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The William Davidson Digital Archive of Jewish Detroit History
Brings You:

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ur Community

And the Thousands of People
Who Shaped it.

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Endowed by the William Davidson Digital

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Archive of Jewish Detroit History Fund, every

page of the Detroit Jewish News, since 1942, is

now at your fingertips - fully searchable, fast

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and free.

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Learn More

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TECH ADVISORY BOARD
LOOKS TO THE FUTURE

A

technical advisory board has
been assembled by the Detroit
Jewish News Foundation to
assure its website and the William Davidson
Digital Archive of Jewish Detroit History
are identifying ways to utilize existing
and emerging technologies to continually
enhance, expand and improve overall user
experience and satisfaction. It also seeks to
develop methods of digital outreach into the
Detroit Jewish community and beyond.
The board, under the guidance of Archivist
Mike Smith, includes:
• Sharon Alterman, former director of
the Archives of the Jewish Federation of
Metropolitan Detroit;
• Lauren Ann Davies, designer, writer,
social media maven and former staffer
with Deadline Detroit;
• Troy Eller English, the Society of Women
Engineers archivist at the Walter Reuther/
Wayne State University Library;
• Bill McGraw, Detroit media veteran and
co-founder of Deadline Detroit;

• Lynne Standley, active in applying

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technology to teaching and learning in
university, community college and non-
profit settings. Currently providing online
course development services to College
for Creative Studies;
Dallas Pillen, archivist at the Bentley
Historical Library at the University of
Michigan and the former Techner Family
Fellow for the Detroit Jewish News
Foundation;
Adam Mosseri, a library and information
science graduate student at Wayne State
University and currently the Techner
Family Fellow for the Detroit Jewish News
Foundation;
Meghan McGowan, a library and
information science graduate student at
Wayne State University and currently the
M. Jacob & Sons Fellow for the Detroit
Jewish News Foundation;
Ben Falik, Detroit Jewish News
Foundation board of directors.

WHO SAID OUR
G RANDPARENTS
D IDN'T HAVE FACEBOOK?!

I

f Mark Zuckerberg and his pals needed
a model for Facebook, they would have
found it in the Detroit Jewish News.
From its first issue in 1942 and virtually every
week through the 1980s, the publication's
"Activities in Society" column was the com-
munity's Facebook.
Though low-tech, "Activities in Society"
was saturated with personal news about
thousands of Jewish Detroit families. It shared
their gossip, travels, teas, celebrations, parties
and relationships. Quite simply, "Activities
in Society" captured the stuff of life - taking

16

January 15 • 2015

JN

place in the midst of headlines about war and
peace, civic pride and turmoil - as we pursued
The American Dream.
The Detroit Jewish News digital archive
(www.djnfoundation.org ) contains almost
1,400 "Activities in Society" columns. At the
archive entry page, simply type in the name of
a family member (especially form the 1940s
and 1950s) and look for "Activities in Society"
mentions. It was the Facebook for generations
of Jewish Detroiters. Experience it yourself. It
can be quite revealing!

INTEREST GROWING
IN CUSTOM BOOKS

U

tilizing information drawn from
more than 270,000 pages of
Detroit Jewish News content,
Archivist Mike Smith and his team of
Wayne State University library/information
retrieval technology graduate student
fellows have been assembling custom
books about current and former Detroiters
and their families.
The books, in print and digital formats,
are created and designed by the Detroit
Jewish News Foundation. Books have
been presented as gifts to celebrate a
milestone birthday, commemorate a
special anniversary and honor the memory
of a family member, community leader or
friend.
Several books have already been
ordered for 2015. For information
about a custom book you may want to
create, please contact Arthur Horwitz at
ahorwitz@djnfoundation.org .