Looking Back
From the William Davidson Digital Archive of Jewish Detroit History
accessible at www.djnfoundation.org
62 | MARCH 25 • 2021
Ensuring All Have
Food for Passover
P
assover will soon be here, and
I thought I would dive into the
William Davidson Digital Archive
of Jewish Detroit History to find holiday
stories. Using the search term “Passover”
showed a list of 20,245 pages
with that word. That’s a lot of
pages!
So, I narrowed the search.
I added one of my favorite
words to the search term —
“Passover Food” was found
on 852 pages.
Many of the Passover food
citations are holiday advertisements for
stores such as Chatham, Wrigley’s, Great
Scott! and Farmer Jack, as well as the
Dexter-Davison Markets. A recent issue of
the JN had an ad for Johnny Pomodoro’s
and also reported that Meijer is expanding
its kosher selections.
There were also other Passover food ads.
Restaurants such as J. Lefkofsky & Sons’
“Hygeia Kosher Deli” or, more recent-
ly, Plaza Deli, and currently, Steve’s Deli
promoted their Passover meals. Or in the
1950s, you could book a Passover cruise
on the “Greek Line.” Its ships featured
on-board kosher kitchens. And, of course,
many Passover recipes have been published
in the JN and Jewish Chronicle. In recent
years, JN food columnist Annabel Cohen
has written about many a tasty creation.
Most impressive are the stories of Jewish
Detroiters supporting those in need during
Passover. The first such story appeared
in the Feb. 26, 1921, issue of the Chronicle:
“Urges Passover Food Be Rushed to
Poland.” That year, there was a dire need
for food in Poland in the aftermath of
WWI and its subsequent war with Russia in
1920. During WWII, a report in the March
26, 1943, issue of JN noted that the Detroit
Jewish Welfare Board was sending Passover
meals to Jews serving in America’s armed
forces.
In the 1950s, food for the people of the
fledgling State of Israel was a critical issue.
In this respect, there is an interesting ad
in the April 4, 1951, issue of the JN. The
Manischewitz company noted that there
was still time to send one of its Passover
food parcels to Israel.
The headline for the March 22, 1963,
issue of the JN, “USSR Jewry Faces Danger
of Remaining Without Matzoth,” relates to
another overseas Passover food issue. Once
again that year, Moscow bakeries did not
receive Passover flour rations, and there
would be no matzah unless allowed from
outside the country. This was another epi-
sode of antisemitism in Soviet-era Russia.
The Jewish community also did its
best to help its own needy people. The
April 5, 1985, issue of the JN has a
story, “Money for Wheat,” about the
Moies Chetim Organization providing
Passover food for Jewish poor in Detroit.
There are also many stories about the
work of Yad Ezra during Passover.
Perhaps the reports that warm the
heart the most are those of Jewish youth
in action. See the April 4, 1998, JN story
about Amy Miller working toward her bat
mitzvah. She volunteered with Yad Ezra
to make Passover food packages. Likewise,
in the April 4, 2000, issue, see “Food for
Passover.” Sarah Kiperman and Rachel
Matz prepared for their bat mitzvahs by
organizing a food drive.
These are just a few of the interesting
Passover stories in the Archive.
Chag Pesach Sameach! Have a Happy
Passover!
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
Passover food for Jewish poor in Detroit.
heart the most are those of Jewish youth
story
about Amy Miller working toward her bat
to make Passover food packages. Likewise,
in the April 4, 2000, issue, see “Food for
Matz prepared for their bat mitzvahs by