18 | NOVEMBER 7 • 2019
Jews in the D
Next up: Veteran Volunteers
Dates to Mark on the Calendar
• Veterans’
Shabbat at Congregation Shaarey Zedek
and B’
nai Israel, Nov. 9, 2019
• Veterans Day, Nov. 11, 2019
• Veterans’
Shabbat at Temple Shir Shalom, Nov. 16, 2019
• Annual Trip to Battle Creek VA Medical Center,
Dec. 25, 2019
• Yom HaShoah, April 20, 2020 – Holocaust Memorial Day
at the Holocaust Memorial Center
• V-E Day, May 8, 2020 (May 9 in Israel) – The 75th
Anniversary of the Allied Victory in World War II will
be commemorated around the world.
• Veteran Volunteers at Yad Ezra – pack and distribute
kosher food boxes to older adults
• Veteran Volunteers at NCJW – calling drivers for
Meals on Wheels
THE NEXT GEN
CONNECTION: BUILDING
A VOLUNTEER CORPS
As Hirsch explains, the
cost of JWV membership
is relatively low, less than
$70 a year. Any Jewish
member of the military,
whether on active duty or
retired, is eligible for JWV
.
And, Hirsch emphasizes,
membership is not limited
to those who have served in
direct combat. The door is
open to military academy
cadets and ROTC cadets
and midshipmen enrolled
in a pre-commissioning
program at one of the state’
s
several ROTC programs.
Additionally, both Hirsch
and Schenk know there are
veterans enrolled in colleges
and universities who may not
have explored the benefits of
membership in JWV
.
Ready for the long-term
challenge of attracting and
engaging younger members,
JWV of Michigan is
currently recruiting veterans
to replenish its corps of
volunteers. “We’
re at a tipping
point,” says Schenk, “We’
re
an organization with a proud
legacy. Through outreach
programs in partnership with
local synagogues, JCC, Jewish
Family Service, National
Council of Jewish Women
(NCJW), Yad Ezra, the
Holocaust Memorial Center
and others, our aim is to
enlist veterans as volunteers
to fulfill our mission of
service to our community,
sharing our stories,
combating anti-Semitism and
celebrating those who have
given their last full measure of
devotion to our country.”
JWV is also in the process
of rejuvenating its Women’
s
Auxiliary and building its
support network of friends,
spouses and patrons — those
who may not have served in
the military, but who share
a spot in their hearts for
veterans.
Visit jwv-mi.org for more
information and events to come.
This story was first published at
myjewishdetroit.org.
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