74 | NOVEMBER 23 • 2023
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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.