MAY 21 • 2020 | 25
The witnessing of an injustice
in 1957 and the righting of a
wrong in 1964 are moments in
time that Joel says “stayed with
me the rest of my life.”
TEACHING LITERACY
A 1965 graduate from
Mumford High School,
Joel went on to receive
his teaching degree from
Eastern Michigan University
(1970) and a master’
s degree
in reading from Oakland
University (1978). He has
spent the last 50 years teach-
ing children and adults in a
diverse number of settings
in cities throughout Metro
Detroit, including a full-
time teaching stint in the
Detroit Public Schools, from
which he retired in 1981.
That books would be
part of the Marwil DNA
is no coincidence. Aaron
Zavelle passed his passion
for books along to his son-
in-law Milton Marwil, Joel’
s
late father. Generations of
Detroit students frequent-
ed the beloved Marwil
Bookstore, a fixture on Cass
Avenue that Milton founded
in 1948 and operated until
its sale in 1983. It remained
in operation under the fam-
ily name until its closing in
2013.
The promotion of diver-
sity by Joel and the Marwil
family extends to the annual
JCC Lenore Marwil Jewish
Film Festival that Milton
endowed in 1998 in mem-
ory of his wife Lenore. Its
mission is “to enhance a
sense of community and
inclusion for a broad range
of audience members.” Due
to the coronavirus, this
year’
s festival, originally
scheduled for May, has been
postponed until further
notice. In the meantime,
film festival enthusiasts can
go to http://filmfest.jccdet.
org for information about
ongoing virtual events.
Prior to the school year
being suspended, Joel was
dividing his time between
two preschools, helping
children hone their English
and Spanish language skills.
You could also find him
teaching citizenship to
the Hispanic community
in Mexican Village under
the auspices of Michigan
United, a policy advocate
501(c)3 that helps “ensure
that our government and
economy reflect our values
of dignity, fairness, equity,
and opportunity.”
Sixty-three years ago, Joel
Marwil witnessed social
injustice firsthand. Making
a difference on that front
continues to be part of the
fabric of his life’
s work,
especially in light of today’
s
pandemic crisis, political
divide, immigration crisis,
global conflicts, and rise of
anti-Semitism that reminds
us to reflect on how much
progress we still have to
make. It’
s a message he plans
on sharing with the children
upon his return to the class-
room.
“The pandemic is mak-
ing people pause about
who they are and who they
should be,” Joel said. “I can
talk to them about being
kinder and gentler to one
another.”
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