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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DEAR WEST BLOOMFIELD COMMUNITY, 

This is not how we thought we would be 
Celebrating Our 25th 
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There are over 3 million prostate cancer survivors in the U.S.

An Evening with Mitch

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Wednesday, June 3, 2020 at 6pm

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Panel expert:
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 Moderated by Dr. Michael Lutz