Looking Back
From the William Davidson Digital Archive of Jewish Detroit History
accessible at www.djnfoundation.org
54 | APRIL 2 • 2020
A
lthough Joe Cornell was not
Jewish, generations of people in
Detroit’
s Jewish community have
interacted with him.
When news that Cornell died in
California on March 18 reached Detroit,
Facebook exploded with
people sharing memories of
him and his popular dance
classes for preteen Jewish
Detroiters.
I checked the William
Davidson Digital Archive
of Jewish Detroit History
to see what I could find on
him.
There was no shortage of JN pages
that cited Joe Cornell. Since his name
first appeared in 1951, Cornell was cited
on 974 pages of the JN. Research in the
Archive shows he was an institution in
the Detroit Jewish community, as well as
in Michigan and Hollywood, California.
Born and raised in Detroit, his real
name was Joseph Coronella, and it seems
he became an honorary member of the
Jewish community.
Cornell began his career as a dancer
and entertainer in the 1940s while attend-
ing classes at Wayne State University and
giving lessons at the local Arthur Murray
Dance Studio in Detroit. From there, he
began entertaining at resorts in western
and northern Michigan, and then made
his way back to Detroit to develop a very
successful business — and make his con-
nection to Detroit’
s Jews. His professional
journey can be followed in the historic
pages of the JN.
To begin, there is an excellent report
in the Jan. 18, 2007, issue of the JN. It
discusses the development of Joe Cornell
Studios, which became Joe Cornell
Entertainment, the work of his succes-
sors, and a bit about Cornell himself (for
more biographical information about
Cornell, see Karen Schwartz’
s story on
page 18).
The first mentions of Cornell begin to
appear in the early 1950s, when he was
the entertainment director for several
Michigan resorts. By the late 1950s, there
were advertisements noting that “entire
families will enjoy Joe Cornell’
s Omena
Inn on Grand Traverse Bay.”
By the 1960s, Cornell was Detroit-
based, soon becoming an institution in
the Jewish community. In his column
in the March 25, 1960, Danny Raskin
referred to him: “Pappa Joe, the pied
piper of Wyoming Ave. is more than just
a dancing teacher or a social director …
he’
s the pride and joy of every youngster
who meets him…” (Indeed, Raskin’
s col-
umns often had news about Cornell.)
Therein lies the main point: Thousands
of kids, especially at their bar and bat
mitzvahs, benefited from their relationship
with Cornell, and the dance and etiquette
lessons he taught them. And, this says
nothing about his numerous charitable
activities for youth in the city. Even when
he moved to California, Cornell would
often return and hold events in Detroit.
Star Trax Events purchased Joe Cornell
Entertainment in 2015. One of its pro-
grams is the “Joe Cornell Experience,”
featuring such events as a “Dance Party”
for fifth graders. It is a most fitting legacy
for someone who was much more than a
great dancer.
Want to learn more? Go to the DJN Foundation
archives, available for free at
www.djnfoundation.org.
The Man Who Taught
Jewish Youth to Dance
Mike Smith
Alene and
Graham Landau
Archivist Chair
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