looking back
Max Weiss, Morris Gurvitch and Edwin Gornbein went into business together in 1929, founding United Dairies. Decades later, in 1954, the company
celebrated its 25th anniversary with a booth at the Michigan State Fair and a float, seen here at the corner of Woodward and Milwaukee in Detroit. •
The man driving the first car is Michael Weiss, son of Max Weiss. The youngster pictured in the billboard, top right, is Steve Weiss,
the grandson of Max and son of Al Weiss. Max Weiss passed away in 1949. Courtesy of the Jewish Historical Society of Michigan.
Gift of Susan Weiss Roberts, granddaughter of Max Weiss.
From the DJN
Davidson Digital Archive
I
t’s that time of year. No, I don’t mean President’s Day or
preparing your tax forms for the IRS or thinking about
changing the oil in your lawnmower. I am talking about
preparing for summer vacations and trips around Michigan,
the United States and the world.
It was fun this week to read the travel
advertisements in the March 11, 1977,
issue of the JN. Forty years ago, a flight to
London or Rome cost as little as $309. You
could book a round-trip to Las Vegas with
three nights lodging for a mere $221. Or for
$799 per person, you could fly round-trip to
Israel from Detroit, and this price included
Mike Smith
Detroit Jewish News
10 nights in a four-star hotel in Tel Aviv or
Foundation Archivist
Jerusalem. Seems like quite the bargain, even
58
March 2 • 2017
jn
in 1977 dollars.
There was something for everybody. I even found an adver-
tisement for a Chabad Lubavitch trip to New York to celebrate
the 75th birthday of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem
M. Schneerson. This ad pictured a photo of an RV, which was
the “Chabad House on Wheels” in 1977.
The advertisements in JN are always fun to read. These were
a bit inspiring. My wife, Pam, and I are currently working with
our agent, Rochelle Lieberman, to plan our vacation this year
to Iceland and England. Unfortunately, it’s going to cost a bit
more than in 1977. •
Want to learn more? Go to the DJN Foundation archives,
available for free at www.djnfoundation.org.
Historic photos are curated by the
Jewish Historical Society of Michigan.