jews in the d
COURTESY OF THE RABBI LEO M. FRANKLIN ARCHIVES OF TEMPLE BETH EL, BLOOMFIELD HILLS, MI.
Looking Back
The Sisterhood of Temple Beth El t ook a trip to the memorable Edgewater Park in Detroit with their children, c. 1963.
From the DJN Foundation Davidson Digital Archive of Jewish Detroit History
E
Mike Smith
Detroit Jewish
News Foundation
Archivist
66
ver hear of Herb Gray? Do those of you with
Canadian roots in Windsor, Ontario, know
about Mr. Gray?
I ran across a very interesting story about Herb
Gray in the Feb. 6, 1970, issue of the JN. That’s
where I learned he was a very famous politician and
had been appointed to the cabinet of the famous
Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Elliot Trudeau
(the current and 23rd prime minister of Canada is
Pierre’s son, Justin Trudeau). Gray’s appointment
was a big deal for the Jewish community in Windsor
and Canada. He was the first Jewish cabinet member
in Canadian history.
Herbert Eser “Herb” Gray was born to a middle-
class family in Windsor in 1931, the son of Fannie
and Harry Gray. He graduated with a degree in
commerce from McGill University and then from
Osgoode Hall Law School in Toronto. He was first
elected to the Canadian Parliament in 1961 and
went on to a stellar career as a politician with the
Liberal Party in Canada, serving as a Member
October 11 • 2018
jn
of Parliament for four decades. Along with his
appointment to Trudeau’s cabinet, Gray was also in
the cabinet of two other prime ministers and was
Deputy Prime Minister from 1997-2002.
Gray retired from politics in 2002, but he was
hardly “retired.” He was appointed the Canadian
Chair of the International Joint Commission, a
Canadian-United States organization that deals
with water and air rights issues. In 2008, Gray
was appointed the 10th Chancellor of Carleton
University. He died at age 82 on April 21, 2014.
Gray received many awards during his life, but
the Governor General of Canada bestowed one of
the highest honors upon him in 2002, when he was
given the title of “The Right Honourable.” Today, in
Windsor, you can drive on the Right Honourable
Herb Gray Parkway. ■
Want to learn more? Go to the DJN Foundation archives,
available for free at www.djnfoundation.org.