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.