10 | APRIL 18 • 2024 
J
N

A

uthentic Jewish 
lifestyles, between 
the years 1880 and 
1930, are at the center of 
an upcoming exhibit at the 
Detroit Historical Museum. 
The display follows two years 
of collecting and planning for 
the presentation of the storied 
past of all that is on view.
Materials, introduced 
in a recreated household 
setting accompanied by 
separate large displays 
and opportunities for 

direct viewer experiences, 
are mostly on loan from 
individual community 
members who treasure 
their ancestral value and 
organizations serving the 
public.
In the Neighborhood: 
Everyday Life on Hastings 
Street, which runs April 
20-July 14 with some special 
programs, has been in the 
planning and collecting 
stages by members of 
Jewish Historical Society 

of Michigan (JHSM). The 
exhibit also covers how the 
area moved into the Black 
Bottom and Paradise Valley 
stages.
All the displays are meant 
to have meaning for both 
people familiar with their 
family ancestry and those 
curious about what preceded 
their own lives. 
Barbara 
Cohn, society 
vice president 
and chair for 
the committee 
overseeing 
the event, 
has firsthand 
knowledge of the contents, 
what families have 

remembered and what others 
will learn. 
 An important example 
for her is a loaned samovar 
with dramatic immigration 
connections.
“Stanley and Christine 
Goldberg had family living in 
Grodno, Poland, now Belarus, 
at the beginning of World 
War I,” Cohn explained. “The 
samovar was buried in the 
backyard to prevent it from 
being stolen. After the war, 
it was dug up and brought 
with people who came to the 
United States. 
“We’re so glad to have 
it among some 200 pieces 
that came from a callout 
to the community and two 

Jewish Historical Society presents 
In the Neighborhood: Everyday Life 
on Hastings Street at the Detroit 
Historical Museum.

 A 
Trip Back 
 in Time

Barbara 
Cohn

SUZANNE CHESSLER CONTRIBUTING WRITER

OUR COMMUNITY

COURTESY MICHELLE LEVINE MILLMAN

Schatzman and 
Handler Deli, 378 
Hastings St.

COURTESY WALTER P. REUTHER LIBRARY, 
ARCHIVES OF LABOR AND URBAN AFFAIRS, 
WAYNE STATE UNIVERSITY

A moman with 
a baby walks 
by the kosher 
butcher on 
Hastings Street.

