The prestigious Leonard N. Simons History-Maker Award, first given in 1991, honors those who have made outstanding contributions to the enrichment, conservation, knowledge, and dissemination of Michigan Jewish history.  The award's presentation is the highlight of our annual meeting.

Named for Leonard Simons (1904-1995), founder of the Simons Michelson Zieve advertising agency, the award continues Simons's passion for the preservation of Jewish and communal history.  Simons was legendary for having established the Jewish Community Archives at the Jewish Federation of Metro Detroit, supported publication of our annual scholarly journal, Michigan Jewish History, and fostered pride among Michigan's Jewish community.  He was an active leader at Federation, Wayne State University Press, the Detroit Historical Society, and JHSM.

 

To nominate an individual for the Simons Award, please submit to Catherine Cangany (ccangany@jhsmichigan.org):

1. The candidate's name and contact information (address/phone/email)

2. Your name and contact information.

3. A short (500- to 1000-word essay) on the candidate. Any supporting documention, such as a biography, newspaper clippings, publications, or photos, to support the nomination should be attached.

Nomination window closes Friday, December 6, 2024!

 

PREVIOUS AWARD WINNERS

  • Philip Slomovitz*
    1991
  • Avern L. Cohn*
    1992
  • George M. Stutz*
    1993
  • Irwin Shaw*
    1994
  • Emma Lazaroff Schaver*
    1995
  • Leslie S. Hough, Philip P. Mason
    1996
  • Mary Lou Simons Zieve
    1997
  • Judith Levin Cantor*
    1998
  • Michael W. Maddin
    1999
  • Alan D. Kandel*
    2000
  • Sidney M. Bolkosky*
    2001
  • Adele W. Staller*
    2002
  • Matilda Brandwine*
    2003
  • Susie Citrin
    2004
  • Edith L. Resnick
    2005
  • Gerald S. Cook
    2006
  • Sharon L. Alterman
    2007
  • George M. Zeltzer*
    2008
  • Mandell L. Berman*
    2009
  • James D. Grey
    2010
  • Charlotte M. Dubin
    2011
  • Michael O. Smith
    2012
  • Irwin J. Cohen
    2013
  • A. Alfred Taubman*
    2014
  • Carl Levin*
    2015
  • Jan Durecki
    2016
  • Aimee Ergas
    2017
  • Arnold Collens
    2018
  • Ben Falik
    2019
  • Feiga Weiss
    2020
  • Arthur M. Horwitz
    2021
  • Harriet B. Saperstein
    2022
  • Howard N. Lupovitch
    2023
  • Sam Woll*
    2024

* of blessed memory

back to top