12 | NOVEMBER 11 • 2021

ALAN MUSKOVITZ CONTRIBUTING WRITER

OUR COMMUNITY

V

eterans Day is set
aside annually to
honor and celebrate
our service men and women
for their sacrifice for our
country. For our beloved
Jewish War Veterans (JWV)
Department of Michigan, hon-
oring their fellow comrades
and their sacrifices, past and
present, is a daily affair. To
that end, the JWV are cur-
rently involved in meaningful
projects to help ensure our
veterans’ legacies.
One such program is an
effort by the JWV to identify
and create a database of local
Jewish war veteran gravesites.
The goal: to ensure that each
of those sites includes an
American flag by Memorial
Day. Currently only three

cemeteries — Temple Beth
El, Adat Shalom and Clover
Hill Park — have permanent
records of veterans interred,
and those cemeteries supply
their own flags.
For many years now, the
JWV, led by the tireless efforts
of Sr. Vice Commander-
Emeritus, 94-year-old Arthur
Fishman, places flags at Jewish
veteran gravesites on requests
received from family mem-
bers. A few Jewish cemeteries
have designated veteran sec-
tions, which takes some of
the guess work out. Now the
JWV’s mission is to identify
gravesites outside those special
sections so that every veteran,
of blessed memory, is properly
recognized next May.
To that end, JWV Junior

Vice Commander and
Webmaster Mark Weiss has
created a link at the top of
the JWV website’s homepage
(www.jwv-mi.org) entitled:
“Identify the Grave of a Jewish
Veteran.” Families throughout
Metro Detroit, whose veteran
loved ones do not already
have a U.S. flag in place, are
encouraged to fill out the form
to become part of this new
database.
In an effort to bolster their
outreach, JWV Dept. of
Michigan Sr. Commander,
Dr. Edward Hirsch has asked
our local temples and syna-
gogues to include this appeal
for information in correspon-
dences to their congregants. In
reaching out, Dr. Hirsch stated
that “Regretfully, not every

Jewish war veteran’s grave is
catalogued. We cannot allow
this situation to continue if
we are to fulfill the mitzvah
of continuously honoring our
fallen in accordance with our
faith, charter and our guiding
principles.”
The form on the JWV web-
site will attempt to secure the
cemetery, section, row and
year of death, to name a few
burial details. However, the
veterans’ organization will also
provide assistance in filling in
the blanks.
“Several JWV post members
will be doing independent
research to help validate and
complete the responses we
receive,” Weiss says. “Plus,
we plan on seeking the aid of
local Jewish Day and Hebrew

Jewish War Veterans work to pay tribute to those
who fought for our freedom.
‘Thank You for Your Service’

JWV members Art Fishman and Mark Hechler salute
at The Michigan WWII Legacy Memorial Victory Gala
on Oct. 23 at the Detroit Marriott Troy.

PHOTO BY ALAN MUSKOVITZ

PHOTO BY RUSSELL LEVINE

Jewish War Veterans are working to make sure all Jewish vets have
flagged graves.