Insight

Remember
When • • •

Waiting For A Room

The Jewish War Veterans are having trouble
finding a place for their cherished memories.

la
Robert Feldman in the JWV Memorial Room in Southfield.
Robert

HARRY KIRSBAUM
Staff Writer

IV

hile the U.S. Armed Forces fights a war in
Afghanistan, and our nation commemorates
the 60th anniversary of Pearl Harbor,
Americans are thinking of the supreme sacri-
fice made by those patriots who fought and died for freedom.
This is nothing new to Robert Feldman.
As commander of the Jewish War Veterans of the United
States of America Department of Michigan UWV), and
president of the JWV Memorial Home in Southfield, he
has taken on the task of preserving the memory of the 320
Michigan Jewish vets who have died in combat since the
beginning of World War II.
But Feldman, who was an Army corporal in the Korean
War, is worried and frustrated about the future. Will there
be anyone to take over his job when he is gone? Will there
be a place to house the thousands of pieces of memorabilia
accumulated by the JWV over the years?
The JWV Memorial Home on West 12 Mile serves as a
memorial and a meeting place. Photographs of Jewish war
dead line the Memorial Room. A large book is under glass
in the corner. Each page bears a hero's name, rank and
description. One page is turned every day.
Feldman, at 70, is the youngest member of the JWV

Related editorial: page 31

Department of Michigan.
"The membership is getting older
and we don't have the finances to sup-
port the building any longer," said
Feldman, "Since 1945, the JWV has
been the custodian of these pictures,
but they really belong to the Jewish
community, not to us."
At one time, the Michigan JWV had
5,000 members. Now, the number has
dwindled to less than 1,000, including
the Ladies Auxiliary.
Over the past 51 years, the
Department of Michigan has held pic-
nics at Veterans Administration hospitals
throughout the state. Every year, the
Michigan JWV raises about $2,000 to
deliver food and gifts to patients in a
Battle Creek VA hospital on Christmas
Day. They have raised money for college
scholarships, and supply local cemeteries
with American flags for graves on
Veterans Day and Memorial Day.
Feldman and JWV supporter
Stephen Rosman of Commerce Township recently voiced
their concerns.
"The JWV and the Ladies Auxiliary are all senior citizens
and most of them are in their 70s and 80s," said Rosman.
"There isn't a month goes by that they're not at a funeral.
We're faced with an organization where people are dying
on a regular basis, and this organization, which has done
nothing but good for the Jewish community and the gener-
al community, is faced with extinction," he said.
"What is impOrtant for the leadership of the JWV is that
the legacy be carried forward."

Moving Apart

The JWV approached the Jewish Federation of
Metropolitan Detroit with some ideas.
Feldman said the JWV offered to donate its building to
Yeshivas Darchei Torah, which was looking for a new loca-
tion for its boys school.
"We had an agreement with Yeshivas Darchei Torah to
come into our building, but because of the delays of our
national organization disputing our right to sell the build-
ing, or give it to the yeshiva, that deal fell through," said
Feldman.
The JWV approached the Federation, the United Jewish

From the pages of the Jewish News for
this week 10, 20, 30, 40 and 50
years ago.

1991

Seth Berg, senior at Berkley High
School, was elected governor at
Boys State.
Detroiter Dr. Stuart E.
Kirschenbaum was appointed to
the board of directors of the
Michigan Sports Hall of Fame.
Detroiter Barrie Werba was
named director of development for
Wayne State University's School of
Business Administration.

1981

Composer Leonard Bernstein was
elected to the American Academy
of Arts and Letters.
The first application of solar
power for commercial purposes in
Israel took place when the Tapud
food factory in Shaar Hanegev pro-
duced french fried potatoes.
Detroiter Jay Guttman was pro-
moted to store manager of Sentry
Drug store at Nine Mile and
Coolidge in Oak Park.

Ian

Sixty-eight Jews living outside of
Israel were granted Israeli citizen-
ship under a recent amendment to
the Law of Return.
The original signed manuscript
of an orchestral arrangement of
"Hatikvah" by Kurt Weil was
acquired by the Jewish National
and University Library at the
Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

1961

More than 1,600 persons attended
the open house for the Stanley
Steamer, a new steam bath and
health club in Oak Park.

1951

Detroiter Clarence Guttentag was
elected president of the Robinson
Family Club.
Dr. A. M. Hirshman, rabbi emer-
itus of Congregation Shaarey
Zedek, opened the dedication cere-
monies of the Zionist House at
Linwood and Lawrence in Detroit.

—Compiled by Sy Manello,
editorial assistant

WAITING on page 30

12/21
2001

29

