looking back

Here is a view of the March 27, 1939, groundbreaking for the Aaron DeRoy Memorial
Building of the Jewish Community Center at Woodward and Holbrook in Detroit. •

Groundbreaking: Gilbert Michael, Henry Meyers, Mrs. Joseph N. Welt, Percival Dodge and Isidore Sobeloff. (Courtesy of Detroit News Photographs. Walter P.
Reuther Library, Archives of Labor and Urban Affairs, Wayne State University.)

From the DJN

Davidson Digital Archive

T

oday, I am taking my first step back to 75 years ago. The
first issue of the Detroit Jewish News was published on
March 27, 1942.
In future columns, I’ll concentrate on stories from 75 years
ago, but I’m beginning my quest by noting the wide range of
topics covered in the first issue. To begin with, there were doz-
ens of congratulatory letters and comments to JN Editor Philip
Slomovitz, ranging from local Jewish business
leaders to Michigan Sen. Arthur Vandenberg
and Congressman John Dingell (the first John
Dingell in Congress); from Detroit Mayor
Edward Jeffries to Jewish community leader
Fred Butzel; and from Dr. Israel Goldstein,
chair of the Jewish National Fund to Rabbi
Leo Franklin of Temple Beth El. In short, the
JN mattered to a lot of people.
Mike Smith
One of the primary concerns of the day
Detroit Jewish News

Foundation Archivist

58

March 23 • 2017

jn

was World War II. It was 1942, and America had just entered
the war. The JN had a feature: “Our Sons in the War,” an honor
roll of Jewish men serving in American armed forces. There
was also a related story about Henry “Hank” Greenberg in
the Army Air Corps. And it was reported that Congressman
Dingell told an audience in Detroit that it was time for a
Jewish army in Palestine (although there were already thou-
sands of Jews fighting with the Allies).
Of course, there were some very familiar names. Ira
Kaufman Chapel and Gardner White Furniture placed adver-
tisements in this issue, and Danny Raskin authored his first
column, but not the last. Raskin’s writings have appeared in
every issue of the JN since.
This is going to be a fun year. I hope you will enjoy the sto-
ries and the JN’s 75th. •

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.

