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EDITOR'S NOTEBOOK
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A Woman Worth Emulating
S
he grew up in the 1910s and 1920s on East Grand Boulevard, a block and a
half from Detroit's Belle Isle Bridge, learning from her parents how to make
a difference. And what a difference this woman of valor made.
In over 70 years of community service, Josephine Stern Weiner became
an icon, instilling a sense of independence in women and assuring a secure future for
children. With a twinkle in her eye and a dignified air about her, she
championed women as workplace and communal leaders, not just
homemakers.
Jo often talked about her parents, Mollie Sillman Stern and
Milford Stern, as motivators. Her father was a lawyer who ran the
Eastwood amusement park by the Belle Isle Bridge. He was active
philanthropically and at Temple Beth El. He taught her the art and
the joy of giving.
An honors graduate of the University of Michigan and winner of-
ROBERT A. its first Hopwood Award for writing in 1932, Jo showed generations
of young, impressionable women how to get things done through
SKLAR
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leadership and organization.
Editor
As the city of Detroit celebrates its 300th birthday this week, I'm
honored to announce Jo's induction into the Historical Honors
Division of the 125-member Michigan Women's Hall of Fame.
Her beloved National Council of Jewish Women (NCJW) nominated her.
"She made others feel they could capitalize on her nurturing skills and, ultimately,
shape their own opportunities, skills and successes," said her daughter, Sarah Weiner
Keidan of Farmington Hills.
A great-grandmother, Jo died on Oct. 24, 2000, at age 88. Four months before,
she earned the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit's Lifetime Achievement
Award. The Anti-Defamation League bestowed a similar honor a year earlier.
Lasting Imprint
Jo's legacy cuts deep into the marrow of our most cherished ideal, that of mitzvot, or
good deeds.
She was president of NCJW locally from 1942-44 and nationally from 1967-71.
As local president, she helped found Detroit's 12th Street Center for New Americans;
she chaired it from 1944 1950.
From 1948-1951, she was a lightening rod for volunteerism. She was part of
Mayor Louis Miriani's Youth Committee, a Jewish Community Center officer and
the Jewish Welfare Federation Women's Division president. She parlayed these experi-
ences into creating the United Community Services of Detroit Women's Committee
and chairing it from 1955-1957.
In 1967, she led a group of NCJW board members to Israel; the
trip spurred the founding of the Research Institute for Innovation
in Education at Hebrew University in Jerusalem. The institute's
HIPPY program (Home Instruction-Program for Pre-School
Youngsters) is now worldwide; Oakland Family Service and
NCJW oversee it in Oakland County.
Jo was a founder of Orchards Children's Services in 1962. Now
headquartered in Southfield, it began as a home for emotionally
disturbed boys on a former Livonia orchard. Jo felt "Orchards" was
Jo Weiner
a good name for a home whose harvest would be healthy young
minds.
In 1965, she was a founder of Women in Community Service (WIGS), an inter-
faith social action group. Under her tutelage, it gave support to Job Corps, a federal
program that still aids disadvantaged young women.
In 1995, at age 83, Jo won the Jewish Apartments and Services' Eight Over Eighty
Award for continuing to spread sunshine.
She was a mentor for women and a gOdsend for children. Fittingly, NCJW has
presented ad award for volunteers in her name since 1997.
Josephine Stern Weiner taught in Detroit public schools from 1936-1940, and by
example after that.
Detroit Jewry kvells in her entry into the Michigan Women's Hall of Fame, where
she joins other Jewish luminaries like Gilda Radner and Hilda Gage. Her memory is
surely a blessing. ❑
.
Related coverage: page 33
Natchez: Great
Place To Visit
I was delighted to read your article
regarding Temple B'nai Israel in
Natchez, Miss. ("Small Enough To
Save," July 6, page 20).
I have traveled to Natchez three times
and can sincerely say that those trips
were the most inspirational, educational
and heartwarming times of my life. In _
1994, I participated in the Natchez
Jewish Homecoming, which celebrated
the preservation agreement signed
between Temple B'nai Israel and the
Museum of the Southern Jewish
Experience. This agreement ensured the
temple's survival as a Jewish institution
in the future, when there are not enough
members to keep it functioning.
More than 300 Southerners attended
the weekend celebration; my friend and
I were among a dozen or so Jewish
Yankees. It was such a moving experi-
ence that when I returned home, I
began sharing my experiences with our
Detroit Jewish community as a volun-
teer speaker at various synagogues and
for various groups.
In 1998, my husband and I toured
the Mississippi Jewish Cultural Corridor.
We visited synagogues, cemeteries and
historic Jewish buildings in Jackson,
Vicksburg, Port Gibson and Natchez.
Since the congregation is so small in
Natchez, we were able to help lead the
Shabbat services; what a heartwarming
experience it was. Everyone we met was
eager to share family stories with us.
Most of the families had been in
Natchez since the mid-1800s; their 'sto-
ries were unforgettable.
I highly recommend a trip to the
Mississippi Jewish Cultural Corridor.
Nancy Liefer
Farmington Hills
Community Aids
Mark Herman
Recently, you wrote about Mark
Herman's tragic weightlifting accident
("Cappuccino For A Cause," June 29,
,
page 12).
At the end of the item, there was an
address for which donations could be
sent. We received more than $10,000! I
wanted to say thank you on behalf on
the Herman family and myself. These
donations will help Mark receive the
proper treatment and care he so desper-
ately needs.
Jodi Caden
Bloomfield Hills
WANTED:
DEAD
OR
ALIVE
Donate Your Car
(Truck, Motorcycle
or Motorhome)
to
JARC
• Description: Almost
any condition
(harmed or dangerous)
• Convenient towing
available (or drop off
at JARC office)
REWARD:
Your donation will
enrich the lives of
men, women and
children with
disabilities
For More Information,
call JARC
248-538-6611
30301 Northwestern Hwy.
Suite 100
Farmington Hills, MI 48334
jarc@jarc.org • www.jarc.org
4711
7/20
2001
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