Jewry's Role in
EXPERT CARE CLOSE
Human Affairs
Henry Ford OB/Gyn Physician
Michelle D. Wolfe, M.D.
LIONIZING LITERARY LUMINARIES
France has produced fine Jewish writers who vaulted to international fame,
among whom is part-Jewish Romain Gary, author of the widely translated
best-seller The Roots of Heaven. Andre Maurois was praised for his
novels, essays and criticism. The Last of the Just, a towering tale of the
Holocaust's havoc by Andre Schwarz-Bart, won the prestigious Goncourt
prize. Before them came Marcel Proust, one of last century's most
influential writers.
A continent away, the Jewish American literary tradition dawned
in 1805 when a southerner, Isaac Harby, published his neo-classic
Alexander Severus. He predated a literary flowering unmatched in extent
by any other ethnic population. Our most gifted and popular novelists of
these times include Saul Bellow, E.L. Doctorow, Howard Fast, Joseph
Heller, Erica Jong, Ira Levin, Norman Mailer, Philip Roth, J.D.
Salinger, Budd Schulberg, Leon Uris and Herman Wouk. Before them
came Dorothy Parker, once labeled the most widely quoted writer since
Shakespeare. The only similarity intended in featuring Proust and Parker--
both half-Jews--is how their lives and works were mindful of their different
cultures.
MARCEL PROUST
(1871-1922) b. Auteuil, France Plagued since
youth with delicate health, he turned away from a
commercial career to dedicate his future to writing
and social advancement. By the mid- to late-
1890s, the charming and witty conversationalist
became a popular guest in elite Parisian salons
and composed a body of short stories, poetry and
sketches. His fictional images were often drawn
from the snobbish and self-indulgent dilettantes and aristocrats whom he
befriended.
Proust was devoted to his Jewish mother, an adoring caregiver who
deeply influenced his life; after her death in 1905 he began to withdraw
from society. Walled in a cork-lined room shut to sound and daylight--to
appease his crippling asthma--Proust soon began producing his seven-
volume masterpiece: Remembrance of Things Past. The cyclical work,
published in sections from 1913 to 1927, projected himself in its pages as
Charles Swann, a sophisticated and erudite Jew in conflict with his identity.
Proust's homosexuality also ruled many of his personal relationships and
subtly colored some of his writings.
His elegant and profound grand opus has had formative effects on
later writers dealing with time and memory, and with internal and external
reality. The adjective, "Proustian," entered in dictionaries, reflects the
impact his work has made on world literature.
DOROTHY (ROTHSCHILD) PARKER
(1893-1967) b. West End, NJ On hearing of
President Calvin Coolidge's death she snapped,
"How can they tell?" "Men seldom make passes
at girls who wear glasses," was another of her
immortal remarks for which the sardonic,
mischievous and droll writer gained fame. The
daughter of an affluent New York City family
launched her career as a book and drama reviewer
for Vanity Fair, Vogue and for The New Yorker which also ran much of her
short fiction. Parker came into her own with the poignant "Big Blonde," a
winner of the 1929 0. Henry award for the year's best short story--
considered her finest. Three of her early books of verse, reissued in
Collected Poems: Not So Deep as a Well (1936), were acclaimed for their
satirical wit with ironic overtones. While churning out short stories which
appeared in Laments for the Living (1930) and Death and Taxes (1931), she
also scripted Hollywood films and co-authored two hit Broadway plays.
A legend among urbane readers, Parker furthered her reputation as
a co-founder with Robert Benchley of the celebrated Algonquin (Hotel)
Round Table to which many writers of the period were drawn. Her biting
and trenchant humor outlives her, as when tweaking Katherine Hepburn:
"She ran the whole gamut of emotions from A to B."
- Saul Stadtmauer
Visit many more notable Jews at our website: www.dorledor.org
COMMISSION FOR THE DISSEMINATION OF JEWISH HISTORY
Walter & Lea Field, Founders/Sponsors
Irwin S. Field, Chairperson
Harriet F. Siden, Chairperson
To HOME
71, 2800
is now seeing patients at the
Henry Ford Medical Center in Southfield
22777 W. Eleven Mile Rd.
(just East of Lahser)
Every Woman deserves a Pampered Pregnancy and Henry Ford has developed a special
package of extras for moms who deliver at Henry Ford Hospital.
Call 1-800-HenryFord for an appointment with Dr. Wolfe and find out
more about how you can have a Pampered Pregnancy.
Experience
Education
• Dr. Wolfe served as a Navy physician for
several years. She joined Henry Ford Hospital
in May 2003. Dr. Wolfe is experienced in all
aspect of Obstetrics/Gynecology and has a
special interest in minimally invasive surgery.
• A graduate of Northwestern University
Medical School, Dr. Wolfe completed her
residency at Washington Hospital Center
in Washington, DC.
PAMPERED
s<itrieraACAI
in
e
Henry Ford
V 1 e Can
Membership & Boat Wells Available
at
GREAT LAKES YACHT CLUB
located in St. Clair Shores
The Detroit Area's only Jewish Family Club
Air Conditioned Club House
Large Landscaped Lawn Area
Junior & Adult Sailing Classes
Racing & Rendezvous Programs
Swimming Pool & Galley
Children's Play Areas
Social Programs
Just Completing remodeling of all boating
facilities & deep water dredging.
A limited number of wells are currently available to
new members for boat sizes up to 48' x 16'
For information
please contact Donald M. Cutler (248) 424-8844
or call our office (586) 778-9510