DJN Apple Tree - October

Apple Tree Fun & Learning for Kids

Historic Jewish Detroit

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: • 1902 photo of Temple Beth El, courtesy of Detroit Public Library.

• Today’s Temple Beth El in Bloomfield Township.

• Congregation Shaarey Zedek in Southfield.

• The Isaac Agree Downtown Synagogue in Detroit.

• Chapman Abraham historical marker on Detroit’s riverfront (photo courtesy Jewish Historical Society of Michigan).

Jewish Detroit History J

LOPATIN FAMILY ARCHIVES

SPECIAL THANKS TO Jewish Historical Society of Michigan, JHSM Education Director Tracy Weissman and Curriculum Developer Cheryl Blau, Ph.D., for sharing materials from their Traveling Trunk Jewish History program for this section. Learn more about Michigan’s Jewish history and the Traveling Trunk program at www.jhsmichigan.org.

Apple Tree Fun & Learning for Kids Apple Tree October 28, 2021, Issue 5

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Jewish Detroit History

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How Did The Jews Get Here?

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Looking Back Word Search

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Hank Greenberg

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Your Detroit History

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Jewish Population by the Numbers

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Craft: Family Tree

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Coloring Page

Apple Tree is compiled and edited

by Karen Schwartz.

THE DETROIT

JEWISH NEWS 2

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OCTOBER 28 • 2021

Judah Lopatin and his zaydie Dr. Warren Tessler

udah Lopatin, 16, spent a recent Sunday morning this fall riding his bike around Detroit and learning about its history. He was with his grandfather, brother, and over 100 others on the 10th annual J-Cycle bike tour of Jewish Detroit, organized by Jewish Historical Society of Michigan.

The Farber Hebrew Day School junior was excited to spend time with his grandfather, and liked getting the chance to see the big impact Jews have had on the area.

“It’s interesting to me

B How Did the First Jews Get Here?

y boat! The first Jew to arrive in Michigan was Ezekiel Solomons, who came by canoe in 1761.

He came from Montreal, built a house in Fort Michilimackinac (that’s at the northern tip of the lower peninsula) and went back to Montreal for the High Holidays.

The next year, Chapman Abraham came by

to find out how there is Jewish history everywhere, even in Detroit,” he says They saw the old Ford Piquette Avenue Plant where cars were made. On a past ride, they visited the baseball stadium site where Hank Greenberg played and saw The Schvitz, a traditional Jewish bathhouse, Judah says.

Judah enjoys learning about the role Jews played in building the city and how they helped it grow and thrive, he says.

“It’s a way for me to feel proud about my Jewish ancestors. They took part in where I live now and what I’m able to do,” he explains.

“I definitely felt connected to it.” canoe from Montreal and settled in Detroit.

The trip took 75 days each way! Today, you could drive there in about 9 hours, or fly there in about 2 hours.

TAMARACK CAMP/FACEBOOK

LOOKING BACK

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superteacherworksheets.com OCTOBER 28 • 2021

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WIKIPEDIA.

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enry Benjamin Greenberg, better known as Hank Greenberg, was a legendary first baseman for the Detroit Tigers. He was also well-known because, in 1934, he decided not to play in a pennant race game on Yom Kippur because of the High Holiday.

Detroit History – You’re a Part of It 4

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OCTOBER 28 • 2021

TEMPLE BETH EL FACEBOOK

Hank Greenberg

WIKIPEDIA.

Fact:

TEMPLE BETH EL FACEBOOK

The first Jewish congregation in Detroit and Michigan was started in 1850, when there were only 51 Jews in Detroit. It was called Temple Beth El. It was in lots of different buildings over time and is now in Bloomfield Township. Today, it is a Reform congregation made up of more than 1,100 families. Have you ever passed it in the car with your family?

Next time you do, you can think about its place in Detroit’s Jewish story.

Temple Beth El

Have you ever wondered about your own family’s Jewish history? It’s part of our community’s story, too. Grab a grownup and get ready to learn! Here are some questions to help you get started …

• When did our family come to Michigan?

Why did they come here?

• What was life like in Detroit when most Jews lived in the same neighborhood?

• How has the Jewish community stayed strong even though it’s more spread out now?

Stay in the know with all things Jewish...

Subscribe Today!

Get The Detroit Jewish News print edition delivered to your door every week for less than $2 per issue. thejewishnews.com/subscription OCTOBER 28 • 2021

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Where Did People Go? Jews who came to Michigan spread out throughout the state, heading to places such as Hancock, Republic and St. Ignace in the Upper Peninsula and Ann Arbor, Grand Rapids, Petoskey, Alpena and Bad Axe in the Lower Peninsula. Many worked as peddlers and shopkeepers, with customers in rural areas, mining and lumber towns.

Many of the early Jewish settlers in Detroit were German Jews, but the 1880s-1920s saw an influx of Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe.

Jewish Detroit by the Numbers There were: • 1,000 Jewish Detroiters in 1880 • 10,000 in 1910 • And 35,000 by 1920 They came for religious freedom and economic opportunity.

Flash forward!

As of 2018, there were some 71,750 Jews in Metro Detroit and 41 synagogues.

Today, Detroit has Jewish communities in Oak Park, Southfield, Huntington Woods, Farmington Hills, West Bloomfield, Bloomfield Hills, Detroit and beyond. There are lots of synagogues around the communities, religious day school systems, and places to buy kosher groceries and baked goods.

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Zeman’s Bakery is the oldest kosher bakery in Metropolitan Detroit. It was established in 1927, making it 94 years old!

Make Your Family Tree A family tree is a diagram that represents your family’s history. It shows the relations between people in several generations of a family.

To get started, you can draw your own tree, or download a template from the internet: freefamilytreetemplates.com

How to start:

1. You and your siblings go on the bottom branches of the tree. You can add photos and birthdates to each person.

2. Above your name, go your parents. In addition to their birthdays, ask them when they got married and add that, too.

3. Above your parents go your grandparents.

4. If you can, ask your grandparents about

CAMP TAMARACK

their parents and see if you can add another row to your family tree. Ask where they came from and add as much detail as you can.

Tamarack Camps

Some of the earliest Jewish organizations in Metro Detroit are still around today. Tamarack is one of them.

It exists because back in 1902, Blanche Hart and Ida Koppel started the Fresh Air Society as a way to help Jewish immigrant children get outdoors. They first took kids to Belle Isle for a day of activities, but then expanded their vision to give the kids an overnight experience. Hart raised money for land in St. Clair, Mich., and built a camp that could welcome 200 kids.

Now located in Ortonville on 1,100 acres, Tamarack hosts hundreds more each summer — generations of happy campers.

Tamarack campers OCTOBER 28 • 2021

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COLOR THIS MAP of Michigan Where Jews First Settled