62 | JULY 21 • 2022
When Danny passed, the Aug. 5, 2021,
issue of the JN, which was devoted to his
life and career, held numerous adver-
tisements from restauranters honoring
Danny. Not too many food critics would
generate such an outpouring of good
will.
BEYOND RESTAURANT REVIEWS
Danny had adventures beyond dining in
Detroit. In 1949, for example, he worked
with a famous author, Erle Stanley
Gardner, and local Rabbi Joshua Sperka
to clear falsely accused Jewish Detroiter
Louis Gross of murder charges and
obtain his release from prison (Aug. 9,
1949, JN).
Danny also earned accolades from
his colleagues. In the March 27, 1992,
50th anniversary issue of the JN,
Executive Editor and Publisher of
the JN Arthur Horwitz said: “Danny
Raskin continues to be a foundation of
this paper. There is probably nobody in
this arena who’s been at it for 50 years.
”
Little did Horwitz know that Danny
would still be writing 29 years later. In
2021, he related that “Danny Raskin
was the Lou Gehrig and the Cal Ripkin
Jr. of column writing.” Indeed, it is pos-
sible that Danny was the longest-ten-
ured journalist in American history.
Danny took a fall at his West
Bloomfield condo in June 2021 and
broke several ribs. In typical Raskin-
style, however, as he lay in his bed in a
nursing facility, Danny was still plan-
ning ahead. When the JN’s Editorial
Director Jackie Headapohl and Associate
Editor David Sachs visited him shortly
before he passed, he pitched his idea for
a new column. Danny would replace his
iconic “Best of Everything” column with
a new one called “Rearview Mirror,” in
which he would reflect upon his century
of personal history in Detroit.
Sadly, Danny passed a few days later.
Obituaries appeared in national pub-
lications such as the Jewish Telegraph
Agency (JTA), in local media like the
Detroit Free Press and Detroit Public
Television, and in online sources in the
U.S. and Israel.
“He was one of the most unique people
I’ve ever met,” longtime Jewish
News copy editor, now associate
editor, David Sachs told the
JTA. “He enjoyed life to the
fullest, and he had the highest
standards for his writing.”
“I think it’s just remark-
able that up until the very
end he had his wits about
him, and he was planning
for the future,” said Jackie
Headapohl, the JN’s current
director of editorial services.
“He was still talking about
writing. Who does that
when they’re 102?”
Danny himself summed-up the
essence of his career in his interview
with Sachs: “I enjoyed the days then, and
I enjoy the days today. It’s a good ride. I
try to have a lot of fun.”
In his honor, I’ll end with one of
Danny’s “oldie but goodies:”
“Three grandmothers are sitting on
a park bench. The first one lets out a
heartfelt ‘Oy!’ A few minutes after that,
the second grandmother sighs deeply
and says, ‘Oy vey!’ A few minutes after
that, the third lady brushes away a tear
and moans, ‘Oy veyizmir!’ To which
the first grandma replies, ‘I thought
we agreed that we weren’t going to talk
about our grandchildren!’” (It seems to
me that a drum rimshot and a cymbal
crash should be inserted here).
When a singular personality passes,
one often hears the phrase “There will
never be another …” In this case, Danny
more than deserves this epitaph. You are
missed, Danny Raskin.
From the William Davidson Digital Archive of Jewish Detroit History
accessible at www.djnfoundation.org
LOOKING BACK
continued from page 61