T

his issue of the JN has 
its annual “Gift Guide.” I 
thought I should assist you 
with a few great ideas from the 
William Davidson 
Digital Archive 
of Jewish Detroit 
History.
Research for 
“Gifts” is not a 
straightforward 
proposition. The term 
is mentioned on a 
mere 69,030 pages! 
This amounts to about 15% of all 
the pages for the Detroit Jewish 
Chronicle and the JN over the 
past 100+ years. Detroit’s Jewish 
community just loves giving gifts.
To be sure, using “Gifts” as 
a search term for the Archive 
does require a bit of parsing. For 
example, tens of thousands of pages 
use the word to encourage gifts 
for various Jewish causes such as 
the United Jewish Appeal, the War 
Chest during WWII, Sinai Hospital, 
various programs of the Jewish 

Federation of Detroit, hundreds of 
local Jewish organizations and, of 
course, support for Israel.
Nevertheless, I’ve found some 
great ideas for Chanukah gifts. All 
from historic advertisements.
Two ads present gift ideas 
that are “Big Ticket” items. The 
first, from 1925, declares that “A 
wonderful gift for the whole family 
is a Cadillac!” (Dec. 11, 1925, 
Chronicle). Another ad, from the 
Grinnell Brothers, also claims to 
have “The Finest Gift in All the 
World for Your Loved Ones …” A 
Steinway piano, of course! (Dec. 
18, 1936). Don’t know about you, 
but growing up, my family never 
got a Cadillac or Steinway for the 
holidays.
I thought Barton’s Chocolates had 
great gifts. The story of Chanukah 
told through its packaging (Dec. 
11, 1953, JN). To be sure, all their 
tins and plastic dreidels, etc., were 
filled with Barton’s “Continental 
Chocolates.” How sweet it is!
Maybe you just need a few toys 

for the kiddos? Well, you just need 
to visit one of the seven Morris 
Stores in Detroit (Nov. 22, 1957, 
JN). They seem to have everything! 
“Sturdy” pogo sticks for only 
$1.69. No danger there, I’m sure. 
A “Ready Mix” toy concrete truck 
is $5.60. You know, the all-metal 
toy with sharp edges. And a “Grey 
Hound” full-size wagon sells for 
$5.95. If only those prices were 
current ...
Morris Stores can also help you 
document your holiday. In fact, 
they have “America’s Greatest 
Values” when it comes to cameras 
and photo supplies. For example, 
a Kodak 8mm Movie Camera is 
only $22.95 (about $250 today). 
A projector to show your film 
masterpieces was slightly more 
at $29.95. Color film, however, is 
cheap; $1.45-$2.75. 
 In fact, Morris Stores have just 
about anything for the house. 
The same ad promotes fruitcakes, 
“Revereware” pots and pans, water 
heaters, genuine “Gasinator” 

heaters and “3-Speed” record 
players.
Then again, maybe I’m 
overlooking a powerful gift-
buying motive. Merle Norman of 
Birmingham flatly declared: “The 
Best Gifts are Romantic” (Dec. 2, 
1989, JN). In that respect, they will 
be happy to show you a collection 
of holiday gifts that “you’ll fall in 
love with.”
Speaking of love, I’ll conclude 
with a sure-fire gift for Chanukah 
— actually, it’s a great one for any 
holiday or occasion. As the ad 
states, it’s the “This Chanukah, 
the People You Love Will Love A 
Subscription to the Jewish News” 
(Dec. 7, 1990). Not that I’m biased 
or anything, but yes, a subscription 
to the JN (print version or online 
in 2024) is indeed the ideal gift for 
your loved ones.
Happy holiday shopping! 

Want to learn more? Go to the DJN 
archives, available for free at 
thejewishnews.com.

Looking Back

From the William Davidson Digital Archive of Jewish Detroit History 

accessible at thejewishnews.com

Ideas for Gifts — From the Archive

Mike Smith
Alene and 
Graham Landau 
Archivist Chair

62 | DECEMBER 5 • 2024