looking back
JN’s First Year: March 1942-March 1943
Sept. 11, 1942
Oct.
2, 19
42
Feb. 12, 1943
, 1943
March 19
Ju ne 19, 1942
From the DJN
Davidson Digital Archive
I
Mike Smith
Detroit Jewish News
Foundation Archivist
102
t’s the end of the JN’s 75 cel-
ebration year, and the end of
my year spent reviewing and
writing about what I discovered in
the pages of the JN from 1942-1943
in the Davidson Digital Archives.
I have learned a lot about Detroit
and its Jewish community from my
immersion into that era.
First, and foremost, I have one
big announcement — the Detroit
Jewish News survived its first year
of publication! This is no small
feat. Many new publications do
not survive their first few months,
let alone a year. But, the JN did.
Indeed, it has lasted another 75
years and is still serving Detroit’s
Jewish community every week.
The JN was also born in the
midst of the greatest conflict the
world has ever witnessed. It was,
without a doubt, an important
source of news for Detroit Jews,
reporting on the issues and events
of World War II that were not
always addressed in the main-
stream press.
March 29 • 2018
jn
I must give you a spoiler alert
at this point. After following the
events of World War II in the JN
from 75 years ago with me, I think
you should know that … we won
the war! Hitler and Nazi Germany
were destroyed. The military dicta-
torship of Japan soon followed the
same path as the Nazis. And, the
world was a much better place.
The Detroit Jewish community
should take great pride that it did
its part to achieve this great vic-
tory. Jewish men and women joined
the U.S. Armed Forces in large
numbers and at a higher propor-
tion than their national per capita
population.
Jews on the Detroit home front
contributed to the war effort with
war work and household manage-
ment of resources. The city’s Jewish
organizations raised millions of
dollars to win the war and to pro-
vide services for veterans and refu-
gees. It was a noble Jewish effort; it
was Americans at their best.
The victory, however, came at a
massive cost. More than 60 million
people were killed as a result of the
war, roughly, 3 percent of the global
population. And millions of others
were injured or grievously maimed,
and millions of citizens were dis-
placed.
For Jews in Europe, the war was
a horrific experience. Six million
died in a systematic, evil process
devised by the Nazis. Although it
was not called the Holocaust until
after the war, when the full impact
of the Nazi’s “Final Solution”
became public knowledge, in the
pages of the JN from 1942-43, one
can read about the accumulation of
atrocities that came to be known as
the Holocaust or the Shoah.
As I wrote my weekly articles,
I worried a bit about constantly
presenting “bad news” to readers.
However, to use a current collo-
quialism: “It is what it is.” I wrote
about our history, what each of us
would be reading in the JN in 1942-
43. The war brought news of atroci-
ties, death and destruction. But, it
is good to keep in mind that there
were also many stories of bravery
and heroism, fortitude and com-
passion, as well as stories of the
home front: weddings, bar and bat
mitzvahs, social activities, gradua-
tions, and arts and culture.
There was also beer. I must
admit, I looked forward to every
new Schmidt’s Beer advertisement
to see how that particular beverage
was doing its part to win the war.
Until reading the ads in the JN, I
never realized the important role of
beer. I just thought beer was tasty. I
was naïve, to be sure.
The idea for my year of look-
ing back 75 years each week was
the brainchild of Managing Editor
Jackie Headapohl. I’m very grate-
ful she sent me on this adventure,
an in-depth review of the JN’s first
year. I hope you have enjoyed it as
well. Thanks for riding along with
me. •
Want to learn more?
Go to the DJN Foundation archives,
available for free at www.djnfoundation.org.