Looking Back
From the William Davidson Digital Archive of Jewish Detroit History
accessible at www.djnfoundation.org
A Summer Mainstay
T
he summer is winding down. It’
s
been an unusual season for most
of us, with fewer trips Up North
and more staycations. It seems a long
time ago — but it has only been a little
over year — since the July
11, 2019, issue of JN had
an excellent feature story,
“Charlevoix the Beautiful,”
by Jennifer Lovy.
Lovy made the point
that Charlevoix, in the
northwest part of the state
on the shores of Lake
Michigan, has been a
summer destination for generations of
Detroit Jews. A search in the William
Davidson Digital Archive of Jewish
Detroit History certainly supports this
conclusion. A search for “Charlevoix”
in the Archive showed 3,577 pages that
mentioned this name. To be sure, some
pages referred to Charlevoix Street
in Detroit, but the bulk of the pages
had stories or advertisements about
Charlevoix, the summer vacation spot.
I found announcements from the
1920s and 1930s in the Jewish Chronicle’
s
“
Activities in Society” columns (the
“social media” of the day) that noted
who was visiting who in Charlevoix
to stories of Camp Sea-Gull on Lake
Charlevoix with its song: “North, south
and east and west, our camp has always
been the best” (June 8, 2017, JN).
One can also find lots of advertise-
ments for resorts in Charlevoix, like
the Hilltop Hotel, the Tower Hotel and
Bern’
s Guest House with “Kosher Style
Cooking” (Bern’
s ad is a little confus-
ing — is it kosher or just sort of like
kosher?). Speaking of food, Danny
Raskin’
s columns over the years often
included readers’
mini-reviews of
restaurants in and near Charlevoix and
other stores in the area.
Yes, Charlevoix had something for
everybody, including gangs of hood-
lums that attacked Jews … Wait a min-
ute? What’
s this? Gangs attacking Jews
in Charlevoix, such a vacation paradise?
This is a story I had never heard
before, but as I was conducting research
for a recent “Looking Back” on VJ
day, I saw a headline on the front
page on the Aug. 31, 1945, issue
of the Chronicle: “Charlevoix Acts
to Curb Attacks Against Jews.” The
report was about tensions between
local young men and boys and the
Jewish vacationers that summer. The
culminating event was an attack on
Jewish youth at the beach on Aug. 23.
The story notes that the authorities
in Charlevoix were appalled and acted
swiftly. Police patrols were beefed up
and a citizens’
committee was formed
to deal with the issue, which includ-
ed a rabbi from Hillel at Ohio State
University, the director of the Detroit
Jewish Community Council and other
prominent people. Rabbi Leo Franklin
of Temple Beth El also consulted with
the mayor of Charlevoix.
In the end, as reported in the Sept.
14, 1945, issue of the JN, 10 young
men from Charlevoix pled guilty to
disturbing the peace and assaulting
the “Detroiters,” and were given a
year’
s probation. By this time, the
Jewish vacationers had returned to the
city and school, and the incident was
over.
While we have — sad to say — wit-
nessed a recent rise in antisemtism,
Charlevoix has only grown as a great
destination for Jewish vacationers.
Hoodlums no longer attack Jews in
“Charlevoix the Beautiful” today.
Want to learn more? Go to the DJN
Foundation archives, available for free at
www.djnfoundation.org.
Mike Smith
Alene and
Graham Landau
Archivist Chair
46 | SEPTEMBER 10 • 2020
26 July 18 • 2019
jn
on the cover/travel
arts&life
A
sk Michiganders what they
most frequently associate with a
Michigan summer and likely the
answer will be an Up North vacation. Ask a
Jewish Detroiter and the answer could very
well be time spent in Charlevoix.
The number of Jewish visitors, especially
those who own property in Charlevoix, is
so significant that it’s nearly impossible to
spend a summer weekend in this pictur-
esque town without seeing a familiar face.
And Charlevoix, unlike any other vacation
destination in the state, is a getaway loca-
tion that transcends the memories of gener-
ations of local families.
Those who spent time there when they
were young now bring their children and
even grandchildren to this charming city
known and loved for its pristine beaches,
quaint downtown, memorable drawbridge
and iconic red lighthouse.
“This is where we always went on vaca-
tion to spend quality time together as a
family,” recalled Glenn Wachler, originally
from West Bloomfield but now a perma-
nent Charlevoix resident.
Wachler, 54, thinks back with fondness to
his childhood, recalling time he spent with
his family, particularly his dad. Together
they would fish, search for Petoskey stones
and watch the sun set over Lake Michigan.
Wanting to create similar memories for his
children, he and his wife, Ellen, along with
their three kids, spent many summers in
Charlevoix and moved there 13 years ago.
Despite what was once a seven-hour
drive, Jewish families have been vacation-
ing in Charlevoix for at least 100 years. In
1916, the year the Detroit Jewish Chronicle
was founded, the paper’s community gossip
page began mentioning it as a travel desti-
nation.
Wachler’s father, Jeff, 91, started going
to Charlevoix in 1932. Eventually, he pur-
chased a condominium there. His father
(Glenn’s grandfather) also owned property
in this northern Michigan town. Glenn still
finds it amusing that at one time his grand-
father rented an apartment in Detroit but
owned a home in Charlevoix.
There was a period in the city’s history
where openly anti-Semitic sentiments, such
as deed restrictions in a few neighborhoods,
were hard to ignore. However, Jews were
not deterred from vacationing or owning
homes in Charlevoix.
Rick Berman, a Charlevoix aficionado,
has a postcard from a now-defunct hotel
that says: “Having a great time, beautiful
hotel. They do not allow Jews or dogs.” It’s
one of approximately 1,500 postcards in his
collection from the city and surrounding
areas. These days, blatant displays of dis-
crimination are gone.
Up North getaway has attracted
Detroiters for generations — here’
s why.
Charlevoix
the Beautiful
JENNIFER LOVY
JENNIFER LOVY
CONTRIBUTING WRITER
TOP TO BOTTOM: Todd and Jennifer Kroll with their
daughters, Marlee and Lilley, Charlevoix Apple Fest; Paul
Hooberman with his granddaughters, 2010, Kilwin’
s tour.
COURTESY KROLL FAMILY
COURTESY HOOBERMAN FAMILY
ch
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