J-Cycle On The Road

H

istory happened on Aug. 21 as
nearly 150 Metro Detroiters
— most suburban Jewish
residents — mounted their bicycles
and took off on a 15-mile tour of
historic Jewish Detroit. J-Cycle, pre-
sented by the Jewish Historical Society
of Michigan, the Reconstructionist
Congregation of Detroit and the Isaac
Agree Downtown Synagogue, was
designed to celebrate all of the exciting
developments of downtown Detroit
and to explore the city's Jewish history
in an up close and personal way.
A sunny morning greeted bikers
who began and ended their ride at
Milliken State Park, located along
Detroit's beautiful riverfront and
Riverwalk area. The park is the site of
a state historical marker erected by the
Jewish Historical Society of Michigan
sharing the story of the fur traders
who were Michigan's earliest Jews,
including Detroit's first Jewish resident,
Chapman Abraham. The plaque also
pays tribute to Michigan's 150 Jewish
families who sent 181 men into the
Union Army in the Civil War; 38 per-
ished. Just blocks away, stood the home
of Detroit's very first Jewish congrega-
tion, Temple Beth El, founded in 1850.
Other stops along the tour included a
visit to Harmonie Park, the approximate
location of Hasting Street, the earli-
est Jewish community, located where
the Chrysler Freeway now stands. In
1880, the Jewish community numbered
around 1,000, a fact shared by two of
the 18 volunteer docents offering his-
tory at each of the nine stops.
Riders visited the former United
Hebrew Schools building, located on
the northeast corner of Kirby and St.
Antoine in Midtown Detroit, which
back in the 1920s and 1930s was the
heavily Jewish Upper Hastings neigh-

Jewish history tour attracts riders to tour Jewish Detroit.

borhood. United Hebrew Schools, an
alternative to the European-style edu-
cation the Orthodox synagogues were
providing, opened in 1923 and 2,000
people attended its dedication.
Residents of the beautiful Boston/
Edison Historic District welcomed
riders as they stopped at Voigt Park.
Most of the district's 900 houses were
built between 1905 and 1925 and were
home to the early 20th century's most
notable Detroit citizens, including
Jewish leaders such as Congregation
Shaarey Zedek's Rabbi Morris Adler,
General Motors' treasurer Meyer
Prentis, Benjamin Siegel of B. Siegel
ladies clothing stores, the Levin
family, Faygo pop's Feigenson fam-
ily and Detroit Symphony Orchestra
conductor Ossip Gabrilowitsch and
his wife Clara, Mark Twain's daughter.
Across the street, on the east side of
Woodward, deed restrictions prohib-
ited Jewish and black residents from
purchasing land or homes.
The group then traveled south to
Wayne State University's Max Jacob
House, now the traditional home of
the University president, the Isaac
Agree Downtown Synagogue and the
Reconstructionist Congregation of
Detroit, before returning to enjoy a
picnic at Milliken Park.
"It was simply a wonderful day:'
said Arnold Collens, Jewish Historical
Society. "This is just another example
of the wonderful spirit and pride we
Detroiters have for our town:'
Organizers say the event is a definite
"go" for 2012 with a new route, so this
year's participants will see additional
sites. For information on J-Cycle, con-
tact the Jewish Historical Society of
Michigan, (248) 432-5517 or email at
info@michjewishhistory.org . II

ORD PIQUETTE P

Riders are taking

a break at the

Piquette Plant in

the industrial area

of Detroit called

Milwaukee Junction.

Many Jewish

immigrants worked

in plants such as

this building that

housed the Ford

Motor Company's
first factory,

research facility

and offices from

1904 to 1910.

Michael Maddin,

in red shirt, heads

into Milliken State

Park for the finish

of J-Cycle. Maddin,

one of some 150

riders, spent a

Sunday morning

riding through the

streets of Detroit

and learning about

Jewish history.

The J-Cycle

planning team:

Arnold Collens,

Jon Koller, Aimee

Ergas, Les Kannon,

Liz Kannon, Carol

Weisfeld, Gerald

Cook, Wendy Rose

Bice, Harriet

Saperstein and Leor
Barak.

- Wendy Rose Bice

Summer Splashtacular

Beth Shalom's community event included a water slide and an outdoor Shabbat sery ce.

0

n Aug. 19, Congregation Beth
Shalom in Oak Park held its annual
open house for the community.
A giant water slide was the main feature,
but there were also games and activities for
everyone. And, of course, a bountiful ice
cream sundae buffet was enjoyed by all.
Even more families joined in for
Shabbat Under the Stars that followed the
Splashtacular. Cantor Samuel Greenbaum,
Rabbi Robert Gamer and Lisa Soble
Siegmann led congregants in prayers and
songs for an outdoor, family-friendly, spiri-
tual Kabbalat Shabbat service. A congrega-
tional dinner, kiddush and dessert followed
the service.

Kids enjoy a water slide at Beth Shalom while parents
watch.

Cantor Samuel Greenbaum, Rabbi Robert Gamer and Lisa Soble
Siegmann lead congregants at an outdoor service.

September 1 . 2011

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