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