Looking Back
From the William Davidson Digital Archive of Jewish Detroit History accessible at www.djnfoundation.org
The JN Turns 80
W
e had a notable birthday this week. The Detroit Jewish News turned 80 on March 27. In an age where thousands of local newspapers in America, including those from Jewish communities, have closed their doors, this a great accomplishment. The current editors, writers, sales and support staff all agree — we are honored and happy to continue the eight-decade tradition of bringing you essential Jewish news. The JN began when Philip Slomovitz resigned Mike Smith as editor of the Detroit Alene and Graham Landau Jewish Chronicle. Slomovitz Archivist Chair was on his way to legendary status and would later be known as America’s “Dean” of English-language Jewish newspaper editors. In 1942, however, he was unhappy with the editorial direction of the Chronicle and decided to publish another Jewish newspaper in Detroit. The Detroit Jewish News was launched on March 27, 1942. Its mission was to focus on the Detroit Jewish community, to fight against antisemitism in all its forms and strongly support Zionism. The mission still holds true for today’s JN. Launched during WWII, the JN also closely followed events in Europe at the time, including the atrocities against Jews that became known as the Holocaust. For nine years, Detroit had two Jewish newspapers until July 13, 1951, when the JN acquired the Detroit Jewish Chronicle and the Chronicle ceased publication. Over the past 80 years, the JN has evolved and constantly moved forward. Slomovitz sold the JN to a Baltimore publisher in 1984 but continued to write a column until 1995. Arthur Horwitz arrived in Detroit as JN publisher in 1986, a position he held for 36 years until Oct. 1, 2020, when the nonprofit
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Detroit Jewish News Foundation became the publisher of the JN. The Detroit Jewish News Foundation was established in 2011 with a singular mission, the digitization of the complete run of the JN. The online, searchable and free archive was launched in 2013. In November 2015, the digital Detroit Jewish Chronicle was added to the Archive resulting in 100 years of the history of Jewish Detroit — your history — preserved for the future. On Jan. 1, 2021, the Detroit Jewish News Foundation was restructured to manage the publishing of the Detroit Jewish News and the William Davidson Digital Archive of Jewish Detroit History. Its current mission is much like that of 1942, to “inform and educate the Jewish and general community to preserve, protect and sustain the Jewish people of greater Detroit and beyond, and the State of Israel.” The Archive was renamed the William Davidson Digital Archive of Jewish Detroit History in honor of a major grant from the William Davidson Foundation. It is one of the premier digital newspaper archives in America. You can now access the Archives from both the JN and Foundation websites. To fully celebrate the JN’s birthday, there will be an 80th anniversary edition on July 14. We’d like your help with this issue. We are looking forward to featuring the fond JN memories of our readership. If you have a anecdote or recollecton of how the Jewish News impacted your life, please send an email to JN Editor Jackie Headapohl at jheadapohl@thejewishnews.com. Also, if your ongoing business was around in 1942, please email your memories to Jackie as well. Want to learn more about Jewish Detroit history? Go to the DJN Foundation archives, available for free at www.djnfoundation.org.
