Looking Back
From the William Davidson Digital Archive of Jewish Detroit History
accessible at www.djnfoundation.org
70 | AUGUST 18 • 2022
Time to Cruise
T
his weekend, the third Saturday
of August, will mark the 27th
annual Woodward Dream Cruise,
or what is billed as “The World’s Biggest
Cruise.” There will be plenty of antique
cars, custom-built hot-rods and one-of-
a-kind automobiles and trucks driving
and burning rubber in the right two
lanes of Woodward Avenue.
The Dream Cruise began
in 1995 on a soccer field in
Ferndale. Leading cruiser,
Nelson House, and a group
of volunteers decided to
recreate the heyday of
cruising in the 1950s and
1960s. More than 250,000
attended the initial affair;
now the usual attendance for the Dream
Cruise is about 1.5 million. They come
from around the world to view over
40,000 classic and custom cars that
“cruise” the length of Woodward Avenue
from Detroit to Pontiac.
I figured there were a few cruisers
from Detroit’s Jewish community.
Indeed, a search into the William
Davidson Digital Archive of Jewish
Detroit History proved I was spot-on.
In fact, just searching for the “Dream
Cruise” raised more than 200 pages from
the Archive regarding this famous event.
“Jews Who Cruise” is a cover story
about three local community members
who motored down Woodward during
the Dream Cruise in the Aug. 16, 2008,
issue of the JN. The article features
Andy Adelson, Michael Kunzman and
Michael Surnow and their “muscle car”
collections (i.e., think powerful, exotic
and very fast automobiles). The trio
participated in the Dream Cruise as well
as spent a lot of time “joyriding” every
summer.
Indeed, summer brings out not only
the cruisers, but also cruise events
around Metro Detroit. They are staged
at drive-ins restaurants, in parking lots,
sports fields and other choice spots
around the city.
An earlier story with the same title in
the Aug. 8, 2004, JN, “Jews Who Cruise,”
has stories about several other Jewish
antique/specialty car owners. This article
features a wonderful photo of Joel and
Lauren Jacob with their children —
Michael, 5, Andrew, 9, Autumn, 7, and
Merrick, 12 — in the window of their
1953 green Cadillac. All smiles, they
look pretty darn happy!
Car Cruises can also be useful for a bit
of mitzvah-making. If you cannot go to
the Dream Cruise, it can come to you.
For many years, Jewish Senior Life (JSL)
has brought the Senior Dream Cruise
to the Applebaum Campus in West
Bloomfield. See reports in the Aug. 29,
2013, and Aug. 28, 2008, issues of the JN.
Last year, JN’s Danny Schwartz wrote an
online report about the Cruise and JSL:
thejewishnews.com/2021/09/17/faces-
places-jsl-senior-dream-cruise.
In 2006, there was a major fundraiser:
“Cruisin’ for a Cure.” Sponsored by
the Orchard Lake Road Car Cruise,
this event was held at the Shenandoah
Country Club in West Bloomfield.
Proceeds went to the Hermelin Brain
Tumor Center at Henry Ford Hospital
(July 6, 2006).
The cruising stories found in the
Davidson Archive prove that Detroit
is indeed the Motor City in more ways
than just making and selling cars.
Car culture rules in Metro Detroit and
collecting cars and cruising in them is
a big part of summer fun around here.
Just ask the Jewish men and women who
attend or drive in the Dream Cruise, or
just enjoy driving around in their cars
for Detroit-style relaxation.
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
Danny Schwartz wrote an
In 2006, there was a major fundraiser:
Car culture rules in Metro Detroit and