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From the archives of the Detroit Jewish News
TO MEET WAR REQUIREMENTS, BEN PUPKO
ANNOUNCES NEW STORE HOURS
May 7, 1943
(Advertisement)
To cooperate in the war effort, and to meet the desires of our staff for more
leisure time in which to work in victory gardens, partake in Civilian Defense activities
and other duties in line with their patriotic endeavors to further the war aims, we
announce new store hours. We ask the indulgence and cooperation of our many
thousands of friendly customers in making this new schedule successful.
For the DURATION, we will be open evenings Mon. and Sat. to 9, Daily to 6 pm.
Ben Pupko, 11551 Dexter. Curtains — Linens — Drapes
NO JEWISH GHETTO IN DETROIT,
CLAIMS SOCIOLOGIST MAYER
December 18, 1959
The oft-repeated charge that the suburbs are becoming "gilded ghettos" is not
true — at least sociologically speaking. We have that assurance from Dr. Albert
J. Mayer, associate professor of sociology at Wayne State University, who knows
probably more about the composition of the local Jewish community than any other
Detroiter.
In an informal evaluation of the subject "Is There a Jewish Ghetto in Detroit?" ...
Prof. Mayer claimed that neither in Detroit nor its suburbs is there a ghetto as we
have come to understand the term.
... Even at the height of its concentration, Dr. Mayer said, the Dexter area
contained only about 60% of the Jewish population of Detroit. Now, he said,
only about 3,000 families — about 10% of the 28,000 Jewish families in the
Metropolitan area, live in the Dexter area, while 60% live in the Northwest. The
latter is bounded by Woodward and Evergreen and 6 and 8 Mile Rds. The remaining
30% are in the suburbs, mostly Oak Park and Huntington Woods. Areas such as
Southfield, Livonia, Birmingham, Franklin and Farmington Township have lesser
numbers, but they are increasing steadily.
Letter to the Editor
JCC NEGLECTING 10 MILE BRANCH
June 5, 1987
Is the Jewish Community Center neglecting its overcrowded Ten Mile Road branch?
As an active member of the JCC and chairman of the board committee which opened
the branch, I have a long affiliation and loyalty to the JCC and the branch.
At a recent concert performance of the Institute for Retired Persons at the branch,
the front of the decrepit piano over the keyboard fell onto the keys. The large
gymnasium, which was built onto the original building without a cooling system
and is now heavily used, is unusable when the temperature rises from May through
September.
Could a small part of the large agency budget be spared for correcting such small
but significant lacks among others to make the building more usable? A study of
the branch's needs is in order by the community to meet the expanding needs of its
growing user population. — Dr. Leon Lucas, Oak Park
The Detroit Jewish News Foundation's goal is is to digitize every issue of
the Jewish News, dating to March 27, 1942, and make them available and
searchable to the public. The Foundation will also support and sponsor
forums, town hall meetings and other educational events to best utilize
and share this historical community resource.
To assist the Foundation in its work, simply go to
the website www,thejewishnews.com and
click on the word "donate"
at the top right portion of the home page.
The Detroit Jewish News Foundation, Inc. is a 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization.
86
May 24 • 2012
business & professional
•
Mines Gaurt Innen.
Sentinel Verdict. Ms
Wild America en lin,
It's Time To Give Up
The 'Robot Rules'
W
e were
raised with some
common rules. Buy the
largest home you can pos-
sibly afford and your income will rise,
the home will appreciate and you will
create wealth. Work hard,
be a good citizen and good
things will come. Preserve
your credit and pay all obli-
gations timely. I call these
the "Robot Rules:'
We act like robots —
the older we get, the more
entrenched in our habits
we become. I know — I'm
robotic in ways. Some of
my closest friends call me
Rain Man because of my
habitual ways — restaurant
selections, menu choices,
the gym and work. I'm sure many of
you can relate. Habits are stubborn.
The Robot Rules worked for many
years. Unfortunately, amidst the finan-
cial meltdown, the Robot Rules failed
us. Our real estate tanked, and though
there are small signs of improve-
ment, we have all sustained a
35 percent loss in the market
value of our homes. Many
people, accustomed to car-
rying significant credit card
debt, relied on the availability
of credit as a source for nec-
essary expenditures
rather than accu-
mulating savings.
The banks then
slashed the
available credit
on the cards
leaving many
long-term and
loyal customers
with no available credit, no
cash in the bank, and only the
balances and obscene interest to pay.
Survival has taught us a new set of
rules. Preserve your future income for
yourself and your family. If your house
is irreversibly underwater or you have
too much credit debt at high interest,
the new rule tells you that having cash
in the bank to pay essential expenses
is far more important than paying
your bills like a robot and worrying
about your credit score.
These are my rules, and I believe
they are gaining in popularity. While
they apply to many people, the best
illustration is to look at the plight of
many of our seniors. They have no
equity in their homes. Their savings
have been depleted, and they are try-
ing to live on social security. Their
house is bigger than they need, the
cost of making the mortgage payment
and maintenance is far too
expensive. Yet every month,
as robots, they make the
payment and pay their
credit cards even though
their income does not cover
the expenditure. Month
by month, they continue,
until all of their savings is
depleted.
The seniors are my favor-
ites. Age creates vulner-
ability. They have endured
life and lived by the Robot
Rules. When I meet them,
I share their frustration because they
robotically want to continue to make
their payments, each month — while
knowing they are a month or maybe
three from totally running out of
money.
I explain to them the new rules.
We stop paying for the house
under water and we stop paying
the credit cards. We save the
money and use it for food, co-
pays, fuel and transportation.
We either modify the mortgage
payment to a point that is
equal to rent or we
adopt a plan to live
there as long as
we can and then
transition to an
affordable rental
arrangement.
We make it so
the income is
sufficient to cover
housing, food and essentials.
Of course, planning is needed to
make sure this is done properly. There
is anxiety, particularly the first month
when people realize that if they don't
make a payment they can't afford, the
world does not stop and come to a
crushing end. To me, the greatest sat-
isfaction is when I see the bright light
go on and they realize that they are
not robotically stuck on a conveyor of
doom. The sooner you ditch the Robot
Rules the better. E
Ken Gross is an attorney with That/ Gross
and host of the Financial Crisis Talk Center,
a radio program that airs Saturdays at 10
a.m. on Talk Radio 1270 WXYT AM.