Looking Back

From the William Davidson Digital Archive of Jewish Detroit History 

accessible at www.djnfoundation.org

62 | FEBRUARY 24 • 2022 

Ode to the Bagel
R

ecently, our new Associate Editor, 
Rachel Sweet, and I had a chat in 
the JN lunchroom. She was toasting 
a bagel and mentioned that Bagel Day was 
upcoming. I said I thought National Bagel 
Day was Jan. 15. Rachel was referring to 
National Bagel and Lox Day on Feb. 9. 
We were both correct, but the 
distinction didn’t really 
matter much to Rachel who 
proclaimed that for her, 
“Every day is Bagel Day!” 
In short, as it is for many 
Americans, eating a bagel is 
her daily ritual. This made 
me wonder about bagel 
history in Metro Detroit. 
Well, “bagel” appears on nearly 8,000 
pages in the William Davidson Digital 
Archive of Jewish Detroit History. There 
are hundreds of stories and thousands 
of advertisements for bakeries, delis, 
restaurants and events that feature the 
round delicacy.
The first mentions of “bagels” are in 
the Jewish Chronicle in the 1920s. However, 
these were not about food. They are small 
items about the social activities of Mr. and 
Mrs. Bagel (Myer and Pauline). 
Bagels were first referenced as a food 
in the 1940s; initially, the bagel and its 
close friend, lox. During World War II, 
bagel-and-lox breakfasts were served-up 
on most Sundays for American military 
personnel by the United States Service 
Organizations (USO), women’s clubs and 
many other local organizations. Danny 
Raskin first mentioned bagels in his Dec. 
7. 1945, “Listening Post” column. He 
discussed Sam Blender from New York, 
who was known as “the bagel man of 
the East Side.” One could also find “Bob 
the Bagel Boy” in the personal ads. He 
provided a critical service: he could be 
hired to deliver hot bagels to your home 
on Sundays (Sept. 27, 1946, Chronicle).

The first advertisements for bagels 
for sale appear to be those for the New 
York Bagel Company in the 1940s. 
Established by Morris Goldsmith and 
two East European immigrant partners in 
1921, New York Bagel is Detroit’s oldest 
dedicated bagel retailer. The third and 
fourth generation of Goldsmiths now 
operate locations in Ferndale and West 
Bloomfield. 
By the way, bagels are generally thought 
to have originated in Poland.
By the 1940s, bagels and lox had 
become a standard Sunday breakfast 
for many in the Jewish community. In 
the Sept. 6, 1949, Jewish Chronicle, “Bagel 
and Lox Jews” was a story in which an 
unnamed rabbi from Glencoe, Illinois, 
described himself as a bagel and lox 
Jew because that was what he liked on 
Sunday mornings. An ad in the 
Oct. 18, 1946, JN for Apollo Records 
featured its new recording of Eddie 
“Rochester” Anderson singing the 
Jewish Breakfast Song, “Bagels and 
Lox (with cheese in the middle).”
Beginning in 1950s, bagels had 
become a staple food, mentioned 
hundreds of times every year. In the 
1960s, Philadelphia Cream Cheese 
became a close partner of bagels. There 
are ads for another bagel innovation, 
Lender’s frozen bagels, in the 1970s.
So, who has the best bagels? Keri 
Cohen’s dad thought the best bagels 
were in Reno because of its high 
elevation. Rachel believes that the best 
bagel is the last one she ate. Bagels are like 
wine — everyone has a favorite. For your 
own taste testing, see the link below for a 
recent JN list of a few great Detroit bagel 
places. Happy Noshing! 

thejewishnews.com/2022/02/09/feb-9-is-national-
bagel-and-lox-day-heres-where-you-can-get-your-
fix-in-metro-detroit.

Mike Smith
Alene and 
Graham Landau 
Archivist Chair

