About the Series:

Step into a fascinating and turbulent chapter of Detroit history. In this compelling, three-part, free lecture series, we explore how Detroit’s Jewish community confronted antisemitism, organized crime, and the growing catastrophe of the Holocaust. Rich in history, intrigue, and human courage, Into the Fray offers a revealing look at a community navigating extraordinary challenges in an extraordinary age. Presented by JHSM CEO, Catherine Cangany, PhD.

"Into the Fray" is comprised of three standalone lectures.  Register for one or all! 

_{Purple Gang members (1928)}

Lecture 1 (October 11): "Reams of Hate: The Legacy of Henry Ford's Antisemitic Newspaper." 2019 marked the centennial of Henry Ford’s antisemitic newspaper, The Dearborn Independent. Despite the newspaper's international reach and considerable backing, the Jewish community prevailed against it, exerting back-channel, public, economic, and legal pressure to shut it down in 1927. Despite this victory, even in 2026, the Independent's articles are still in print in The International Jew, a 4-volume set providing inspiration to modern-day extremist groups and still available for sale.

Lecture 2 (November 15): "Ruthless Ingenuity: Detroit's Purple Gang." Jewish mobsters ran Detroit during Prohibition (1920-1933).  Known for shocking violence and vicious turf wars, the untouchable Purples were also emblematic of the Detroit neighborhood they called home: scrappy, resourceful, innovative, and proudly Jewish.  And yet, the Purples remained sharply at odds with the local Jewish community, which endured shame and retaliatory antisemitism for the Purples' actions.

Lecture 3 (December 13): "Homefront and Homeland: Detroit and the Holocaust." Subscribers to the Detroit Jewish News in the 1940s had a much fuller sense of what was happening in Europe than readers of the secular press. This lecture considers what the Detroit Jewish community knew about the Shoah and when, and how they responded--including military service, fundraising for the war effort, and helping support the more than 4,000 survivors who immigrated to Metro Detroit.

REGISTER HERE

Need assistance?  info@jhsmichigan.org or 248-915-0114, option 2 

"Into the Fray" is made possible by: