FEBRUARY 22 • 2024 | 17
J
N

The statement from the Goldsteins con-
tinued: “We worked hard to try to return 
near to pre-pandemic attendance, and while 
there are tangible glimmers of hope, we are 
unable to make the financial commitment 
necessary to keep the Maple a first-class 
establishment.
”

LAMENTING THE LOSS
“I am not alone in mourn-
ing the closing of the Maple 
Theater,
” said Edie Broida of 
West Bloomfield. “There was 
an intimacy and camaraderie at 
the Maple that doesn’t exist in a 
multiplex environment. Even if 
a mere 12 people were seated, chances were 
that you knew two of them.
“For most,
” she said, “that first tentative 
return to the Maple — post-
COVID — was an occasion. 
First-run movies and popcorn! 
Hallelujah!”
Reflecting on her “go-to” 
movie theater, Dr. Nina Robb 
of Bloomfield Township said, 

“Especially at its peak, when the cafe, bar 
and movies were going all at the same time 
— when there was live music in the cafe, 
and food and drink service available right 
to your theater seat — the Maple Theater 
served as a sort of social center.
” 
Former Detroiter Harvey 
Ovshinsky of Ann Arbor 
agreed. “For anyone who loved 
movies, the Maple was truly 
our second community center.
” 
To him, the loss of the the-
ater is “doubly painful because 
the pleasure of watching films 
there and sharing them with friends, fam-
ily and even first dates, was as much an 
offscreen experience as it was on.
”
“The Maple Theater was 
my happy place,
” said Steve 
Raphael of Auburn Hills. He 
and his wife, Donna, lived for 
28 years on a street close to the 
theater. 
“We would have dinner 
there at the pizza restaurant 
and watch the folk shows,
” he recalled. 

They especially enjoyed watching “Secret 
Cinema” — a popular program where the 
audience on Thursday nights didn’t know 
beforehand which cinematic gem the staff 
would screen. Even after moving about 20 
minutes away, the Raphaels returned to the 
Maple for Secret Cinema and matinees. 
Winston and Freedman had a standing 
date to see a movie together, usually at the 
Maple, at the end of their busy work weeks. 
“I like the immersive experience of being 
in a movie theater,
” said Winston, who 
doesn’t watch movies on TV
. The Maple 
“had the right, small independent movies 
and was convenient for us.
” 
He and Freedman enjoyed the Maple’s 
friendly atmosphere, where “everyone is 
of the same mind.
” They would arrive well 
before showtime to talk to people, including 
the dedicated young employees manning 
the concession stand. 
A memory Winston said he’ll retain is 
how every week, “Jeff would look at me as 
the lights were going down and say, ‘I just 
love going to the movies.
’ He verbalized 
exactly how I was feeling.
” 
Dr. Nina 
Robb

Steve 
Raphael

Edie Broida

Harvey 
Ovshinsky

Eva Geiringer promised her brother 
Heinz that if he did not survive the war, 
she would retrieve his hidden paintings 
and poetry. He died in Auschwitz.

In post-war Amsterdam, Eva became 
Anne Frank’s posthumous sister when 
her mother married Otto Frank. While 
the world learned of Anne’s diary, Eva 
was determined to help Heinz emerge 
from the shadows by sharing his legacy.

Register at holocaustcenter.org/promise

Sunday, February 25
3:00 PM

I N - P E R S O N D O C U M E N TA R Y 
S C R E E N I N G A N D Q & A

Admission: $10 per person, 
or free with membership

