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Editorial

Eugene Applebaum: An Enduring Pillar

H

e earned a fortune as a
savvy, respected drug-
store mogul, but Eugene
Applebaum built a good name because
of his longstanding philanthropic
good will. In Judaism, there are three
revered crowns — the crown of the
Torah, the crown of the priesthood and
the crown of kingship. But keter shem
toy, the crown of a good name, sur-
passes them all.
Applebaum, 76,
wears that crown
well and proudly. He's
the deserving 2013
recipient of Jewish
Detroit's highest and
most prestigious
Eugene
honor, the Fred M.
Applebaum
Butzel Memorial
Award.
His philanthropy is a byproduct
of his hard work growing the Arbor
Drugs chain for 35 years. It's also an
extension of his acumen in the invest-
ment world and through his family
foundation, which focuses on Jewish
education, medical advances and the
arts. He excels in interpersonal rela-
tions.
Applebaum has bettered the lives
of people of all ages and backgrounds,
not just the Jewish community. For

example, he gave Jewish Detroit at
least $5 million to expand and beauti-
fy the Eugene and Marcia Applebaum
Jewish Community Campus in West
Bloomfield, but also Wayne State
University $5 million toward con-
struction of the Eugene Applebaum
College of Pharmacy and Health
Sciences. He's former chair of the
WSU Foundation.
Other beneficiaries of his generos-
ity range from Congregation Shaarey
Zedek in Southfield, Fresh Air Society
and Israel Bonds to William Beaumont
Hospital and Mayo Clinic. He helped
found the Hermelin Brain Cancer
Center in Detroit while also support-
ing the University of Michigan, the
Detroit Institute of Arts, the Detroit
Symphony Orchestra, Michigan Opera
Theatre and Henry Ford Health
System, among other causes.
In Israel, he co-founded the
Applebaum-Hermelin-Tauber Child
Development Center in Yavne and
established a professorial chair at
the Weizmann Institute of Science in
Rehovot.
Mention his gifts to children's
causes and you've made his day;
he loves helping kids. One of his
motivations for helping donate to
the Applebaum Jewish Community

Campus was the expectation that his
gift would make the JCC there more
inviting for young people. He recalls
how much the Aaron DeRoy JCC on
Woodward meant to him growing up in
a two-family flat in Detroit.
Applebaum, selfless, mindful and
resilient, recognizes that he's part of
the continuing story of the Detroit
Jewish community — and that he's
standing on the shoulders of the
Jewish Detroiters who came before
him. He knows some of his success
is because of the wisdom he gained
along the way from family members,
community leaders and others. In a
similar vein, he's pleased that younger
generations of Jewish Detroiters have
stood, and will continue to stand, on
his imposing, but giving shoulders.
Consequently, it's appropriate to
view his leadership and philanthropy
in the Jewish and general communi-
ties through a generation-to-genera-
tion strategic prism. For him, action
isn't just for the here and now or for
personal glory. His word is his bond.
It's worth noting that Applebaum's
leadership and philanthropic footprint
extend beyond the Jewish commu-
nity. He recognizes that Metro Detroit
Jews are intertwined with the gen-
eral community — and that a healthy,

vibrant city of Detroit certainly would
benefit the more wide-ranging Jewish
community.
All of what Applebaum has done
serves to model philanthropic behav-
ior for his own family members,
especially his daughters, Pamela and
Lisa. And let there be no doubt: His
wife of 52 years, Marcia, has been an
unswerving inspiration.
Because of his recognition of the
continuing story of our community,
and the role he plays in it, Applebaum
has been a dear friend of and advo-
cate for the Jewish News and its edi-
torial integrity and independence.
His service as chair of the Detroit
Jewish News Foundation's honorary
board of directors attests to his com-
mitment to preserving and making
available the story of our community
for all time. When he accepts the Butzel
Award on Sept.10, he'll join 12 other
Butzel Award winners who now serve on
the DJN Foundation's honorary board.
Every once in a while, someone
comes along who rises to the pinnacle
of community achievement and sets
an exceptional standard of excellence,
thanks to having a rare blend of deter-
mination, panache and heart — and
a good name. Eugene Applebaum is
such as person.

❑

Guest Column

Baptist Convention In Detroit Invokes
African American Support For Israel

A

mid the barrage of local news
lately involving Detroit's bank-
ruptcy and the mayoral primary
was another huge local story that received
little news coverage but could profoundly
affect Jews and Israel. The Progressive
National Baptist Convention (PNBC) held
its annual meeting at the Renaissance
Center Marriot in a weeklong event enti-
tled "It's Going Down in the D."
The PNBC is a 52-year-old organiza-
tion comprised of roughly 2.5 million
members, with deep roots in the civil
rights movement of the 1960s. It was the
organization that provided a vital plat-
form for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who
addressed every annual session and was
closely aligned with its mission for civil
and human rights.
Last January, the American Israel
Education Foundation (AIEF), the chari-
table arm of the American Israel Public
Affairs Committee (AIPAC), sponsored an

eight-day "Educational Mission To Israel
2013" for 22 leaders of the PNBC and two
other predominantly African American
Baptist denominations, which collectively
represent more than 14 million
members.
At the Detroit Convention
last month, the delegation from
that trip formally presented its
"Resolutions and Observations"
to the 8,000 attendees, many
of whom were pastors of their
own churches throughout
America and thus highly influ-
ential within their communi-
ties. It was the first time since
1988 the PNBC had adopted
and declared an official position
regarding Israel to its vast membership
and the first time ever for the other two
conventions. It was, in historical terms,
a hugely significant milestone in African
American/Jewish relations, a relationship

that has had its share of twists and turns
over the decades.
The Resolutions and Observations,
adopted unanimously and enthusiastically
by all three Baptist organiza-
tions, signaled broad support
for the State of Israel. Following
a recitation that "from a Biblical
standpoint, it is clear that Israel
is God's chosen nation, and
that the Lord will bless those
who bless Israel:' the delegates
passed multiple resolutions, a
summary of which included:
• A nuclear-armed Iran
threatens international peace
and security, and a commit-
ment to prevent a nuclear Iran,
including support for the administration's
toughest sanctions against Iran to date,
namely international sanctions passed by
the United Nations Security Council and
the U.S. Comprehensive Iran Sanctions,

Accountability and Divestment Act.
• All enforceable sanctions should
remain in anticipation of Iran entering
negotiations and deliberations until the
threat of a nuclear Iran no longer exists.
• A peaceful resolution to the Jewish/
Palestinian conflict.
• Continued U.S. involvement in the
peace process.
• Israel, as a sovereign nation, has the
right to defend itself and should protect
itself against those who would seek its
extinction and do its citizens harm.
• Israel should use appropriate force
when justified by threats and when all
other non-lethal options have been con-
sidered.
• A call to the president of the U.S. to
support a two-state solution that provides
a political and military resolution.
In addition to the resolutions, the del-
egates also submitted the following "obser-
vations" about Israel to its membership:

Convention on page 51

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September 5 • 2013