For almost as long as there have been Jewish children in Detroit, there have been Jewish day schools. Spanning the 1850s to 2000, Rabbi Aaron Bergman considers the history of offerings for a Jewish education. November 30, 2022.
Contrary to a pervading stereotype, metropolitan Detroit's Muslims and Jews have lived side by side for nearly a century--largely without incident. What can we learn from this inter-communal relationship? October 20, 2022
Art historian Deborah Lubera Kawsky, PhD, discusses the inspiring life and career of Detroit design icon, Ruth Adler Schnee. This talk focuses on Schnee's legacy as a Jewish woman in the field of design. June 22, 2022.
Carol Ellstein, PhD, Susan Burack, and Lynette Webber share Jewish connections to Mary Doria Russell's novel, The Women of Copper Country. This program was made possible with support from Michigan Humanities. April 25, 2022.
Recent violence against Jews stands atop a long history of American antisemitism that most people do not know. In this program, Pamela S. Nadell turns to the past to help us grapple with the antisemitism of our own moment in time. April 12, 2022.
Thousands of unauthorized Jewish immigrants crossed the US-Canada border at Windsor to work in Michigan's auto industry. That shaped the federal government's policies toward illegal immigration and business and labor union practices. March 21, 2022.
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