4 | JULY 11 • 2024 
J
N

PURELY COMMENTARY

essay
Unexpected Bonus of Jewish Exhibit
O

n the first day of 
the exhibit, “In the 
Neighborhood: 
Everyday Life on Hastings 
Street,
” at the Detroit Historical 
Museum, I was greeted by a 
man wearing 
shorts and a 
Detroit Tigers 
baseball cap. He 
stood inside near 
some displays and 
looked around at 
the objects and 
the texts.
“What is this? he asked in a 
booming voice.
I explained that he had 
entered Jewish Historical 
Society of Michigan (JHSM)’s 
exhibit about the first Jewish 
neighborhood in Detroit. He 
continued to read the explana-
tion of the Jews from Eastern 
Europe, notably the Pale of 
Settlement in the Russian 
Empire, departing in large 
numbers due to pogroms, 
antisemitism, lawlessness and 
hard times.
“Good for you,
” he said loud-
ly. “With all the antisemitism 
now, all I can say is — good for 
you!” 
He mentioned that he was 
Irish Catholic and from Detroit. 

He walked slowly throughout 
the exhibit before waving good-
bye.
Later that same week, a timid 
group of Spanish speakers 
trailed a tour of the exhibit. 
They stayed in the back, lis-
tening intently. They were 
particularly engrossed by the 
section about Jews becoming 
Americans, and the struggles 
and joys accompanying that 
process.
When the tour concluded, I 
approached the group.
“What brings you to the 
museum today?” I asked.
“We are from Mexico, and I 
just got a job in Battle Creek,
” 
the gentleman answered. “I 
wanted my family to come to 
Detroit and learn its history and 
see the city.
”
Quietly, he added, “Can I 
tell you something? This is my 
story … It’s hard to live in a 
country that doesn’t like you … 
that doesn’t want you. It’s hard 
to know how much of your own 
culture to teach your children.
”
He told me it was a comfort 
to know that others understood 
him and had similar experi-
ences.
Later, a Christian minister 
from Trenton, Michigan, was 

so pleased by his accidental 
visit to the exhibit he planned 
to bring the congregation to the 
museum. “We need to learn this 
history,
” he said.
When the exhibit opened 
in April, JHSM had particular 
expectations. We hoped for a 
lot of traffic through the muse-
um. We expected to develop a 
spectacular exhibit. We were 
challenged by the desire to cre-
ate something that involved the 
community and developed new 
information through histori-
cal research. JHSM met those 
expectations.
But, we were surprised by the 
response from casual museum 
visitors, from people coming 
from other places in Michigan, 
other states and other countries. 
These visitors expressed hav-
ing no knowledge of Detroit, 
Michigan Jewish history or the 
destruction of an important 
Black neighborhood. 
They had praise for a Jewish 
historical society collaborating 
with African American histori-
ans and archivists. They asked 
questions like, “What makes salt 
kosher?” or “Why was cigar- 
making such a big industry in 

Detroit?” 
 Children wrote on notepads 
about what they would bring to 
a new country. Young people 
engaged with docents about 
objects in the enclosed living 
space. They were curious about 
the use of a washboard, how the 
ice box worked or how many 
people lived in one room. 
It will be some time before 
JHSM can collect and evaluate 
data. The exhibit runs through 
Sunday, July 14. But even now, 
JHSM reflects upon expecta-
tions.
We are proud that our highest 
hopes pertaining to our own 
work were met. We did not 
know, however, that a broad 
spectrum of people was open to 
learning about Jewish history. 
We have been heartened and 
gratified by visitors relating to 
the immigrant experience and 
wishing to learn Jewish history. 
We are reminded of part of 
a phrase attributed to Albert 
Einstein: “Learn from yesterday, 
live for today, hope for tomor-
row.
” 

 

Jeannie Weiner is JHSM immediate 

past president.

Jeannie 
Weiner

PHOTOS COURTESY CHUCK CLOUD PHOTOGRAPHY

ABOVE AND BOTTOM: Visitors tour the exhibit “In the Neighborhood: 
Everyday Life on Hastings Street” at the Detroit Historical Museum.

