JANUARY 19 • 2023 | 31

On Dec. 4, 2022, the Jewish Historical
Society of Michigan held a Jewish
Detroit heirloom roadshow and invited
community members to bring historic
belongings — especially items from
before 1930.
Held at The Hawk in Farmington Hills,
the event was packed with people who
simply wanted to see what was brought
in and others who had items they wanted

evaluated by JHSM’s six antiques experts.

Items included books, manuscripts,
Judaica, jewelry, artwork and World
War I memorabilia. The free program
will be repeated on April 30, (same
venue) as JHSM continues surveying
objects for use in its Jewish history
exhibit, opening at the Detroit Historical
Museum in April 2024.

PHOTOS ARE COURTESY OF ELAYNE GROSS PHOTOGRAPHY

JHSM’s Jewish
Heirloom Roadshow

FAR LEFT: Rabbi David Shapero,
grandson of Temple Beth El’s Rabbi
Leo M. Franklin, holds a program
from the September 1903 dedication
of Temple Beth El’s former building
(now the Bonstelle Theatre), as JHSM
vice president and roadshow chair
Barbara Cohn looks on. Dresses in
the background belonged to Sarah
Benda Heavenrich (left, c. 1890) and
Henrietta Hess Butzel (right, c. 1880),
both courtesy of the Detroit Historical
Museum.
LEFT: Roz Blanck shows a 1929 Dovid
Horodoker Organization trophy as
emcee Gail Offen interviews her
about its origins and its unusual
journey to and from Detroit. Blanck
was contacted by a teacher in
Michigan’s thumb region who had
bought the trophy and was eager to
return it to the organization.

RIGHT: Steve
Gershman brought in
a wedding portrait of
his uncle and aunt,
Jacob and Besse
(Eisenshtadt) Horowitz,
taken June 6, 1919,
along with Besse’s gold
wedding band and
Jacob’s naturalization
papers.
FAR RIGHT: Jeannie
Weiner, president
of JHSM, asks for
a historical jewelry
evaluation from jeweler
Michael Simmons
as Stacey Simmons
records his findings.

Alicia Nelson holds her vintage Brillo Soap
box, which still contains its original four
cakes of kosher soap. The box is bilingual
(English and Yiddish).