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Jewish Michiganders and the Fight for Women's Rights

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Jewish Michiganders and the Fight for Women's Rights JHSM BulletinVolume 6 • December 2020 Figures 1 and 2: Zilla Goldstein (left), pre-1929, and Minnie Rosenthal (right), circa 1907. (Courtesy of Gloria Levine.) Jewish Michiganders and the Fight for Women’s Rights “Then when the final count is made, wisdom will have Minnie and Zilla von Wunderlich were born into a Jewish- its reward. The suffragist lamps will be filled, trimmed German family that moved permanently to the United States between their births. In Chicago, where Zilla von Wunderlich and burning.” 1 was born, they met their respective spouses: Alick Rosenthal — Zilla Goldstein (who married Minnie von Wunderlich in 1887) and Cassius Goldstein (who married Zilla von Wunderlich in 1896). In The year 2020 marks the centennial of the ratification of the 1894 Minnie and Alick Rosenthal relocated to Petoskey to Nineteenth Amendment to the US Constitution, prohib- work in the family department store, S. Rosenthal & Sons. iting the states and the federal government from denying Along with her daughter Gertrude, Zilla Goldstein joined voting rights on the basis of sex. Among the untold num- them in 1911, serving for seventeen years as the store’s vice bers of activists who worked to secure women’s suffrage president and establishing and operating its knitting shop was a pair of sisters from Petoskey, Michigan: Wilhelmina department. After Alick Rosenthal’s death in 1939, Minnie “Minnie” (von Wunderlich) Rosenthal (1868-1943) Rosenthal would serve as store president until her own death and Zilla (von Wunderlich) Goldstein (1874-1946). four years later. Continued on page 13 TABLE OF CONTENTS Jewish Michiganders and the Fight MJH Special Tribute.............................9 Making Peace with the Cannon ... 18 JHSM Donors ........................................ 34 for Women’s Rights ............................... 1 Committee Focus: JHSM Hastings St. Hero: Sonny Eliot ....... 21 Tributes ................................................... 36 President’s Report ................................. 2 Yearbook Committee ......................10 Yooper Girl in the City ....................... 25 In Memoriam ........................................ 39 Executive Director’s Message ........... 3 Project Focus: MWWMD- Trivia Answers ...................................... 27 JHSM Leadership ................................ 40 Welcome JHSM’s Development Maxine Berman .................................12 Notable Jewish Michiganders: Calling All Detectives ........................ 40 Director ...................................................... 3 JHSM Zoom Overview ....................14 Rabbi Leon Fram ................................. 28 Editor’s Introduction ............................ 4 Jews and Civil Rights: New Members ..................................... 30 JHSM Award Honorees........................ 5 1950s - 1970s ......................................16 Heritage Council ................................. 31 JHSM Happenings President’s Report • Risha B. Ring As a result of the board-approved action plan developed On that day life changed for all over a year ago, we committed to a series of goals for JHSM: of us—we began to use terms like shelter in place, quarantine, social • expand our visibility in the community distance, PPE, ventilators, and • grow our target audience N-95 masks, among others. We • raise more funds and stretch our dollars found a shortage of toilet paper • increase the quality and raise the scholarly content as and antiseptic wipes as grocery we tell different stories of Michigan Jewish history shelves emptied at a rapid pace. We were confined to our homes, • strengthen and reaffirm existing collaborations, and while health professionals around establish new and different collaborations the country struggled to get the • engage new volunteers needed supplies to help those who were struck with COVID-19. • overhaul the variety, frequency, and content of JHSM programs were postponed at first, and then, sadly, all our programming were canceled. We wanted to provide content and program- We are thrilled that we have been able to continue working ming for our members who were seeking opportunities for toward these seven goals, despite the obstacles all of us have enrichment, so we began to reinvent our programming using faced in 2020. technology. We developed a calendar of Zoom events, with lec- tures and workshops every other week that were of interest to Taking the board’s action plan as a blueprint for the growth and our membership. success of JHSM, we embarked on creating a nearly full calendar of outstanding programming for 2020. A tour of Detroit syna- Over the last seven months, April through October, we have