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Mitzvah Day
The Future Is History …
I
spent election day working the
polls at New Paradigm Glazer
Academy. In between voters, I
scoured the news from November
1918 for clues about the shape of our
community and the
state of our union.
Here is some
of what I gleaned
from the pages of
the Detroit Jewish
Chronicle — by way of
the William Davidson
Ben Falik
Digital Archive of
Jewish Detroit History,
by way of the University of Michigan’s
Bentley Historical Library — 100
years ago:
Blood and Brain of American Jewry, in
Priceless Services to Democracy, Made
Glorious Record of High Achievement
In Many Hard and Lofty Posts of War
Then: It was the War to End All
Wars. The Jewish community took
tremendous pride in their service on
the home front and abroad.
Now: The distance between civilian
and military life is unprecedented;
“our troops” are both a source of
political points and an unconsciona-
bly underserved population. More
than 20 veterans, active-duty service-
members, guardsmen and reservists
die by suicide every day.
Take Extra Care and Don’t Worry
• Get your proper proportion of work,
play and rest...
• The importance of fresh air cannot be
emphasized too strongly.
• Avoid crowds. If you have to mingle
closely with others in elevators, streets
cars, try not to face your fellow passen-
gers. Keep your handkerchief handy to
smother your own coughs or sneezing.
• Be ever watchful of the danger of
infection but keep calm and don’t
worry about it.
Then: The flu pandemic killed 50
million people, far outpacing combat
casualties. Detroiters embraced a
“100% COMMON SENSE” approach
and “antiseptic solution,” which had
become quite the rage in hospitals and
barbershops.
Now: Seems like ancient history,
right? Have you gotten your flu shot
yet? Get your flu shot already.
Cadillac Policy for 1918-19. Prices will
be restored at once to the figures which
prevailed before Cadillac production
was restricted by Governmental Order
... The $300 increase is now removed
on the entire Cadillac line ... We
assume that Peace will shortly follow
the signed armistice. In that event, the
entire capacity of our factory will be
devoted to the production of Cadillac
cars.
Then: Cadillac remained the
Cadillac of cars, optimal for rum-
running and all variety of getaways.
Now: The Cadillac CT6 is
still made in Detroit, albeit
mostly assembled by robots
and mostly out of foreign
parts. Like 1918, you can still
probably get the dealer to
knock $300 off the sticker.
Jewish Problem Persists.
Very disquieting reports as
to the conditions of the Jews
in a number of war-stricken
countries ... Rumors of pogroms
against the Jews in Galicia and of
attempts to read them out of citizen-
ship rights in the new Poland seem to
be only too well founded ... Evidence
is indisputable that these Jews have
been exceedingly loyal to the Allied
cause, and it would be simply incon-
ceivable that in the final settlement
of the world’s affairs, they should still
be permitted to be the football of fate,
not to say the target for anti-Semitism
in new and cruel forms.
Then: While oranges sprouted in
the desert, leaders debated whether
(a) “the day has come for the estab-
lishment in Palestine of a national
home for the Jewish people” or (b)
Israel is “chimera … the Jew’s place
is in the world at large.”
Now: The Jewish people have a
sovereign homeland, an outsized role
in American life — and a best bet to
beat back anti-Semitism by fighting
Islamophobia, xenophobia and big-
otry against anyone anywhere.
D.W. Griffith’s Mighty Spectacle —
The Birth of a Nation — A Veritable
Kaleidoscope of American History, It
Deals with a Big Theme in a Big Way.
Then: Audiences flocked to see
heroic klansmen fight black-faced
J
villains on the silver
screen, including a
premiere at the White
House.
Now: Some people
manage to be scandal-
ized by the notion that
Black Lives Matter. It
doesn’t take a Ph.D. or
PR disaster to see how
centuries of slavery and segregation
manifest in today’s implicit biases
and institutional racism.
Henry the Hatter
Detroit’s Exclusive Hatter
49 Gratiot Ave.
Then: Men wore hats when they
went outdoors and took them off
when they came indoors.
Now: Henry the Hatter moved to
Eastern Market last year and you
could totally pull off that fedora.
ELECTION TUESDAY NOV. 5TH
7 a.m to 8 p.m. An Equal Suffrage
Amendment to the State Constitution,
permitting women to vote at all elec-
tions in the State of Michigan, will
also be submitted at this election.
Then: Women’s suffrage passed,
even without women voting for it.
Now: Women are, by all accounts,
the most prepared and purposeful
public leaders in Michigan.
The JN archives are more search-
able and mobile friendly than ever
— check out djnfoundation.org.
And, seriously, get your flu shot. ■
ewish Community Relations
Council/AJC (JCRC/AJC) will
host its 22nd annual Mitzvah
Day this Christmas Day at non-
profit organizations throughout
Metropolitan Detroit. The daylong
event is held in partnership with the
Jewish Federation of Metropolitan
Detroit.
On Tuesday, Dec. 25, nearly 1,000
volunteers of all ages will visit a
growing list of nearly 40 locations to
work shifts beginning as early as 6:30
a.m. and ending as late as 6:30 p.m.
Activities available at these social
service projects will range from meal
and toy delivery to visiting with
older adults and cleaning out storage
closets.
Volunteers have several weeks to
pre-register for a specific site, such
as Detroit Rescue Mission, Mariners
Inn and Cass Community Social
Services, as well as the VA Hospital,
Michigan Humane Society, Jewish
Community Center and Sanctum
House, which are all new to Mitzvah
Day this year.
Mitzvah Day, the single largest
day of volunteering by Detroit’s
Jewish community, was founded in
1996 by JCRC to fill staff shortages
or to allow organizations to reduce
staffing on Christmas Day. It has
grown exponentially since then and
now includes several interfaith sites
coordinated in partnership with
the Michigan Muslim Community
Council.
“This year, giving to others will
take on a special meaning to many
of our volunteers, given recent
events. Members of our community
are eager to reciprocate the good
deeds we experienced following
the Tree of Life Synagogue shoot-
ing in Pittsburgh,” said JCRC/AJC
Executive Director David Kurzmann.
The 2018 co-chairs are JCRC/AJC
Board Members Micki Grossman,
Milt Neuman, Illana Stern and Ellen
Yashinsky Chute.
Site registration is available
through Dec. 20 at www.
mitzvahdaydetroit2018.eventbrite.
com. Volunteers under age 18
must be accompanied by an adult.
For more information, contact
Naomi Levine at (248) 642-2656 or
nlevine@jfmd.org. ■
jn
November 22 • 2018
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