Burton Historical Collection of the Detroit Public Library
I
Northern served Jewish neighborhoods to
the east (the North End-Oakland Avenue
area) and to the west. When new Central
High was built on Linwood in a newer
section, Northern still served this older
neighborhood. The Jewish Historical
Society maintains a large collection of
yearbooks from many Detroit and subur-
ban area schools.
• Boston-Edison Historic District,
from Edison to Boston Boulevard (W).
While the similar area east of Woodward
was restricted to white Christians, west of
Woodward are the former homes of many
prominent Jewish Detroiters. For example,
visible from Woodward are homes of the
families of Rabbi Leo Franklin, built in 1911
at 26 Edison, on the same block as Henry
Ford's home; Dr. Hugo Freund at 52 Chicago
Blvd. (1915); and Jacob Siegal (American
Lady Corset Co.) at 51 Boston Blvd. (1917),
across from S.S. Kresge's home.
• Highland Park. While few Jews
lived here, Highland Park was dominated
by the Ford Motor Co. headquarters and
factory designed by Albert Kahn. This is
where Rabbi Franklin returned the last
of many cars presented to him as gifts
by his neighbor Hemy Ford. He did so as
part of his protest of Ford's newly revealed
anti-Semitism after the first publication
of the Dearborn Independent in 1920.
The nearby stores included the original
Highland Appliance Store, begun in 1933 by
Adele and Harry Mondry; Samuel Kahn's
Highland Park Dry Goods; and the Geselis
family's Capitol Cut Rate Drug Store.
• Jewish neighborhoods further
north (W). In the Palmer Park area,
between McNichols and Evergreen
Cemetery, many Jewish families resided
in the fine apartments near Temple
Israel, which stood a few blocks west of
Woodward. Well-to-do Jewish families
also owned homes and still reside in the
Palmer Woods subdivision, beginning
at Seven Mile Road, and in Huntington
Woods, from 10 to 11 Mile roads. In
modern times, neighborhoods along
Woodward in Ferndale, Berkley, Royal
Oak, Birmingham and Bloomfield Hills
have attracted young Jewish families and
singles.
• Ferndale's Jewish Cemeteries,
south of Marshall, between 8 and 9 Mile
Roads (W). Land purchased here in
Osnos' Sam's Cut Rate, a landmark store in downtown Detroit (1939)
1911 by David Oppenheim for a non-
profit Jewish cemetery association became
Machpelah, Beth Abraham, Nusach H'ari
and Beth Tefilo Cemeteries. The Irwin
Cohn Cemetery Index contains the names
of people whose graves are here, with their
precise locations and dates of death. Find
the index at www.thisisfederation.org . I I
office of Honigman Miller Schwartz and Cohn
To book a tour covering some of the
LLP and a tour guide for the Jewish Historical
Society of Michigan.
Helping Hands
Human chain along Woodward to cap month-long food drive.
Shell! Liebman Dorfman
Senior Writer
A
n estimated 45,000 people will
form a 27-mile-long human
chain along Woodward Avenue
next month in a Detroit River-to-Pontiac
display of unity, strength, heritage and
pride.
"Hands Along Woodward" will be the
signature event commemorating the
avenue's 200th birthday. Individuals of
diverse ages, communi-
ties and backgrounds
will link hand-in-hand
along the sidewalk on
the west side of the
street (breaking at
intersections) beginning
at 2 p.m. Sunday, Aug.
Lea Luger
19, forming a symbolic
bridge of Metro Detroit
residents.
The theme of the Woodward anniver-
sary celebration is "highlighting history,
promoting pride and rallying the region."
The initiative for the human chain came
from Harriet Saperstein of Detroit, chair-
person of the Woodward Heritage Team,
a sub-group of the Royal Oak-
based Woodward Avenue Action
Association (WA3), the nonprofit
coalition sponsoring the event.
In conjunction with the
Woodward anniversary celebra-
tion, a food drive will be held
July 19-Aug. 19. Partnering
with WA3 is the Detroit-based Gleaners
Community Food Bank of Southeastern
Michigan, of which Yad Ezra of Berkley,
Michigan's only kosher food pantry, is a
partnering agency.
"Gleaners makes such a difference in so
many lives across the region that a food
drive seemed complementary to the rest
of the celebration:' said Erica Karfonta,
development manager at Gleaners. "As
hunger increases because of current times,
we can make an impact beyond a celebra-
tion and meet a need."
Donate Food
Drop-off sites for non-perishable food
items are set up throughout the area.
Fifteen of Gleaners' partner agencies that
are based along Woodward have agreed to
be among the drop-off sites and to aid in
distribution of the food.
Supporting the food drive
are staff and volunteers of
Yad Ezra, who will also join in
Hands Along Woodward.
"We are a part of the greater
community and appreciate
any effort that promotes soli-
darity with all of our Metro
Detroit neighbors:' said Lea Luger, Yad
Ezra's development director, who will par-
ticipate with, among others, the agency's
president, Allan Sefton.
Karfonta said the hope of Gleaners is
to receive 200,000 pounds of donated
food items "to benefit hungry neighbors
throughout southeast Michigan."
For Karfonta, tens of thousands of indi-
viduals linked together, coupled with a
month-long food drive, will make quite a
telling statement.
"If you look at the history of Detroit
and the people who make up our commu-
nity, we have been through trying times
and have helped one another through
our struggles:' she said. "With this event,
other communities can look at Detroit as a
model, and see that when times get rough,
we are able to get together and be there for
one another." I
sights described here, or to donate
a school yearbook, call the Jewish
Historical Society of Michigan, (248)
432-5517, or visit its Web site, www.
michj ewishhistory. org.
Gerald S. Cook is an attorney in the Detroit
Parking, Meeting, Donating
• To register for Hands Along
Woodward, for information on park-
ing and for a listing of food donation
drop-off sites, go to the Web site:
woodwardavenue.org .
• SMART will provide regular
Sunday bus service along Woodward
from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday Aug.19,
at no charge for those needing trans-
portation to and from parking and
Hands Along Woodward locations.
• Block captains — wearing Hands
Along Woodward shirts — will be on
hand to answer questions. To become
a block captain, attend the 6:30 p.m.
Thursday, Aug. 9, volunteer orienta-
tion meeting at the Michigan State
Fairgrounds auditorium, Detroit.
• Donations to Gleaners may be
made by calling (866) 453-2637 or
accessing its Web site at: gcfb.org .
• Donations to Yad Ezra may be
made by calling (248) 548-3663 or
accessing its Web site at: yadezra.org .
• For information on the Woodward
anniversary celebration, call the
Woodward Avenue Action Association
at (248) 288-2004 or e-mail it at
admin@woodwardavenue.org .
August 2 • 2007
15