looking back

Explorer Post 369 of the Detroit-area Boy Scouts of America met at the Dexter-Davidson Branch of the Jewish Community Center. Targeted
to older youth with an emphasis on outdoor activities, leaders like Louis Rubin, far left, took the teens on camping and canoe trips, hosted
dances and more. He is pictured here with fellow Troop leaders, Marv Marks, unidentified, Mr. Newman and Mr. Schwartz, circa 1950. •

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

From the DJN Davidson Digital Archive

W

hile there were several headlines on the front page of
the March 5, 1943, issue of the JN and a large image of
a Red Cross nurse, the general theme was the same
— what is to be done about all of the Jewish refugees in Europe?
There was plenty of coverage inside the newspaper on this point.
Of course, the Red Cross was and is non-
religious, and concentrates its efforts on help-
ing the needy regardless of race, creed or cause.
But, the story in the JN is about the Detroit
Jewish Community’s $3 million drive to support
the Red Cross.
There was an editorial as well as a news
report about the annual meeting of the Detroit
Jewish Welfare Federation (the forerunner
of today’s Jewish Federation of Metropolitan
Mike Smith
Detroit). At the meeting, Federation officers
Detroit Jewish News
Foundation Archivist
would hear about and consider the latest
reports regarding Jewish refugees in Europe.

70

March 8 • 2018

jn

Dr. Stephen S. Wise, president of the American Jewish
Congress, spoke to a crowd of 3,500 at Cass High School in
Detroit. He appealed to the Allies to rescue the victims of Nazi
occupation and atrocities and asked the “United Nations” to
secure equal rights for Jews. At this point, there was no formal
organization known as the United Nations, but the victors would
soon establish the United Nations in the aftermath of World War
II. Indeed, Wise’s remarks were a harbinger for some of the issues
the U.N. would engage in after the war.
On a lighter note, there was the “Yiddish Swing” show on
radio WJLB, a weekly program presented by the Manischewitz
Company, the world’s largest matzah bakers. This week’s show
featured the Barry Sisters, and the music of Sam Medoff and the
Yiddish Swingtette. I like that catchy name — the Swingtette. My
spellcheck did not know what to do with it. •

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