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