Looking Back

From the William Davidson Digital Archive of 
Jewish Detroit History 

accessible at www.djnfoundation.org

Here’s to Dads!

I 

wrote about Mother’s Day last month. 
So, I thought that, for the sake of 
equality and good will, it would be 
good to devote a few words to Father’s 
Day. It’s actually a very 
interesting story.
Like Mother’s Day, histo-
rians believe that the roots 
of Father’s Day are ancient; 
these early days are often 
associated with Catholic 
doctrine. Today, dads get 
their due in many nations. 
In the United States, most reliable 
accounts offer two stories about the ori-
gins of Father’s Day in America. The first 
day that focused on fathers was at a West 
Virginia church in 1908. It was a Father’s 
Day memorial with a sermon dedicated 
to 362 men, many fathers among them, 
who lost their lives in a coal mine explo-
sion the year before. Although considered 
the first formal Father’s Day in America, 
it was a one-time occurrence.
The second Father’s Day was held on 
June 19, 1910, at a YMCA in Spokane, 
Washington, promoted by Sonora Smart 
Dodd. However, it was not a consistently 
held holiday in the U.S. until much later. 
It is interesting that Dodd’s idea was given 

a big boost in 1938 when the New York 
Associated Men’s Wear Retailers threw 
their support behind Father’s Day.
In 1913, a bill to create a federal 
Father’s Day was first introduced in 
Congress. President Woodrow Wilson 
even spoke at Father’s Day in Spokane in 
1916 and promoted an official holiday, 
but Congress resisted creating the holiday 
because it feared over-commercialization 
(Gee, hard to imagine that). Father’s Day 
finally became an official federal holiday 
in 1972. 
I decided to explore Father’s Day in 
the William Davidson Digital Archive of 
Jewish Detroit History. It is mentioned on 
1,800 pages. 
As you might imagine — speaking of 
over-commercialization — there are plen-
ty of advertisements to help you find the 
perfect gifts for Dad. One of the earliest 
ads from Morton’s Men’s Shop suggested 
the classic Father’s Day gift: a tie, “Hand 
Made and Silk Tipped” (June 7, 1929, 
Chronicle). 
Through the 1970s and 1980s, Osmun’s 
menswear stores dominated Father’s Day 
clothing promotions in the JN with very 
clever ads. Based in Pontiac, Osmun’s 
was founded by Abe Lapides and Monroe 

Osmun in 1931 and was a popular chain 
until its demise in 1989. 
Fast-forward to the 21st century. JN 
contributor Rabbi Jason Miller now wrote 
about hi-tech gifts for Dad (June 11, 2015). 
Every Father’s Day, like Mother’s Day, 
there were also ads suggesting that the 
perfect gift was the planting of trees in 
Israel to honor Dad.
I found several poignant writings 
devoted to Dad. “Your Father’s Dream” 
by Rabbi Daniel Brenner of New York 
is a fine essay with a bit of history about 
Jewish fathers and how to honor them 
(June 15, 2001, JN). Another moving 
piece was “To Dad from the Army” from 
Harold Helfman, a soldier during WWII 
(June 23, 1944, JN).
A great ode to Dad has a JN angle. Belle 
Hornung wrote about her father, Rob 
Kleinberg. Her story was the JN Father’s 
Day winner. A very nice photo of them 
was included (June 12, 2014).
Speaking of photos, the June 19, 1998, 
JN, has a great Father’s Day image of 
Robby Silverman and his son Blake. 
Happy Father’s Day to all the dads! 

Want to learn more? Go to the DJN Foundation 
archives, available free at www.djnfoundation.org.

Mike Smith
Alene and 
Graham Landau 
Archivist Chair

78 | JUNE 15 • 2023 