gogues was planned and a busload of participants was set to go provided sixteen Zoom programs, drawing nearly 1,000 partici- on April 1st. A committee was working on our first Jewish Bos- pants. The silver lining of this pandemic has been that we have ton Edison tour. The J-Cycle Committee was preparing for the been able to reach members throughout the state, as well as tenth-anniversary bicycle tour. We were working with the JCC’s “Michigan ex-pats” living in eighteen other states, Canada, and travel department on our first fall color tour of northern Michigan, Israel. Closer to home we have shared history with members giving participants a chance to spend a few days in the northern and friends who live in and around Iron Mountain, Marquette, communities experiencing Jewish history and the beautiful fall Houghton, Sault Ste. Marie, Petoskey, Traverse City, and foliage. These are only a few of the programs that came to an Alpena in the north, as well as Grand Rapids, Muskegon, abrupt halt on March 12, 2020. Continued on page 5 FROM APRIL THROUGH OCTOBER 2020, JHSM OFFERED 16 ZOOM PROGRAMS, DRAWING NEARLY 1,000 PARTICIPANTS. 849 169 TOTAL MEMBERSHIP NEW MEMBERS SINCE THE 2019 ISSUE AS OF OCTOBER 31, 2020 OF THE BULLETIN WAS PUBLISHED Jewish Historical Society of JHSM Bulletin Michigan’s Bulletin offers a colorful Risha B. Ring, PhD, President and engaging retrospective of the last Catherine Cangany, PhD, Executive Director year’s programs, presentations, and Tracy Weissman, JD, Editor achievements. It is one of the many Designed and Printed by: Grigg Graphic Services perks of a JHSM membership. Published by: Jewish Historical Society of Michigan 2 | JHSM Bulletin 33228 West 12 Mile Rd., #349 • Farmington Hills, MI 48334 • (248) 915-0114 • www.michjewishhistory.org JHSM Happenings A Message from Our Executive Director • Catherine Cangany, PhD Yes, you read that right. The big That is exactly what JHSM’s founders had in mind. JHSM news around here is we have Past President Stan Meretsky, chair of the task force, has been formed an Exploratory Muse- thinking through their idea for more than 30 years. We gain so um Task Force, charged with much from his leadership and experience. investigating the possibility of establishing a Michigan Jewish his- What may seem an odd time to contemplate getting into the tory museum. It may sound radical, museum business is, at least from this vantage point, ideal. but actually, it is an idea 61 years Our membership is up. Our programming is up. Our brand is in the making. The original 1959 growing. Our knowledge-production is winning awards. Our objectives for JHSM included: commitment to engaging the entire state has never been more “To preserve . materials bearing robust. Our supporters are here. And, thanks to COVID-19 (Courtesy of Elayne Gross Photography.) on Michigan Jewish history” and spring cleaning, our collections are multiplying. Our star is “To establish a permanent depository for these materials.” rising, indeed. Should it go forward, this new institution would complement As thrilling as this all sounds, this venture would succeed and strengthen the community’s fabulous archives, and provide only with your help. Please tell us: Where should this muse- a place to collect and display historical objects from across the um be located? If we build it, would you come? Would your state. As nothing like this exists yet in Michigan, it would fill a families/students/groups/friends come? Would you support it? real need, keeping significant items local, preserved, and available Would you contribute collections to it? What would you like as teaching tools for now and for the future. And it also would to see housed or happen in the space? Send us your feedback give the community a much-needed place to gather to touch and and blue-sky ideas at [email protected]. Let’s learn about the past. brainstorm and envision together. 2020 MEMBERSHIP IS UP PROGRAMMING IS UP 16% 40% (AS OF OCTOBER 31, 2020) (OVER 2019) Welcome JHSM’s Development Director and Outreach Coordinator: Kara Schuchman My name is Kara Schuchman, and I am JHSM’s director of We also have taken a new approach development and its outreach coordinator. I began working with to fundraising. The organization JHSM in March 2020—right before our world drastically changed. is working on focused, targeted As an organization, we have pivoted and adapted to our “new campaigns through quarterly normal,” and that has included how we program and fundraise. standard and electronic mail and, when feasible in 2021, semiannual Our slate of interesting and innovative Zoom programming, begun in-person fundraising events. Our this past April, has brought our members and friends lectures from future at JHSM is bright, and we world-renowned professors, educators, writers, and entertainers. look forward to more program-
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