Looking Back
From the William Davidson Digital Archive of Jewish Detroit History
accessible at www.djnfoundation.org
70 | DECEMBER 30 • 2021
A Holiday Tradition
L
ast weekend was the 25th Annual
Mitzvah Day in Metro Detroit.
Sponsored by the Jewish Community
Relations Council/American Jewish
Committee (JCRC/AJC), in partnership
with the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan
Detroit, Mitzvah Day is usually held on Dec.
25. Because Christmas was on Shabbat this
year, the JCRC/AJC declared a “Mitzvah
Weekend.
”
Mitzvah Day was
established by the JCRC
in 1996 to assist Christian
service organizations on
Christmas to allow their staffs
to celebrate the holiday with
family and friends. Over the
years, Mitzvah Day has grown
to include hundreds of volunteers, including
those from other faiths such as Muslims
and Hindus. It is a very nice gift for Cass
Community Social Services, COTS, Haven,
Jimmy’s Kids and Western Oakland Meals
on Wheels, to name just a few.
I decided to research Mitzvah Day in the
William Davidson Digital Archive of Jewish
Detroit History. It was a heartwarming
experience. I highly recommend taking
this online cruise. You’ll find reassurance
that there is indeed a lot of goodness in the
world.
Mitzvah Day in Metro Detroit has a very
interesting history. There are 381 entries
for the term “Mitzvah Day” in the Archive.
Most citations date from the 1990s. Before
the concept of a Mitzvah Day, there are a
few entries regarding bar or bat mitzvah
days for Jewish youth.
“In Tears and Triumph,
” a story about
survivor David Bergman’s life, he relates that
his bar mitzvah day was held on a train to
the Plaszow Concentration Camp in 1944
(May 7, 1998, JN).
The history of the Mitzvah Day in Detroit
is complicated. The first mitzvah day story
that I could find was a JN report that teens
from Temple Israel held a mitzvah day in
fall 1957 to help seniors and others with
household chores and fall yard clean-up. I
soon discovered that many synagogues and
congregations held and/or still hold mitzvah
days: Temple Beth El, Temple Israel, Temple
Kol Ami, Temple Emanu-El and Adat
Shalom, and Congregations B’nai Moshe,
Shir Tikvah, T’Chiyah and Beth Ahm. And
I am certain this is not a complete list of all
“mitzvah days” in the Jewish community.
I like the stories of mitzvah day families.
For example, see “One
Family’s Mitzvah
Day” (Jan. 1, 1999)
about the Sakwas
— Stuart, Randi and
daughter, Hayley, Uncle
Mike, Papa Dave and
Grandma Joyce. It also
has photos of volunteers
Shari Goldstein and her
son, Michael. Gabriella
Ring wrote about helping
Alzheimer’s patients with
her family (Jan. 1, 2009),
and the Nadis family served
lunch at the Detroit Rescue
Mission Ministries (Dec. 30,
2010).
Who created the concept of a Mitzvah
Day? It’s hard to say. A JN editorial (Jan. 3,
2003) reported that Mitzvah Day began
“years ago” at Temple Beth El and then the
men’s club at Shaarey Zedek held one. In a
story about the retirement of Temple Kol
Ami Rabbi Norman T. Roman in the April
28, 2011, JN, he claimed: “We were the first
local congregation to sponsor a Mitzvah
Day.
” The JCRC/AJC first held what is now
the largest, most recognized Mitzvah Day
in 1996. However, it should not be confused
with “Itsa Mitzvah Day” sponsored by the
Jewish Federation.
Regardless of origins, Mitzvah Day is a
great invention. To all the volunteers —
mazel tov!
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