OPINION Historical Society Touches The Past Taut Cicchitti jor 4,..714en Suits • Sportcoats Tuxedos • Slacks • Shirts Topcoats • Raincoats Shoes • Sweaters • Socks Ties • Cuff Links Custom Buttons At the Rabbi Leo Franklin monument are Historical Society members James Grey, Hugh Broder, Judy Cantor, Milton Marwil, Irwin Shaw and Joan Braun. JUDITH LEVIN CANTOR Special to The Jewish News ASK FOR SHEILA BLUM- FASHION CONSULTANT Taut Ciccliini jor cWomen Skirt Suits • Pants Suits Blazers • Slacks • Shirts Topcoats • Accessories HOURS BY APPOINTMENT M, W, F: 9:00 - 5:00 SAT: 9:30 - 3:00 271 MERRILL BIRMINGHAM • 48009 (248) 646-0535 =mon JEWISH NEWS FOR SALE 7ridetili at: ( INTERNATIONAL NEWS PLUS 9/18 ig 372 Oullette Avenue Windsor, Canada 1998 40 Detroit Jewish News • arly Sunday, Aug. 30, in Woodmere Cemetery on Fort Street near old Fort Wayne in Detroit, Hugh Broder fine-tuned his research on "over a hundred relatives buried in the Beth El section of the cemetery." Milton Marwil located the Mar- wilsky family plot of his ancestor who came to Detroit in the 1850s from Lithuania. Jackie DeYoung Kasky visited the gravesite of her great-uncle Jacob Golden, the first Jewish police officer in Detroit who joined the force in 1896 and retired as a detective lieutenant in 1926. Sponsored by the Jewish Histori- cal Society of Michigan (JHSM), this first-time tour of the cemetery, founded in 1867, was chaired by JHSM President Jim Grey and con- ducted by historical docent Dr. Mar- tin Brosnan. Declaring that one can tell a great deal about a society from the way it takes care of its dead, Brosnan led a lively tour through the Christian and Jewish sections of the extensive park- like cemetery, recounting highlights of Detroit lore. The mausoleum of James E. Scripps, founder of the original Detroit Evening News in 1873, a state senator and father of our Detroit Art Museum, replicated in elaborate architectural detail an English church. On the other hand, five sim- Judith Levin Cantor is a member of the Jewish Historical Society of Michi- gan. pie gravestones marked the five labor unionists, including one African American, killed by Henry Ford's "Harry Bennett service men" in the infamous 1932 Miller Road Battle of the Overpass. The UAW had spon- sored these burials in the "peoples section" to honor this watershed event in labor history. Dr. Brosnan also led the group to the sites of distinguished Jews: David Heineman, early president of the Detroit Common Council and designer of the Detroit flag; brothers Fred and Henry Butzel, each a stellar Michigan and Jewish luminary; Rabbi Leo Franklin, the centennial of whose arrival at Temple Beth El will be celebrated this month; and the Siegel families, early fashion mer- chandisers. Also of great interest are the gravesites and associated lore of numerous historic Detroit digni- taries, such as James Vernor of Ver- nor's Ginger Ale fame; David Whit- ney, whose home is the well-known restaurant; and David Mackenzie, principal of the old Detroit Central High School at the turn of the cen- tury and dean of Detroit Junior Col- lege, which developed into Wayne State University, the alma mater of many Detroit Jewish professionals. The Beth El section includes hun- dreds of Jewish burial sites, many of prominent Reform Jews who arrived in Detroit in the 19th century. How- ever, since Beth El originated as an Orthodox congregation in 1852, the Jewish sections in the cemetery also included an extensive number of graves of Orthodox families, includ- ing the Marwilsky graves. Surprisingly enough, there were a number of gravestones of Dutch Jews who emigrated to Detroit from Ams- terdam in the 19th century, such as the Smit family and the oculist Van Baalen, beautifully engraved in Hebrew script. In contrast to the concentration of the Jewish population in Detroit from Congress and St. Antoine streets to Brush and Winder streets at the time this cemetery was in greatest use by Jews, Jewish partici- pants in the recent tour ranged from the Kaskys of Grosse Pointe to Kurt Scheuer of Waterford. Matilde Brandwine, chair of the Jewish Federation's cemetery index, was able to see firsthand that which is so painstakingly documented for future researchers. Some on the tour came to check up on their own fami- ly trees; some, in traditional fashion, at the end of the visit utilized water, supplied by the Jewish Historical Society, to wash their hands. Everyone found the cemetery one of the best places to learn more about Jewish history and Detroit his- tory in a spirited way. ❑ LETTERS LETTERS from page 38 Archive Trip Is Memorable Thank you for The Jewish News' con- tinued interest in, and coverage of, Temple Beth El's Franklin Archive, its first exhibit and the accompany- ing programs. Like the more than 200 preview attendees, your readers older than 65 will find "Rabbi Leo M. Franklin: The Man and His Message" a trip down memory lane. Others reported that both the exhibit and the video about Rabbi Franklin and Jewish Detroit in the first half of the 20th century were enjoyable history lessons. The Franklin Archive Committee invites everyone with curiosity about the 29-year-old rabbi who, in 1899, organized the United Jewish Chari- ties, to consider Temple Beth El's exhibit an orientation to the Jewish Federation's centennial celebration. Mary Shapero, Chair Rabbi Leo M. Franklin Archive Temple Beth. El