jews d in the PHOTO CREDIT TOVAH PHOTOGRAPHY multigenerational families THREE GENERATIONS This photo was taken in Clarkston’s Depot Park on Oct. 21, 2017. Pictured standing: Elise Rose of Northampton, Mass.; Shelley Yorke Rose of Waterford; Stephanie Rose of Denver; and (seated) Florence Yorke of West Bloomfield. Florence is the matriarch, born in 1925 in Detroit. Her daughter, Shelley, was also born in Detroit, and Shelley’s daughters, Stephanie and Elise, were born in Rochester. This photo was taken at Stephanie’s wedding. WWII AND THREE GENERATIONS In this World War II-era photo (1944) taken in the backyard at 2476 Clements, between Linwood and LaSalle, in the Central High School neighborhood, you can see three generations of the Cook and Teitel families. Jerry Cook of West Bloomfield, who submitted this photo, is the youngster sitting on his father Oscar’s knee in the center foreground. Oscar is about to depart from the Midwest during his two years of naval service. Jerry’s mother, Jeanette Teitel Cook, is next to his father. She is the daughter of Morris and Bessie Teitel, seated to the left of Jerry. Oscar’s parents, Meyer and Fanny Cook, are behind the Teitels. Missing from the photo are four men already gone into WWII service. They included Jeanette’s brother Ben Teitel, whose legacy is preserved in the Metro Detroit community through programs and buildings created with funds from the charitable trust established under his will. The other three men were Sam Cook, and Earl and Bernie Friedman. During the war, Jerry’s grandmother Bessie removed the lawn and planted a victory garden to raise vegetables because farmers’ food was necessary to ship to the troops abroad. Two of Jerry’s cousins, Elaine Cook Epstein (in the back row, far right) and Barbara Ettinger Goodman (held by her father, Adolph), still live in Metro Detroit. Barbara was recently honored at JSL’s 8 Over 80 event. Jerry is a past president of the Michigan Jewish Historical Society. This photo and many others are including in the Cook family “Cook Book” that’s full of family history. THREE GENERATIONS From 2016: Nira and Bob Slutsky of West Bloomfield with their daughter Lauren Slutsky Belchinsky and grandchildren Lola and Ari, all of Huntington Woods. From the DJN Davidson Digital Archive L ast week, I spent a bit of time with two of my favorite archi- vists: Sharon Alterman and Robbie Terman. It is always a real pleasure to visit with them, whether for professional reasons or just to chat. This was the catalyst for today’s column about Jewish archives and archivists, the keepers of Detroit’s Jewish history. First and foremost, I’ll admit a deep, deep bias: I do think that the Davidson Digital Archives is the best archival thing since sliced bread. But, when I am honest with myself, I know that the Detroit Jewish community has several other archives that are first-rate, such as the archives at Temple Beth El in Bloomfield Township, the good historical records at Congregation Shaarey Zedek in Southfield, and the excellent Jewish collections at the Bentley Historical Library at the University of Michigan and the Walter Reuther Library at Wayne State Mike Smith University. The Jewish Historical Society of Detroit Jewish News Michigan is also a great source for the state’s Foundation Archivist 70 May 31 • 2018 jn history. One of the best and largest archives is the Leonard N. Simons Jewish Community Archives at the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit. The essence of an archives is a collection of historical documents, photographs and journals, but people still matter. Sharon Alterman was the first and founding director of the Simons archives, and Robbie is the second and current director. After a career with vari- ous Jewish community organizations, Sharon began another career as an archivist. She graduated with an archival certificate from Wayne State in 1989 and, soon after, became a driving force behind the Simons archives and became its first director in 1991. Robbie also graduated from Wayne State’s archival program and became director of the Simons archives after Sharon’s (second) retirement in 2014. Robbie soon created a wonderful exhibit about the first 25 years of the archives. Suffice it to say, the Simons Jewish Community Archives has been, and still is, in great hands! • Want to learn more? Go to the DJN Foundation archives, available for free at www.djnfoundation.org.