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,