Joshua Chynoweth, 13, of Livonia lights a candle on the anniversary cake.
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22 October 17 • 2013
JN
amilies come in many sizes.
Then there are families like the
Levins that are so large and
tightly knit that they have their own
anthem. And a custom-designed logo.
Last Sunday, Oct 13, the Levin clan,
with most of its 200 members residing
in Metro Detroit, sang their anthem and
performed an original variety show in
their logo T-shirts as they celebrated the
65th anniversary of the Levin Family
Club at Congregation Shaarey Zedek in
Southfield.
"We have lots of writers and perform-
ers, but no directors:' joked Adele Levin
Nodler, 72, of Oak Park, who has been
treasurer of the club for 48 years.
The Levin story is familiar to many
Jewish American families. They are
descendants of immigrants who fled
persecution in Eastern Europe and wove
themselves into the fabric of American
society. What is unique about the Levins
is how strongly they held onto family
ties and Jewish traditions for seven gen-
erations.
"Family togetherness is a legacy that
was given to us by our grandparents and
is one we will pass onto our grandchil-
dren and beyond:' said Nodler, as she
sat with her husband of 49 years, Alvin,
brother Seymour, 81, and her cousin
Gladys Zate, 87, in her Oak Park home.
The love of kin was evident on the walls
and bookcases adorned with family
photos from every generation.
The Levins can trace their Detroit
roots back to 1905 when Adele's father,
Morris Yellen, escaped Poland at age 16
to avoid the Polish draft. Yellen changed
to Levin at Ellis Island. Working for
years as a baker, he saved enough
money to return to Poland and bring
the rest of his family to Detroit. The
Levins became established bakers and
grocers and had stores on Chene Street.
The family would often gather on
Saturday nights after Shabbat to play
cards. In 1948, those casual card games
evolved into the Levin Cousin Club.
Early Detroit Memories
Adele and Gladys also recall living
upstairs from one another in the same
big house on Elmhurst Street. Adele was
the oldest of five siblings; Gladys had
three sisters. It was there the cousins
started writing and performing shows
about the funny antics that went on in
their family.
The cousins recall fond memories of
celebrating Jewish holidays in Detroit.
On Simchat Torah, they danced with
flags toped with apples in Beth Jacob
synagogue on Pingree Street and dined
at kosher restaurants on 12th Street
after Shabbat.
They also remember having large
family seders — as many as 75 people
— at the home of their uncle, Meyer
Levin.
As a kid, you'd have to sit very still at
my Uncle Meyer's seder. If you moved,
you would get a knibble, or a pinch on
the cheek:' said Gladys, who recalls her
mother making gefilte fish for the seder
from fish she kept in her bathtub.
The pace of life — and the state of
Detroit — has changed since 1948. Parts
of the family live out of town. The bak-
ery on Chene Street and the old house
on Elmhurst Street are no longer there.
To compensate for the distance, Adele
and her siblings and their descendants
chat on a weekly Thursday teleconfer-
ence call to "catch up and wish each
other a good Shabbos:'
"No matter what anyone is doing,
Staying Close on page 24