Metro

Veterans' Da

Recalling Jewish Detroit's imprint on the first Armistice Day.

Irwin Cohen
Special to the Jewish News

ur score and seven years
ago, our country was engaged
F in
i a great world war. An
armistice was signed that year on
Nov. 11,1918; but it was too late for
the 1,360 Detroiters killed in the
war, more than 60 of whom were
local Jews.
The Detroit of 1918 had almost
987,000 residents. Different esti-
mates of the Jewish population
ranged from 30,000 to 45,000. All
agreed that Jews constituted less
than 5 percent of Detroit's citizens.
Jews were only 3 percent of
America's population but account-
ed for almost 5 percent of those
serving in the armed forces.
Eighteen percent of the Jewish sol-
diers were volunteers, which also
was above the national average.
Women of the Jewish communi-
ty also did their part. The Jewish
Women's Club Unit at the Phoenix
Club often met on behalf of the
Red Cross, as did the sisterhood of
Shaarey Zedek. Rooms in the syna-
gogue's basement were converted
into hospital sewing rooms, where
bandages or other items for Red
Cross use were prepared.
The Wetsman sisters (future
mother and aunt of Bloomfield
Hills industrialist-philanthropist
Bill Davidson) were active on
behalf of Hadassah projects at
Shaarey Zedek and in private
homes. They cut, sewed, packed
and shipped items needed for the
war effort.
A year after he enlisted in the
Marines, Max Madison became
Detroit's first Jewish war casualty,
in April 1918. Madison crossed the
Atlantic four times while aiding
convoys of troops before succumb-

TN

November 10 . 2005
November

ing to pneumonia. His body was
shipped back to Detroit, where a
funeral was held from his home on
Russell Street.
With Rabbi Abraham Hershman
officiating, a squad of soldiers
from Fort Wayne accompanied the
body to the Smith Street Cemetery,
where the formal three volleys
were fired over his grave and the
bugle sounded taps.

Standout Service

Many serving from Detroit's Jewish
community were outstanding in
various fields.
Isidore Levin, a captain in
France, son of the head of Detroit's
Chief Rabbi Judah Levin, wrote the
Artillery Officer's Manual, which
was issued in five volumes and dis-
tributed to every artillery officer in
France.
Jack Minkowsky, the son of
Shaarey Zedek Cantor Abraham
Minkowsky, was stationed in the
army in Georgia and rose to the
rank of sergeant in only two
months, a feat rarely accomplished.
Cozzy Gottsdanker was an illustra-
tor and cartoonist prior to his
enlistment in the Navy. Local
Jewish organizations displayed his
work in neighborhood stores. His
talent was also put to good use by
the Navy Recruiting Office on
Griswold, where Gottssdanker was
stationed, as his poster illustrations
were distributed throughout the
metropolitan area.
Another serving close to home
was Nate S. Shapero, a 26-year-old
Navy pharmacist's mate. Shapero
borrowed $4,500 to open a drug-
store on the ground level of a
rooming house on Cass and
Ledyard. He named his new enter-
prise "Economical Drug Store No.

1." The optimistic Shapero would
live to a ripe old age, but would col-
lect more stores than birthdays
under the banner of Cunningham.
The Jewish Welfare Board oper-
ated a hospitality house on Cass
Avenue for soldiers serving in
Detroit. The facility, under the
supervision of Fred M. Butzel, had
refreshments and reading material
and many events designed to bring
together Jewish servicemen and
young women from Detroit's
Jewish community.

0

CO

O

iv

0

CD

Flu's Impact

As the war wound down, the flu
epidemic of 1918 curtailed many
social events Of the 4,744,000
Americans who served in the war,
about 116,000 died. However, more
died in bed from the flu than on
the battlefield.
The influenza epidemic moved
from Europe and hit America's
eastern states in September
and quickly spread through
46 states. The epidemic
would eventually cause a
half million deaths in
America, about 480,000
more than normal during
the course of that time. New
York City claimed 21,000
children were made full or
half orphans due to the flu.
Mayors around the coun-
try shut movie houses and
theaters. In Detroit, from
first of October 1918 to the
10th of the following
month, 16,000 cases of the iS
flu resulted in 1,191 deaths.
Besides places of amuse-

Veterans' Day
on page 26

Above: Ossip Gabrilowitsch,

internationally known

Russian pianist, moved to

Detroit as conductor of the

Detroit Symphony. He was

married to soprano Clara

Clemens, daughter of Mark

Twain. The famous author

and few others were aware

of Gabrilowitsch's Jewish

background.

Left: David W. Simons

assumed the presidency of

Shaarey Zedek in 1908 and

held the post for 12 years.

He also was active in city

commerce and government.

0

a.

a.

25