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of those wonderful antique
road shows. We have prayer
books, dishes, pots and pans,
tablecloths, kiddish cups,
Judaica, photographs and
interesting papers among our
items.
“I love that it is truly a
community exhibit that
would not be possible
without the support of
23 organizations and 350
individuals.”
There is a trunk to
showcase what families
brought with them
individually when they came
to America.
Catherine Cangany,
executive director of JHSM,
has been involved
with all aspects
of collection
and display, and
she remembers
helping to
dislodge and
place a 1925 stove
kept in a woman’s
basement.
“Ninety percent of what
is on display is from the
community, not things that
were in archives but things
people had in their homes,”
said Cangany, who has seen
the many pieces, learned
the stories connected to the
pieces and helped with the
writing of the display sections
that explain the backgrounds
of the items on loan.
“It was really fun to see
what people had. The Bass
family, for instance, has
loaned all kinds of artifacts
and papers related to the
former Yiddish theater
known as the Peoples
Theatre, part of their heritage.
“Susan Barr’s family are
Boeskys, and she has a photo
which is probably the original
Boesky restaurant location
on Farnsworth. In the
background of that photo is a
big tile sign that says ‘Boesky
Brothers.’”
Cangany also tells of
display materials from
the first mikvah in an
unearthed Detroit bathhouse
and a 61-key piano from
an integrated nightclub.
The piano was believed
to be at the cross-cultural
start segment of Motown
recordings.
THE COMPLETE STORY
Jeannie Weiner, president
of JHSM, has
what she calls
interesting and
amazing stories
that go along
with the exhibit,
and one is the
way monetary
contributions were donated
to support what her
organization is doing.
“We raised $200,000 in
a very short time,” Weiner
said, recalling the help of
the community at large
and organizations such as
Michigan Humanities and the
Jewish Women’s Foundation.
“I’m so proud of what we
accomplished,” Weiner said.
“This is the first time ever
an organization has created
an exhibit on history from
this time frame and included
African American scholars
to tell the complete story of
the street from the height of
its Jewish population to the
conclusion of the destruction
of the street.
“This is an ongoing story
with African Americans and
urban renewal in Detroit.
There are many communal
intersections exposed in this
exhibit, such as Black/Jewish,
Jews and antisemitism and
various traditions within the
Jewish community.”
Rebecca Salminen Witt,
chief marketing officer for
the museum, has
been working
with the Jewish
Historical Society
of Michigan to
bring this exhibit
to the public. The
society is placing
their materials
in the Community Gallery,
which has 1,500 square feet of
space on the second floor.
“We pick partners from
around the region and work
with them to tell their stories
in a museum-specific way,”
Catherine
Cangany
Jeannie
Weiner
Rebecca
Salminen
Witt
Special Events
Sunday, May 5
Scrap-enger Hunt 1-3 p.m.
Lecture – Kosher Meat Riot
2:30-4 p.m.
Thursday, May 16
Lecture – Black Bottom &
I-375 6 p.m.
Thursday, June 20
Yiddish Film Uncle Moses
6:30 p.m.
Sunday, June 30
Shopping for Shabbat
1-3 p.m.
Sunday, June 30
Lecture – Schlussel
Bathhouse Archaeology
2:30-4 p.m.
Thursday, July 11
Panel — Immigration Past
& Present 6:30 p.m.
Sunday, July 14
Closing Reception &
Klezmer Concert 5 p.m.
(This closing event will
be at Breakers Covenant
Church International, 8801
Woodward, formerly Temple
Beth El.)
COURTESY MICHELLE LEVINE MILLMAN
Sam and Tillie
Brooks’ candy
store, Hastings
Street, c 1925.
COURTESY WALTER P. REUTHER LIBRARY,
ARCHIVES OF LABOR AND URBAN AFFAIRS,
WAYNE STATE UNIVERSITY