looking back
Velvet Peanut Butter isn’t just a Detroit treasure; it was known worldwide. In September 1963, the U.S. Department
of Commerce invited Velvet Peanut Butter to participate in a U.S. exhibition at St. Erik’s Fair in Stockholm, Sweden. •
Paul Zuckerman, president of Velvet Peanut Butter, shakes hands with then-Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson. From
the Paul Zuckerman Papers, Courtesy Leonard N. Simons Jewish Community Archives.
Historic photos are curated by the
Jewish Historical Society of Michigan.
From the DJN
Davidson Digital Archive
T
o say the least, 75 years ago, the news in the JN was dismal.
One just needs to read page 2 of the July 17, 1942, issue.
On one hand, it’s an impressive page. It features news
from around the world from the Jewish Telegraphic Agency. The
breadth of the news about Jews is global, indeed. But, on the other
hand, there is a lot of tragic news.
There was an announcement that 150,000
Jews from Holland would be deported to Nazi-
occupied territory in Eastern Europe. We know
this meant a trip to death camps like Auschwitz.
Another piece cited from Germany notes that
Nazis in occupied Europe had confiscated more
than $2 billion in property. In Greece, the entire
Jewish male population between ages 18-55 was
ordered to assemble. I did say the news was dis-
Mike Smith
mal, and I only cited three stories.
Detroit Jewish News
There were, however, a few encouraging
Foundation Archivist
50
July 13 • 2017
jn
pieces. In Turkey, the government refused to agree to an official
Nazi Germany request to extradite the Jewish refugees who sought
safety there. And there is an article on “Detroiters Participating
in Building Palestine Colony.” This was Ain Hasophet, which was
named in honor of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis, and
was celebrating its fifth birthday.
When writing about the news from 75 years ago, I sometimes
feel like I’m largely conveying bad news to readers. But, as our
publisher, Arthur Horwitz, noted in his editorial that kicked-
off the JN’s celebratory year, the JN was born in troubled times.
Indeed. But, the JN met its obligation to keep the Jewish com-
munity informed, despite the nature of the headline news; and
inside each issue one will find positive community news. It is
good to keep this in mind. •
Want to learn more? Go to the DJN Foundation archives,
available for free at www.djnfoundation.org.