Looking Back

From the William Davidson Digital Archive of Jewish Detroit History

accessible at www.djnfoundation.org

54 | APRIL 15 • 2021 

The British Bulldog
S

eventy-five years ago, on March 3, 
1946, Winston Churchill gave a famous 
speech at Westminster College in Fulton, 
Missouri. It became widely known as his “Iron 
Curtain” speech. 
In the aftermath of World War II, as a 
shattered Western Europe faced massive 
rebuilding, Stalin was installing 
communist puppet governments 
in Poland, Hungary and other 
places. Churchill described this as 
an “Iron Curtain” descending on 
Europe, and this term was added 
to our universal lexicon. Churchill 
considered this speech, where he 
challenged America to stand up 
to the communist threat, to be his 
finest oration.
Certainly, Churchill was among the great 
leaders in world history. Like most larger-than-
life figures, he was a person with huge successes 
and deep failures, a controversial figure, to say 
the least. So, I wondered: what might I find 
about Churchill in the William Davidson Digital 
Archive of Jewish Detroit History? 
Churchill was mentioned on 1,727 pages. Not 
all citations, however, are related to the Winston 
Churchill. It seems that there have been plenty 
of people with the surname “Churchill” living in 
Metro Detroit. 
The search also revealed the profound 
influence Churchill had on the Michigan 
landscape. There is a Churchill Street in Detroit, 
which was the first mention of the name in the 
Archive in 1919. There is Churchill High School 
in Livonia and Churchill Community Education 
Center in Royal Oak. Danny Raskin wrote about 
“Churchill’s Bistro and Cigar Bar” in his JN “Best 
of Everything” column on Oct. 3, 2013. There 
is a Winston Churchill Society with a Michigan 
Chapter based in Ann Arbor.
Churchill also had an impact upon American 
leaders. President George W
. Bush is one 
admirer of Churchill. Locally, Sen. Carl Levin 
was inspired by Churchill (March 28, 2013 JN), 
and former chief judge of the Federal Court in 
Detroit Gerald Rosen told me that Churchill is 
one of his heroes. Like Churchill, these people 
each had to deal with tough challenges.

While on tours of America, Churchill 
came to Detroit. He gave an interview to the 
University of Michigan’s student newspaper 
in 1901, and gave a speech, “The World 
Facing Disaster,
” on Feb. 5, 1932 (Jan. 29, 
1932 Chronicle).
Churchill did make one additional 
“appearance” in Detroit. The Dec. 3, 1999, 
issue of the JN has a story about student 
actors portraying historical 
figures at Yeshivat Akiva. 
Churchill was in attendance 
that day!
Another indication of the 
lasting influence of Churchill 
is how often he is quoted 
in the JN. For example, 
in a May 7, 2015, story 
about Hillel eighth-graders 
studying physics at the JCC by 
constructing cardboard boats, 
Elizabeth Applebaum noted that 
the students were determined 
to, in Churchill’s words, “never, 
never, never give up!” 
And there is the 
remembrance of local Jewish 
WWII hero, veteran of 33 
combat air missions, Mort 
Harris. On the occasion 
when he was honored by 
being named a Churchill 
Fellow (June 14, 2018, JN),
Harris stated that Churchill’s 
“courage was contagious.
”
There is a veritable 
treasure trove of information 
about Churchill in the 
Davidson Archive, more 
than I can address in one 
column. So, I’ll look into 
Churchill’s relationship with 
Jews and his impact upon 
British Mandate Palestine 
and the State of Israel in 
next week’s Looking Back. 

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

remembrance of local Jewish 

Harris stated that Churchill’s 

treasure trove of information 

came to Detroit. He gave an interview to the 

has a story about student 

Churchill was in attendance 

Another indication of the 

lasting influence of Churchill 

studying physics at the JCC by 
constructing cardboard boats, 
Elizabeth Applebaum noted that 
the students were determined 
to, in Churchill’s words, “never, 
to, in Churchill’s words, “never, 

