46 | JANUARY 14 • 2021 

Looking Back

From the William Davidson Digital Archive of Jewish Detroit History

accessible at www.djnfoundation.org

Poking Holes in 
the Glass Ceiling
T

he history of the Jews in Detroit and 
Michigan over the past century is 
a story of communal growth and 
progress. The community has grown in 
numbers and organzational strength, as 
well as political and business power. As my 
friend and Detroit Jewish News 
Foundation founder Arthur 
Horwitz always says, using a 
boxing metaphor, the Detroit 
Jewish community “punches 
above its weight” when it 
comes to its place in American 
Jewish affairs.
However, not all in the 
community have advanced at 
the same pace. I was reminded of this fact 
when I found an excellent feature article by 
Jill Davidson Sklar in the Feb. 18, 2000, issue 
of the JN. Titled “The Leadership Dance,” 
its contemporary focus is, “Nationally and 
locally, women are beginning to break 
through to top Jewish communal positions.” 
While reading the historic pages of the 
JN and Detroit Jewish Chronicle and in the 
William Davidson Digital Archive of Jewish 
Detroit History, one can see the stark 
differences in the roles of women and men 
in the public sphere. In the early years of the 
Chronicle, articles and columns devoted to 
women usually focused on “society” events, 
betrothments and marriages, with a few 
reports of women involved in communal 
organizations. As the decades rolled by, 
however, the pages provide evidence that 
women were increasingly involved in 
communal organizations, as well as in politics 
and business.
The Sklar article reports that, in 2000, the 
numbers of women in leadership positions 
were still well below the levels of male 
participation. A 1997 study by Ma’yan, a 
Jewish women’s project from New York City, 
noted that 50% of Jews in America were 
women, but in communal organizations, 

women held only 25% of board membership. 
Only 12% of these groups had a woman in 
the top position. The article cites the Golden 
Rule as one reason: “He who holds the gold, 
rules.” In short, men were still considered 
to be the primary contributors to good 
causes rather than couples or individual 
women who had made their own mark in the 
business world. 
Give credit to Jewish Detroit in 2000. 
It was an exception. The involvement of 
women in communal organizations was at 
a higher rate than the national average: 25% 
participation on boards (40% on JCC Board 
that year), and there were more women in 
leadership positions. 
The article also provides good history 
on some pathfinders. In 2000, Penny 
Blumenstein was serving as the first female 
president of the Jewish Federation of Metro 
Detroit, and women constituted 29% of its 
board membership. This was progress, but 
not enough. Blumenstein spelled out what 
was needed, and still desired today: “I don’t 
want them [women] to be segregated. I 
want them to be integrated.” In short, no 
token female officials, but full parity with 
men.
Since that time, two other women 
have been Federation president: Nancy 
Grosfeld and Beverly Liss. And, Dorothy 
Benyas has been its longtime chief financial 
officer. However, the last (and only) woman 
to be the executive director of Federation was 
Blanche Hart, 1903-1923. 
There has been significant progress for 
women in communal organizations since 
Sklar’s article from 2000. I’ve only cited a 
very few examples from one organization 
among the many where women now serve in 
leadership roles. The glass ceiling has huge 
cracks. Maybe it will soon shatter. 

Want to learn more? Go to the DJN Foundation 

archives, available for free at www.djnfoundation.org.

women held only 25% of board membership. 

the top position. The article cites the Golden 

women who had made their own mark in the 

Mike Smith
Alene and 
Graham Landau 
Archivist Chair

Blumenstein was serving as the first female 
president of the Jewish Federation of Metro 
Detroit, and women constituted 29% of its 
board membership. This was progress, but 
not enough. Blumenstein spelled out what 
was needed, and still desired today: “I don’t 

Benyas has been its longtime chief financial 

