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.