JULY 15 • 2021 | 21

and Ike was a professor and head of 
public safety. Jewish geography at its 
finest. The dots were connected and a 
May 13 meeting set.
McKinnon and Stern share a history 
of unimaginable intolerance and 
incredible perseverance that dates back 
to their youth. Isaiah McKinnon at age 
14 survived a beating at the hands of 
four Detroit police officers only to make 
a vow at a young age to dedicate his 
life to change. From taking a beating to 
becoming a beat cop to eventually rising 
to chief of police.
Stern at age 15 faced growing 
antisemitism and ostracism in 1937 
Germany, even among those who he 
called his closest boyhood friends. A 
foreshadowing of what was to come, 
Guenther’s (Guy’s) father chose his 
teenage son to be the sole representative 
of the family to travel alone to the U.S. 
in hopes of securing sponsorship and 
safe passage for the rest of the family. 
A heartless U.S. lawyer thwarted Stern’s 
efforts just when his mission seemed 
to be within reach. Stern’s parents and 
siblings ended up perishing in the 
Warsaw Ghetto.
Ike McKinnon has been a dear friend 
of mine for years and, knowing my close 
association with the JWV, thought I 

would love to chronicle the meeting of 
the two.
Ike and Guy had an instantaneous 
camaraderie upon their meeting. 
It was an inspiring back-and-forth 
dialogue about serious issues but not 
without moments of lightheartedness 
and laughter. It was like observing a 
conversation between lifelong friends. 
They spoke of their respective 
histories of challenges as a Jew in Nazi 
Germany and an African American in 
Detroit in the 1960s. Ike had so many 
questions for Guy, and he absorbed 
every last detail like a sponge.
It was an open and frank conversation 
about their collective life experiences; 
the way things were and the ways things 
are today. “If you see something, speak 
up,” Ike said when reflecting on the hate 
and divisiveness that still exists today 
and the prospect of history repeating 
itself.
In that same light, Stern recalled 
a message he delivered in a keynote 
address to dignitaries in a return visit 
to Germany a few years ago. He alluded 
to the divisiveness in our country and 
the overall volatility in the world today 
when he said “beware of the beginning 
of tyranny. Democracy is a very fragile 
flower.”

You can read more about these two 
generational heroes in Guy Stern’s 
recent autobiography Invisible Ink and 
McKinnon’s memoir Stand Tall.

HILLEL HOSTS HEROES
Just prior to the Memorial Day weekend, 
fifth- and sixth-graders at Hillel Day 
School were immersed in a project that 
asked the students to identify and write 
about their everyday heroes. At the 
same time, seventh- and eighth-graders 
were focusing on military campaigns 
that have had a profound impact on our 
nation’s history. 
To that end, the school invited 
the JWV to provide two veterans to 
share their perspectives, in an age-
appropriate fashion, about their military 
experiences. The Zoom sessions took 
place on Friday, May 28.
Nick Israel of Farmington Hills, 
36, addressed the fifth- and sixth-
grade students. Israel is a University 
of Michigan grad and Army veteran 
who among his many roles served in 
the cavalry and later in psychological 
operations. Today, he’s a member of the 
Michigan Air National Guard and is 
studying for his master’s of science at 
New York’s Columbia University. 
Israel’s affection for and dedication 
to the JWV was central to his talk. He 
made sure to explain the history of the 
JWV and shared impactful stories of 
Detroit Jewish veterans who made the 
ultimate sacrifice for the country during 
WWII, Vietnam and the War on Terror.
Explaining his introduction to the 
Army, Israel told the kids that “in 
college at the height of the Iraqi War [of 
2003], I felt the need to not sit on the 
bench. So, I decided to join the Army 
and do something for our country.”
Israel included stories of his Jewish 
experience in the military including how 
he observed Passover and Chanukah 
from an armored tank. The students 
were no doubt particularly riveted to 
a training video Israel shared of him 
parachuting from an airplane. 
Hillel seventh- and eighth-graders 
were treated to stories from a member 
of our Greatest Generation — 96-year-

ALAN MUSKOVITZ

continued on page 22

Guy Stern and 
Ike McKinnon

