looking back

Passover with the Band family, 1946. The Band family poses
for a holiday photo just after the gefilte fish was served.
Frank and Bella Band are grandparents of Harriet Rotter

and Judy Komer, the two little girls seated at the table.
Band Family File, Beth El Family Album 2006.008.
Rabbi Leo M. Franklin Archives at Temple Beth El. •

Historic photos are curated by the Jewish Historical Society of Michigan.

From the DJN

Davidson Digital Archive

T

his is my third column where I report on the JN issues from
75 years ago, and I am finding the approach I mentioned
in a previous column was great in theory, but very tough
to accomplish. In short, each issue of the JN from 1942 covers so
many topics, it is very difficult to pick a single story to feature.
This week, I was struck by two larger, diverse
themes. First, of course, there was World War
II and, in particular, Jewish participation in
the war. As usual for 1942, the JN had a feature:
“Jewish Boys in the War.” At this early point in
war for America, most of the guys cited were in
training. Indeed, one short item spoke about the
three Frank brothers from Detroit — Benjamin
H., Leonard V. and Seymour J. — at their various
Mike Smith
duties at Army bases around the nation.
Detroit Jewish News
I also found another story about heroism
Foundation Archivist
when America desperately needed heroes.

58

April 13 • 2017

jn

Meyer Levin, Morris N. Friedman, Robert E. Altman and Lester
Kramer received Distinguished Flying Crosses “for extraordinary
achievement” for their participation in a flight of bombers from
Honolulu to the Philippine Islands in the fall of 1941. Levin was
the bombardier who sank the first Japanese ship of the war.
Looking at ads, Frank & Seder’s boy’s store was selling patriotic
“Remember Pearl Harbor” shirts for 75 cents each.
The second theme was this — life goes on. The JN reported
on engagements, weddings, bar/bat mitzvahs, and community
events around Metro Detroit. In the sports world, there was a rare
upcoming bout between two excellent heavyweight Jewish box-
ers: Buddy Baer and Abe Simon. And, for the last 75 years, the JN
has continued to report about Jews in Detroit and elsewhere, in
war and in peace. •

Want to learn more? Go to the DJN Foundation archives,
available for free at www.djnfoundation.org.