An excerpt from a letter sent by Masha Shullcin, a sixth-grader at
!i;Yeshivat Akiva in Southfield, sums up the sentiments of many of the
.;youthful participants:
"Dear Mr. Cook,
"...The bus was fabulous and the tour guides were very interesting ...
I never knew how much Jews contributed to Detroit ... I learned that
A lbert Kahn designed - many of, the buildings in Detroit and he was
ewish. I also learned that Hank Greenberg led the Tigers to the World
:Series, even though he went to Yom Kippur services. I thought that was
amazing, even though he lived a long time ago and the world' was ,
much different then."
J
To continue
the tour program, donations are needed to provide
bus
transportatio
n
and other necessities. To make a contribution
or to schedule an adult tour, contact Adele Staller at (248) 557-
8315 or e-mail: usagrams@aol.com
To schedule a youth tour, contact Ellen Cole at (248 66
e-mail: ellensue@aol.corn
) 1- 2992 or
For more information on the Jewish Historical Society f
Michigan, call (248) 4
o
32-5600, ext. 2517, or (248) 661-1000,
ext. 2517, or visit its Web site: wvvwsnichjewishhistory.org
Tut A Stamp On It'
Shalom Street stamp exhibition teaches of Jewish contributions to American history.
halom Street welcomes the communi-
ty to learn and celebrate American
Jewish history with a unique exhibit of
American stamps celebrating Jewish life and
personalities that have enriched our nation.
The "Put a Stamp on It" exhibit is just one
of many local programs commemorating the
yearlong 350th anniversary of Jews arriving
in America.
While Shalom Street, part of the Harry
and Jeanette Weinberg Judaic Enrichment
Center at the Jewish Community Center in
West Bloomfield, gears its activities to 5-12
year olds, the exhibit provides an educational
opportunity for the entire community. From
Jan. 16-Feb. 10, the exhibit will be on dis-
play in the lobby of the JCC at no charge,
with special hands-on activities available to
those who visit Shalom Street.
"Stamp collecting is really huge, and this is
a fabulous way for kids, adults and grandpar-
ents, in a real multi-generational way, to
learn more about our nation, community
and even their own families," explained
Wendy Sadler, the recently appointed interim
director of Shalom Street.
Sadler finds that learning at Shalom Street
often goes well beyond the information pre-
sented in the exhibits.
"Visitors share stories of what
they are seeing and add their
personal stories of family and
community. Everything brings
up another story or another
memory. This exhibit is a great
way to encourage this kind of
sharing," she said.
The 250-piece exhibit is
comprised of stamps affixed to
"first-day covers," an envelope
that features a related design
and postmark. A brief explanation of each
stamp explains the direct, or not so direct,
connection to American Jewish life.
For example, if you didn't know that the
comic book hero Superman was created by
Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, two Jewish
CACLEIINAlri
4
-
Celebrating the Century
teenagers from Cleveland,
you might wonder why the
Superman stamp was on dis-
play. The same holds true
with the Barbie stamp,
included because the doll
was designed by Ruth
Handler, whose husband
Elliot ran a home-based framing business
called Mattel. Not only did they have a
daughter Barbara but, you guessed it, a son
named Ken.
Related Shalom Street activities and dis-
plays allow kids to design their own stamps,
participate in a scavenger hunt, write letters
to Jewish soldiers serving in Iraq and explore
an interactive map of the United States high-
lighting American Jewish life. Visitors can
also hear the story of early 19th-century
American Jewish life while exploring the
Deutsch Doll House, an elaborate miniature
home built by the late Bernice Deutsch.
The stamp exhibit may be visited
at no charge whenever the JCC is
open. Shalom Street is open for the
related activities noon-5 p.m.
Monday through Thursday and
from 1-5 p.m. Sunday. Cost for
Shalom Street is $4 per person, but
not more that $18 per family. The
JCC is at Maple and Drake.
First-day covers will be on display.
2005