46 | NOVEMBER 26 • 2020 

Looking Back

From the William Davidson Digital Archive of Jewish Detroit History

accessible at www.djnfoundation.org

An Ode to 
Dr. John & Eva Mames
Y

ou may have read in recent issues 
of the JN that Magen David Adom 
(MDA) is celebrating its 90th anni-
versary this year. Established in 1930, MDA, 
the “Red Shield of David,
” is Israel’
s national 
emergency responder and the nation’
s pri-
mary blood bank for both civilians and the 
IDF. It was recognized by the 
International Committee of 
the Red Cross in 2006 as the 
national aid society of Israel. 
The American Friends of Magen 
David Adom’
 (AFMDA) was 
formed in 1940.
Any organization that lasts 
90 years and is still going strong 
is worth exploring. So, I went 
into the William Davidson Digital Archive 
of Jewish Detroit History to see what I could 
find on local connections to the MDA and 
AFMDA. There were 2,076 pages that cited 
“Magen David.
” A few of them had content 
related to the Star of David itself, such as an 
article from the Oct. 1, 1948, JN that explained 
the origins of the Israeli Flag, but the content 
of the vast majority of these pages have articles 
that demonstrate the Detroit Jewish commu-
nity’
s substantial support to MDA over the 
decades.
Many Detroit Jews have been, and still are, 
active supporters of the local AFMDA chapter. 
However, two names do stand out — Dr. John 
and Eva Mames. The two of them were the 
backbone, heart and soul of MDA in Detroit 
for decades. Indeed, the Michigan Chapter of 
the AFMDA is named after Dr. John J. Mames.
The story of the Michigan Chapter began in 
1967. The Shaarit Haplaytah Organization of 
Michigan, led by John Mames and his brother-
in-law, Larry Brenners, initiated the purchase 
of an ambulance for the MDA at a meeting 
at the home of Miriam and Fred Ferber. The 
group raised $4,000. The Michigan Chapter of 
the AFMDA was then established in the wake 
of the Six-Day War when there was a great 
need for medical services in Israel. Mames was 

president of Michigan chapter for the next 22 
years until his death at the age of 87 on Dec. 
1, 1989.
Born in Poland and a survivor of Russian 
labor camps, Mames not only led efforts to 
assist MDA, he was also supporter of many 
causes such as Israel Bonds, the Holocaust 
Memorial Center in Farmington Hills 
and, with Dr. Sidney Bolkosky, was 
a founder of the Voice and Vision 
Holocaust Survivor Oral History Archive 
at the University of Michigan-Dearborn. 
However, he was only one-half of a dynamic 
partnership.
Eva Mames, John’
s wife, was also a leader of 
the Michigan Chapter of the AFMDA. Born 
in Hungary and a teenage survivor of the 
Holocaust, Eva was a 4-foot 9½-inch tall giant 
of energy and determination, well known for 
her kindness. After John’
s death, Eva served 
as president of the Michigan chapter until her 
death at the age of 81 on Dec. 10, 2011. 
There are many stories about the Eva and 
John Mames, as well as the MDA and the 
Michigan Chapter of the AFMDA, in the 
Davidson Digital Archive, and they are won-
derful stories of great volunteers and tremen-
dous success. This is good reading about the 
best of Detroit’
s Jewish community. 

Want to learn more? Go to the DJN Foundation 
archives, available for free at www.djnfoundation.org.

xt 22 
Dec. 

an 
to 
ny 
st

mic

Mike Smith
Alene and 
Graham Landau 
Archivist Chair

