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Rabbi Hyman Donin sports a hardhat during construction of B’nai
David Synagogue in Southfield.

Buildings on the Kern block were razed in 1966.

A chart showing the trend of Jewish population moving from
Detroit to the suburbs

Glimpses Of 50 Years Past

Irwin Cohen | Special to the Jewish News

F

ifty years ago in 1966, Dr. Albert
Enterprise on NBC tele-
J. Mayer of Wayne State University
vision and the Trekkie
conducted a survey and predicted
generation was born.
by 1975, 88 percent of Detroit’s Jews would
Co-starring was another
live in the suburbs.
Jewish actor, Leonard
Also in 1966, the United Jewish
Nimoy, cast as a Vulcan.
Foundation, the Federation’s financial arm,
For most people, the
acquired acreage in the Maple-Drake area
celebrity wedding
Leonard Nimoy of the year featured
in West Bloomfield for a future Jewish
Community Center.
Frank Sinatra and Mia
That year, the last commercial airlines
Farrow. The rock musical Hair opened on
left Willow Run Airport, and all airlines
Broadway, and book buffs were buying In
were operating from Metropolitan Airport. Cold Blood by Truman Capote, The Fixer
The Kern store — out of business for
by Bernard Malamud and Valley of the
seven years — became a memory as the
Dolls by Jacqueline Susann.
store and surrounding block at Woodward
The Condors, the teen club at the
and Campus Martius were razed.
Jewish Community Center on Curtis and
In 1966, interest on savings accounts
Meyers, danced to the top tunes of 1966.
at banks edged up to 4¼ percent, and a
“I’m a Believer” (the Monkeys), “Monday,
one-bedroom apartment at the Northgate
Monday” (the Mamas & the Papas),
Apartment complex on Greenfield north of “Strangers in the Night” (Frank Sinatra)
10 Mile Road rented for $135 per month.
and “These Boots Are Made for Walkin’”
The Northland Theater on J.L. Hudson
(Nancy Sinatra) took turns topping the
Drive opened. Many Jews were first-night- charts. Staff Sgt. Barry Sadler recorded the
ers to see Paul Newman and Julie Andrews popular “The Ballad of the Green Berets.”
in Alfred Hitchcock’s film The Torn
Veteran entertainer Sophie
Curtain. Movie theaters faced stiff
Tucker, who had performed at
competition from drive-ins. In
Windsor’s Elmwood Casino two
1966, Metro Detroit had 31 drive-in
years earlier, died at 79. A tire-
theaters. The West Side drive-in on
less worker on behalf of numer-
Eight Mile between Greenfield and
ous Jewish causes, Tucker, born
Coolidge was closest to most of the
Sophie Kalish, did not work on
Jewish community.
Jewish holidays. She was one
In 1966, actor William Shatner
of the few performers to be
Sophie Tucker
became commander of the Starship
successful in vaudeville, night

clubs and television. Her recording of “My
Yiddishe Momma” was known around the
world and, when Hitler came to power,
he ordered all sales banned and existing
records smashed.
Nathan Siegel, radio announcer on the
Jewish Radio Hour for 12 years, died at 65.
Siegel continued the radio program after
the death of founder Hyman Altman until
1964. Siegel was sought after as a guest
by many groups and presented humorous
readings.
As America was continuing to send
more troops to Vietnam, the Palestine
Liberation Army announced it would send
troops to assist the Viet Cong in their fight
against America. At the same time, the
Arabs said their forces would learn gueril-
la warfare in preparation
for waging war on Israel.
The Jewish National
Fund honored Leonard
N. Simons at a dinner
in the Sheraton Cadillac
and announced that a
forest in Simon’s honor
Leonard N.
would be planted in
Simons
Israel.

A SHOCKING MURDER
A tragedy occurred before 900 congregants
at Sabbath morning services at Shaarey
Zedek Synagogue in Southfield on Feb. 12,
1966. After Rabbi Morris Adler’s sermon,
a 23-year-old gun-waving, mentally dis-

turbed man grabbed the microphone. The
tape recorder preserved his words.
“This congregation is a travesty. It has
made a mockery by its phoniness and
hypocrisy of the beauty and the spirit of
Judaism,” he said as
his parents, sister and
grandmother and others
in the pews recoiled in
shock. After continuing
to rebuke the congrega-
tion, he stated:
“With this act, I pro-
test
the humanly hor-
Rabbi Morris
rifying
and hence unac-
Adler
ceptable situation.” After
saying, “Rabbi …,” he
turned to Rabbi Adler and shot him in the
left arm. He then fired twice more, hitting
Rabbi Adler once behind the left ear.
The assailant turned the gun around
and shot himself through his temple.
Medical treatment was administered
almost immediately by three physicians
attending services, and Rabbi Adler and
his assailant were rushed to the hospital.
The assailant died early Wednesday morn-
ing and was buried that afternoon at ser-
vices officiated by Rabbi Irwin Groner and
Cantor Reuven Frankel.
Rabbi Adler spoke to his wife in the
ambulance on the way to Sinai Hospital
in Northwest Detroit, but fell into a coma
before reaching the operating room and
never regained consciousness. He died 27

continued on page 110

108 September 29 • 2016