Looking Back

From the William Davidson Digital Archive of Jewish Detroit History 

accessible at www.djnfoundation.org

86 | AUGUST 25 • 2022 

A Great Jewish Archivist 
Will Be Missed
I

n my career at the JN, Wayne State University and the University 
of Michigan, I’ve met a lot of archivists from around the globe. 
 In Michigan, I’ve worked closely with great Jewish archivists 
such as Sharon Alterman and Robbie Terman at the Leonard N. 
Simons Jewish Community Archives; Laura Gottlieb at Temple 
Beth El; Aimee Eras at the Walter Reuther Library at Wayne State; 
and Olga Virakhovskaya at U-M’s Bentley Historical Library. 
 All of them are smart, dedicated archivists who 
work extremely hard to preserve the history of 
Michigan and of its Jewish community.
Sadly, we recently lost another colleague whom we 
knew well: Judy Cantor, longtime archivist at Shaarey 
Zedek. Judy went well beyond that role. When it 
came to the history of Jewish Detroit, Judy was a 
force of nature.
My first encounter with Judy was at the Reuther 
Library when I was sitting at the Reference Desk. 
After introductions, it went something like: “I need this, this and 
this for my research. Oh, and how about, this, too. And maybe this. 
Could you find this as well.
” 
My head was spinning. To be sure, she wasn’t really asking for 
herself. She was asking on behalf of her lifelong historical client, the 
Jews of Detroit.
To be frank, I wasn’t sure what to make of this Request-o-Rama, 
but I soon learned that Judy was on a noble quest to preserve Jewish 
history. Over the years, I also learned that I had a steadfast partner 
in the community. 
Judy’s repertoire was not limited to doing a bit of research, writ-
ing or archival work. If one reads just a few of the 123 stories in 
the William Davidson Digital Archive that mention Judy, it soon 
becomes apparent that she possessed a vast range of passions and 
causes. The stories about her work include phrases like “she was 
instrumental,
” “she was the leader of …
” or “Judy Cantor is speak-
ing” here, there and everywhere! 
Judy was indeed everywhere. Need help restoring the Fred M. 
Butzel portrait, which hangs in a conference area that bears his 
name at Max M. Fisher Federation building? (Sept. 1, 2016, JN). 
Or need a historical marker for Michigan’s oldest Jewish cemetery, 
Beth El, located within the grounds of historic Elmwood Cemetery 
in Detroit? (Oct. 29, 1999). Or need a speaker for your Hadassah 
meeting? (Aug. 31, 2001), or maybe one for Detroit’s Tricentennial 
at Temple Emanu-El? (“Jews in the Automobile Industry,
” Feb. 
9, 2001). Or maybe an article, say a special to the Jewish News? 
(“Historical Society Touches the Past,
” Sept. 18, 1998). In all cases, 
Judy was a “go-to” person.
Sharon Alterman told me a story that is a fair summation of the 

force that was Judy Cantor. 
“Judy’s passion was contagious. She saw an 
exhibit about Jewish women at the Chicago Historical Museum that 
impressed her, so she organized a trip to Chicago for a group of 
10 women to see it. We all returned committed to the project. Not 
only did Judy succeed in bringing the exhibit to Detroit, she also 
developed and curated a segment about Michigan Jewish women. It 
was a great success.
” 
It was all in a day’s work for Judy Cantor. She will be missed. 

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