Born in Vienna in 1928, Edith Mayer Cord moved with her family to Italy and then France to escape Nazism. What happened next is a story of survival and perseverance. Cord's daughter, Emily DuThinh, highlights her mother's story and how its legacy benefits present-day and future Michiganders. August 24, 2023.
From Motown to klezmer, has the music heard at American Jewish weddings since the 1950’s become a tradition all its own? Uri Schreter discusses the politics and traditions of American Jewish music, refracted by events happening outside the wedding hall, including the Holocaust, the creation of Israel, and rapid assimilation. July 20, 2023.
During mass Jewish immigration to the US, the Kosher food industry experienced unprecedented expansion. A key force behind this commercial growth was Jewish organized crime. Aaron Welt, PhD lectures. May 23, 2023.
In May 1910 Detroit’s Kosher meat prices soared. Local Jewish women organized a boycott and riot, even opening a co-op market. JHSM's executive director, Catherine Cangany, PhD, presents. Photo courtesy Walter P. Reuther Library. May 11, 2023.
Highlights from our second heirloom roadshow. See some of the community's treasures as we source objects for our 2024 exhibit at the Detroit Historical Museum! Video by Blue Racer Productions. April 30, 2023.
Celebrate a half century of women rabbis in America with a panel discussion, featuring Prof. Karla Goldman, Rabbi Amy Bigman, Rabba Yael Keller, and Rabbi Blair Nosanwisch. March 30, 2023.
Looking for more information on J-Cycle 10's automotive-themed stops?
Barbara Lewis, "The Legacy of Meyer L. Prentis," Michigan Jewish History 53 (2013): 4-13.
"Significant Residents of the Boston-Edison Historic District"
Neil Baldwin, Henry Ford and the Jews: The Mass Production of Hate (2001)
Steven Watts, The People's Tycoon: Henry Ford and the American Century (2005)
Milton Marwil, "The True Story of the Cemetery in the General Motors Parking Lot," Michigan Jewish History 33 (1992): 30-2
Beth Olem Cemetery website: https://www.cloverhillpark.org/beth-olam-cemetery
Randall Fogelman and Lisa E. Rush, Detroit’s Historic Eastern Market (2013)
Diane Pomish, “Detroit’s Food Distribution Markets: Eastern Market, Gratiot Central Market and the Jewish Families Who Helped Shape These Centers of Commerce,” Michigan Jewish History 45 (2005): 3-14.
“Best Place to Practice Aerial in Eastern Market: Detroit Flyhouse Circus School,” Detroit Metro Times, September 29, 2015
Stephanie Steinberg, “New Murals Light up Eastern Market,” Detroit News, September 23, 2016
Unable to attend our wildly popular bicycle tour of Jewish Detroit? Our route below gives you a taste of what you missed. This map is made possible by a grant from MotorCities National Heritage Area. We appreciate their support!
• American Jewish History, Journal of the American Jewish Historical Society. The Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore.
• Applebaum, Phillip. The Wetsmans: Odyssey of an American Family. William Morse Davidson, 1994.
• Berman, Lila Corwin. Metropolitan Jews: Politics, Race, and Religion in Postwar Detroit. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2015.
• Bolkosky, Sidney. Harmony and Dissonance, Voices of Jewish Identity in Detroit, 1914-1967. Detroit: Wayne State University Press, 1991.
• Cantor, Judith Levin. Jews in Michigan. (Discovering the Peoples of Michigan). East Lansing: Michigan State University Press, 2001.
• Cohen, Irwin. Jewish Detroit: A Pictorial History. Arcadia Press, 2002.
• Demetriou, Karen Kritz, & Fran Rubin Weinstein. Temple B’nai Israel, 100 Years: Saginaw, Michigan, 1890-1990. Saginaw: Golden Jubilee, 1942.
• Devlin, Dennis S. Muskegon’s Jewish Community: A Centennial History, 1888-1988. Muskegon: Dana Corp., 1988.
• Edgar, Dr. Irving I. A History of Early Jewish Physicians in the State of Michigan. New York: Philosophical Library, 1982.
• Friedlander, Alex. From Suwalki to St. Ignace: A History of the Rosenthal, Reinhertz, Blumrosen, Winkelman, and Related Families. Brooklyn, NY: Breakaway Productions, 2003.
• Grad, Eli, and Bette Roth. Congregation Shaarey Zedek, 5622-5742, 1861-1981. Detroit: Wayne State University Press, 1982.
• Katz, Irving I., and Dr. Jacob Marcus. The Beth El Story. Detroit: Wayne State University Press, 1955.
• Kraus, Bea. A Time to Remember: A History of the Jewish Community in South Haven. Allegan Forest, MI: The Priscilla Press, 1999.
(Available at First Hebrew Congregation, 263 Broadway, South Haven, MI 49090)
• Michigan History, Journal of the Historical Society of Michigan. 1305 Abbott Rd., Lansing, MI 48823.
• Michigan Jewish History, JHSM's annual journal. West Bloomfield, MI.
Contact us to find out how you can receive a copy of the current issue. Browse our online archive of past issues.
• Rockaway, Robert. The Jews of Detroit, From the Beginning, 1762-1914. Detroit: Wayne State University Press, 1986.
• Slobin, Dan. From the Pale of Settlement to Michigan: Stories of My Grandparents and Their Families. Berkeley: Dan I. Slobin, 2016, 2021.
Links to some digitized content provided by our friends at the Center for Jewish History.
Museum of Jewish Michigan
Centers for Engagement
General Donation
Tribute Donation
Michigan Women Who Made A Difference
Joshua Society