chica-
go was assistant rabbi at Temple
Beth El in the early 1950s and
developed a close, continuing
friendship with Mr. Simons. On
Sunday, he delivered the eulogy,

something the two had discussed
several years ago.
The rabbi reported that Mr. Si-
mons asked him "to keep it short"
and believed, "I'm not as good as
you will say I am, nor as bad as
some people think I am."
Larry Michelson, Mr. Simons'
lifelong friend and business part-

ner at Simons Michelson Zieve
Advertising, was often the light-
ning rod for Mr. Simons' humor.
Rabbi Klein quoted Mr. Simons:
"Larry's the one who makes the
money, and I'm the one who
spends it."
Mr. Simons wrote a humorous
book about his philosophy of life,
Simon Says, now in its second
printing, and 16 years ago
penned a list of eight "Reflections
at 75." They include, "I have al-
ways believed that there is much
more to life than begin, beget and
be gone ..." and "There is a dif-
ference between putting your
nose into other people's business
and putting your heart into oth-
er people's problems ..."
Rabbi Klein read from the eth-
ical will — a gift of advice — Mr.
Simons left his family. In it, he
saluted his daughters and son-
in-law; his partner, Mr. Michel-
son; and admonished his
grandchildren that he loved them
dearly and had been strict with
them because he wanted them to
realize their full potential.
He also paid tribute to his Late
wife, Harriette, who died nine
years ago, and wrote that the se-
cret of a happy marriage "is to live
for your spouse, not just with your
spouse."
Morton Zieve said Mr. Simons,
his father-in-law, had suffered
from a heart condition and em-
physema for more than 30 years.
The death of Mrs. Simons was a
crushing blow, Mr. Zieve said, but
the death of good friend Jacob
Rader Marcus on Nov. 15 may
have been the final one.
Mr. Marcus, 99, was professor
of history at Hebrew Union Col-
lege-Jewish Institute of Religion
SIMONS page 12

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