74 | NOVEMBER 23 • 2023 
J
N

ARTS&LIFE
BOOKS

L

ike many genealogists, Eric Willis 
often follows “trails of breadcrumbs” 
that lead to elaborate and fascinating 
stories, uncovering new chapters of family 
history.
The Waterford-based author, historian 
and publisher, who recently wrote and 
published the memoir A Black 
Man’s Existence as a White 
Jew, released earlier this year, 
stumbled upon a portion of 
his family’s story that he never 
anticipated to encounter.
A distant cousin and pianist 
named Carl Gordon Herbert 
Steger, born in Detroit in 1926 and of 
African American descent, converted to 
Judaism. While the reason for converting 

isn’t entirely clear, Willis, 57, believes it was 
due to perceived advantages that white 
individuals carried during the Jim Crow era.
Willis, so intrigued by his cousin’s story, 
made it the focus of his book, released via 
his publishing company, Panoply House of 
Publishing.

MAKING CONNECTIONS
As an award-winning author and geneal-
ogist of more than 20 years, Willis is no 
stranger to following and uncovering sel-
dom-told stories, both in and outside of his 
family. Researching his cousin Steger, Willis 
found more and more details about the 
secret life of Carl, who was deeply ingrained 
in Detroit’s jazz culture in the mid-1900s.
Steger worked for a Jewish club owner 
named Arlyn Meyerson, who owned the 
now-defunct Scotch and Sirloin restaurant 
and bar on the west side of Detroit.
“They became really great friends,
” Willis 
says of Steger and Meyerson. Steger, who 
performed at the restaurant for five or six 
years, was a regular. Willis believes Steger’s 
close friendship with Meyerson was anoth-
er influence on his decision to convert to 
Judaism. Steger, who had “strong Caucasian 
features,
” as Willis explains, could easily pass 
for a white man, despite being of African 
American descent.
In fact, Willis even spoke to another rel-
ative who recalls Steger showing him his 
Army Air Corps badge, where he’
d listed his 
race as “white.
”

BREAKING DOWN BARRIERS
The 1960s were a turbulent time for Detroit’s 
Black community. Metro Detroit was greatly 
segregated by race, and Black individuals 
continued to face discrimination.

As the Detroit race riots of 1967 followed, 
Willis is convinced that Steger converted to 
Judaism as a way to create better opportu-
nities for himself and his growing family. 
He had six children, and Willis managed 
to track a few down to meet with them and 
learn more about their family history. “They 
were really intrigued to meet me,
” he recalls.
Still, the meeting came as a shock to 
Steger’s descendants, who were unaware 
that their father was of African American 
descent. “It was a really interesting two-and-
a-half-hour conversation,
” Willis continues.
However, Steger wasn’t alone in the 
extreme action he took. Throughout histo-
ry, Black American men and women have 
chosen to live as white citizens, sometimes 
converting to other faiths, sometimes simply 
passing as Caucasian due to their features.
To learn why Steger might convert to 
Judaism, and about Jewish tradition and 
culture, Willis reached out to Rabbi Aaron 
Bergman of Adat Shalom Synagogue to bet-
ter understand the Jewish religion.
“He eloquently pointed out to me that 
Judaism is more than just a faith,
” Willis 
says. “It’s a livelihood, a lifestyle.
”
This conversation, paired with the facts 
he uncovered through historical articles 
and gathering memories of Steger’s living 
relatives, helped Willis piece together a 300-
page account of Steger’s remarkable life.
Yet Willis isn’t done with his research on 
Steger or other relatives with fascinating sto-
ries. “Knowing one’s history, you can better 
map out some of these barriers that we have 
in our communities,
” he says. “I believe this 
is a tremendous way to bridge that gap.
” 

Award-winning author and genealogist discovers 
surprising connection to Judaism.

Piecing Together 
Family History

Eric Willlis

ASHLEY ZLATOPOLSKY CONTRIBUTING WRITER

PHOTOS COURTESY ERIC WILLIS

Eric Willis, right, with other 
authors at the 2023 Twin 
Cities Book Festival in St. Paul, 
Minnesota, on Oct. 14.

