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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