62 | DECEMBER 2 • 2021 

B

efore this calendar year ends, I want 
to write about someone whom I 
greatly admire and someone who 
has devoted her career to bettering the lives 
of Jewish and non-Jewish Michiganders. 
That someone is somebody 
special: Gilda Jacobs. 
It was announced this past 
July that, after four decades of 
public service, Gilda is going 
to retire from her position 
as president and CEO of the 
Michigan League for Public 
Policy (July 1, 2021, JN). She 
has led the League for the 
past 11 years.
The League, by the way, was established 
in 1912 as a nonprofit civic organization for 
the study and development of good public 
policy. Under Gilda’s leadership, it has been 
in the forefront of advocacy for the well- 
being of children and for equitable policies 
regarding taxes, jobs and economic securi-
ty, as well as health care and education, just 
to name a few areas of initiative.
Finding articles and reports on Gilda in 
the William Davidson Digital Archive of 
Jewish Detroit History was an easy task. 
She has a presence on more than 300 pages 
of the JN since the 1980s. The hard part is 
choosing which of her many accomplish-
ments to mention when there are so many.
As former director of the Walter Reuther 
Library, Wayne State University, and for-
mer Johanna Meijer Magoon Principal 
Archivist at the Bentley Historical Library, 
University of Michigan, I have personally 
benefited from Gilda’s support. She assisted 
me in collecting historic records for the 
Bentley and attended important events at 
the Reuther. 
Gilda began her career in 1981 as the 
first woman elected to the Huntington 
Woods City Commission. She served there 
until 1994, when she was elected to the 
Oakland County Commission (1995-1998). 

Subsequently, Gilda served 
in the Michigan State 
Senate for eight years and 
the Michigan House for 
four years. During this era, 
she also made some histo-
ry in the House when she 
became the first woman 
to be a floor leader in either chamber. 
Gilda then moved on to head the Michigan 
League for Public Policy (Aug. 12, 2010, 
JN).
The stories in the JN also demon-
strate that Gilda’s work always reflected 
her Jewish roots and that she never 
forgot the local Jewish community. In 
this respect, Gilda was given numer-
ous communal accolades such as the 
NCJW Detroit Section’s Josephine S. 
Weiner Community Service Award 
in 2012 (Sept. 13, 2012, JN). In 2019, 
she was inducted into the Michigan 
Women’s Hall of Fame.
What also impresses me is the many 
times Gilda participated in local com-
munity events (Does she ever sleep?). 
Gilda will often speak about a serious 
topic such as “Social Justice, Politics 
and Jewish Life” (May 19, 2005), or 
will publish a meaningful essay. See 
“Mentor a Student, Change a Life” 
in the Sept. 24, 2009, JN. And, she 
always seems to be ready for a bit of 
fun, passing out kosher candy at Oak Park’s 
July 4 parade (July 21, 2005) or judging a 
chili cookoff (Danny Raskin’s column, Nov. 
19, 2009). 
One of Gilda’s campaign advertisements 
stated “She’s always made us proud.” Indeed, 
she has done just that. Thanks for all your 
kindness and your work to make Michigan a 
better place, Gilda. Mazel tov! 

Want to learn more? Go to the DJN Foundation 
archives, available for free at www.djnfoundation.
org.

Looking Back

From the William Davidson Digital Archive of Jewish Detroit History 

accessible at www.djnfoundation.org

The Indefatigable 
Gilda Jacobs

Mike Smith
Alene and 
Graham Landau 
Archivist Chair

