NOVEMBER 11 • 2021 | 13

school students, the BBYO 
and others to perform the 
mitzvah of flagging the graves 
next spring. This will provide 
support by several generations 
in our community to honor 
our veterans.”

GOLD STAR FAMILIES 
REMEMBERED
Weiss is involved in another 
valuable JWV project, thanks 
to a tip from Marc Manson, 
a fellow Jewish war veteran. 
He made Weiss aware of a 
little-known historical trea-
sure, the “Golden Book.” It is 
housed in the JWV archives 
in the Rabbi Leo M. Franklin 
Archives at Temple Beth El in 
Bloomfield Township. 
The book’s title is derived 
from the “Gold Star Family” 
designation given to families of 
soldiers who have lost loved ones 
in combat. Assembled in 1957, 
it includes vital details about 
Michigan Jewish war veterans 
who died in combat during 
WWII and the Korean War.
Beautifully bound, the 
“Golden Book” is, says retired 
Temple Beth El archivist Jan 
Durecki, “a collection of pho-
tos and the names of the sol-
dier and his parents, the dates 
and places of birth and death, 
education, branch of service, 
rank, place of casualty and 
medals that were awarded.” 
At the time of the book’s 
dedication, the late Rabbi 
Morris Adler of Shaarey Zedek 
said: “The names enshrined 
in the ‘Golden Book’ were 
no less American because 
they were Jewish. Indeed, it 
might be said of them that 
they were as Jewish as the 
Ten Commandments and as 
American as the Declaration 
of Independence.”
Working together, Weiss 
and current Temple Beth El 
Archivist and Director of 
Cultural Resources Laura 
Gottlieb have made the 
“Golden Book” available for all 

to see. Gottlieb recently cre-
ated digital files of each page 
and Weiss found a home for 
the book on the JWV website. 
“The process of digitizing 
this book meant I had the 
privilege of spending time 
on each of the hundreds of 
entries, reading and remem-
bering the sacrifice made by 
each Jewish Michigan soldier 
included in it,” Gottlieb said. 
A featured article, available 
online by Durecki in the fall 
2009 edition of the Jewish 
Journal of the Historical Society 
of Michigan, is a worthwhile 
read that provides addition-
al background about this 
invaluable historical artifact. 
See michjewishhistory.org 
(Publications: September 2009).

GROUND-BREAKING NEWS
Several JWV officers and 
post members were on 
hand recently to witness the 

long-awaited announcement 
that The Michigan WWII 
Legacy Memorial will break 
ground this spring on Phase 1 
of the project. The announce-
ment came on the evening of 
the memorial’s annual Victory 
Gala on Oct. 23 at the Detroit 
Marriott Troy. 
The JWV has been a long-
time supporter of the project, 
which will be located in Royal 
Oak’s Memorial Park at the 
northeast corner of 13 Mile 
Road and Woodward Avenue. 
It will be the state’s official 
tribute to contributions made 
by Michigan residents who 
served in the armed forces 
and on the home front that 
proudly became known as the 
Arsenal of Democracy.
The memorial’s board of 
directors has approved plans 
for Phase 1, which includes 
the laying of the more than 
1,200 brick engraved pavers 
purchased by supporters, 
installation of flag poles rep-
resenting all branches of the 
service, the installation of 
the first of several full-sized 
statues, and the pouring in 
advance of structural footings 
to accommodate future statue 
scenes and a Wall of Stars.
Fundraising is currently 
underway for the next phase, 
which will provide for the 

installation of the Wall of 
Stars, a breathtaking presenta-
tion that will honor Michigan 
residents who made the ulti-
mate sacrifice during WWII. 
Visit https://michiganww2me-
morial.org for more details.

GUY STERN HONORED
The Victory Gala was also 
highlighted by the honoring 
of Jewish war veteran Dr. 
Guy Stern, 99, director of 
the International Institute 
of the Righteous at the 
Holocaust Memorial Center 
in Farmington Hills. Stern 
was the recipient of the 2021 
Victory Award presented by 
The Michigan WWII Legacy 
Memorial and was the eve-
ning’s guest speaker.
He shared his extraordi-
nary story that includes the 
loss of his family during the 
Holocaust and his experiences 
as a member of the elite Army 
military intelligence unit — 
the Ritchie Boys. 
Stern concluded his remarks 
with a heartfelt endorsement 
of the memorial: “The WWII 
Legacy Memorial will surely 
inspire viewers to pay tribute 
to Michigan’s fallen and strive 
to remember the importance 
of not repeating the mistakes 
of the past. History, ladies and 
gentlemen, does matter.”

ALAN MUSKOVITZ

The “Golden 
Book,” housed 
in the JWV 
archives in the 
Rabbi Leo M. 
Franklin Archives 
at Temple Beth 
El in Bloomfield 
Township, has 
been digitized.

Guy Stern

The “Mail Call” statue that will be 
displayed in the first phase of the 
Memorial in Royal Oak

continued on page 14

PHOTO: BENJAMIN CASSELL AT THE FINE ARTS SCULPTURE CENTRE

