Daddy never believed in telling us what to do, but by his actions, he was
able to instill in all of us a sense of community, compassion for others and a duty
to help those less fortunate, no matter what the cause.
— Jane Sherman
A Man of Incredible
Openness
Overcome by emotion, young
pallbearers embrace.
U.S. 6th Circuit Court of Appeals Judge
"'Hello, Scarlett,' he said. 'Hello, Rhett,'
Damon Keith of Detroit spoke of Mr. Fisher's
she replied.
compassion.
"And soon they were gone with the
"When [civil rights activist] Rosa Parks
wind," Mosbacher said.
was assaulted in her [Detroit] neighborhood
A. Alfred Taubman, the Bloomfield Hills
a few years ago, Max called me and said,
philanthropist and a longtime friend, said, "I
'Damon, how could this situation occur?'
first met Max more than 50 years ago at
"He challenged me by saying, 'Damon,
the same party. Marjorie, I think we both fell
let's get her out of that neighborhood and
in love that night."
over to the Riverfront Apartments.'
Taubman added, "We fell in love with a
"A few months ago, his son-in-law Peter
rare blend of intellect and optimism, suc-
Cummings, sent me a letter and, in consul-
cess and generosity. We fell in love with
tation with Max Fisher and Al Taubman,
Max's small-town common sense and
indicated that Mrs. Parks would be extend-
worldly sophistication. Most important of all,
ed the right to occupy her residence as a
he fell in love with us, just as he had fallen
tenant of Riverfront Apartments for
in love with Detroit, his faith and
the rest of her life at no cost."
the world around him."
Mr. Fisher's daughter, Jane
Taubman also told of the time
Sherman of Franklin, shared some
Mr. Fisher invited him to join
personal insights about her
Franklin Hills Country Club.
father's oil business in Detroit.
"I was raising a young family,
"I must have been to the Aurora
and my company was just taking
Oil Refinery a hundred times
off, so I was concerned about the
before I was 12 years old," she
additional expense of a country
Rabbi Loss
said.
club," said Taubman, who asked
"He taught me about 'cat crack-
Mr. Fisher if he could apply two
ers' and catalytic converters and
years later. "He said, 'Al, I really
refining, just the things I needed for my
think you should apply now, before the
teenage years.
other members have a chance to get to
"Daddy never believed in telling us what
know you better."
to do, but by his actions, he was able to
instill in all of us a sense of community,
compassion for others and a duty to help
those less fortunate, no matter what the
cause," Sherman said.
She added: "There is a plaque at the Max
M. Fisher United Jewish Communities head-
quarters in New York that quotes my dad:
'We are all trustees of our Jewish heritage
with an obligation to cherish it, improve it
and guarantee its future.' This quote exem-
plifies what he has done for the entire
world, not just the Jewish one."
Rabbi Harold Loss of Temple Israel in
West Bloomfield continued the anecdotes.
"Max never carried cash ... Max had only
one dollar for the two-dollar marriage
license," Rabbi Loss said to Marjorie. "You
provided the second and, as you said, 'You
dare anyone to match that investment."
"If it is not too presumptiJous on my part,
I would suggest that Max would agree it
was the best dollar that Max ever spent."
Optimistic Outlook
Rabbi Loss looked to Mr. Fisher's children "to
give back to community, to work on behalf of
MOURNING MAX
on page 12
"Max Fisher was
indeed a righteous
man. And I want to
share an anecdote
that describes the
moment of incredible
holiness I experi-
enced when I met
RABBI JOSEPH
him for the first time
H. KRAKOFF
in 1998 on this very
pulpit. I had just come to Congregation
Shaarey Zedek right out of rabbinical
school, and I quickly learned that Mr.
Fisher had the honor of opening the ark
at Kol Nidre, the holiest night of the
Jewish year:,
"So as I stood over there across the
bimah, I wondered: How can I get over
there to the ark in order to say hello to Mr.
Fisher: Well, thankfilly, the Kol Nidre
prayer is recited three times. So as the
prayer proceeded, I slowly made my way
across this bimah, a few steps at a time, so
I was literally standing next to him just in
time for the third recitation of the Kol
Nidre. As I looked up at Mr. Fisher, he
greeted me with a big smile and he whis-
pered: "Welcome to Detroit, Rabbi."
"Needless to say, I was overwhelmed.
And as I whispered back to him,
"Thank you," I couldn't help but think
the following: With the ark wide open
— at the most powelul moment of the
High Holy Day season — not only was I
standing before the King of Kings in
Heaven — God — but I was also
standing before the King of Kings on
Earth — Max Fisher. I instinctively
knew that if my sins were not going to be
forgiven at this point — well then, I was
really in big trouble.
"The open ark is a wondeiful
metaphor for the life of Max Fisher for
he was a man of incredible openness —
an open heart, an open mind and an
open spirit. There was nothing this great
man couldn't do: He was a true inspira-
tion to us all. May his memory be a
beautiful blessing for all of us, and may
he rest in peace now and forevermore."
This is excerpted from Rabbi Krakoff's
opening prayer at Max Fisher's fitnerat
3/10
2005