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The Jewish Community Center and I have grown up together. The
square red brick building on High Street known as the Hannah
Schloss Building was only one block south of Division Street where I
was born. It was the symbol of the Jewish community to all who lived
in the Hastings Street area. That was where new arrivals from Europe
would go to learn English, receive medical care, get help in finding
employment, meet in social groups and participate in sports. I will
never forget the experience of receiving my first diphtheria shot there
and crying all the way home.
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As the Jewish population moved northward, a new JCC was built on
Woodward and Holbrook and served as the focus of Jewish communal
life, with many social and athletic activities, especially for teenagers.
I attended many dances there. As I grew up, married and became
involved in the Jewish community, the JCC again served as the head-
quarters for some of the vital work being undertaken to help the fledg-
ling nation of Israel.
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The Dexter and Davison JCC was built in conjunction with the Jewish
War Veterans Memorial Home. We held many meetings in its audito-
rium, including the dedication of the Golden Book commemorating
the 300 Jewish men from Michigan who were killed in World War II.
The late Rabbi Morris Adler was the speaker. The first Jewish Book
Fair had been instituted by Irwin Shaw and gave us an opportunity to
meet and listen to many outstanding Jewish authors.
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The JCC on Meyers near Curtis served as the unifying edifice for
many activities. Its magnificent auditorium featured concerts by the
Center Symphony Orchestra, and outstanding speakers appeared reg-
ularly presenting stimulating and often controversial subjects. The
Federation Women's Division (now Women's Campaign and
Education Department) held day-long conferences with workshops on
many pertinent subjects. (I must interject my personal memory of
Raisa, the cook par excellence whose mushroom barley soup is still
the topic of conversation among those fortunate enough to have
enjoyed it!)
My relationship with the Curtis/Meyers JCC continued for several
years when I was the accompanist for the JCC Golden Age Choir,
under the direction of Cantor Nicholas Fenakel and where my father
played the violin and my mother sang in the choir
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The Kahn Building continues to be the home for Jews of many ages,
interests and abilities and houses many community agencies, includ-
ing B'nai B'rith Youth Organization, Jewish Vocational Service,
DMC-Sinai Functional Recovery and Rehabilitation Institute of
Michigan, Jewish Historical Society, JET Theatre and many others.
It has been a long trip since my vaccination at the Hannah Schloss
Building on High Street. My generation has experienced many
changes and much trauma. However, it is heartwarming to know that
in spite of the many challenges that have taken place in the last cen-
tury that there is a Jewish Community Center in our lives to serve the
ever-changing and yet continuing needs of the Jewish people.
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Plans to locate a JCC in Oak Park was the subject of some discord.
Since the city of Oak Park's community center already existed, many
Jewish residents felt that a JCC would not be necessary in their area.
Despite their opposition, the JCC was built on Ten Mile Road.
Although small in size, there is a vitality there that is contagious. It
encompasses a gamut of interests, activities and age groups: immi-
grants speaking Russian, English-as-a-second-language classes,
babies being wheeled in multi-seated strollers, children of all ages
from nursery school to teens, exercise participants from early morn-
ing to evening, basketball players, swimmers, choirs, luncheons with
entertainers and card and mah jongg players.
After retirement in 1981, I participated in yoga classes until I
responded to an invitation to join a group which was exploring a new
concept for retirees. It eventually led to my involvement with the
Institute for Retired Professionals, which has expanded my horizons
as well as my group of friends.
Lillian Bernstein, a
member of the Institute for
Retired Professionals, is the
former director of the Junior
Division (now Young Adult
Division) of the Jewish
Federation of Metropolitan
Detroit.