24 | OCTOBER 13 • 2022 

of July holiday weekend, 
you’re guaranteed to find Art 
facilitating the participation 
of the JWV in community 
parades throughout the Metro 
Detroit area — this year 
marching in Oak Park. 
And what can only be 
a fitting conclusion to a 
busy year for our veteran 
community’s biggest 
cheerleader, the Metro Detroit 
Veterans Coalition, sponsors 
of Detroit’s annual Veterans 
Day Parade, has named Art 
Fishman, one of their very own 
board members, as this year’s 
Grand Marshall. 

PROUD LEGACY OF 
SERVICE
When he’s not helping veter-
ans, Art is helping me. I’ve had 
the privilege of featuring many 
stories about our Michigan 
JWV in the pages of the JN, but 
I couldn’t have captured the 
full breadth of those stories 
without the help of JWV’s offi-
cial PR man and photographer, 
you guessed it, Art Fishman. 
Art, in turn, regularly makes 

sure those stories are submitted 
to and covered by The Jewish 
Veteran, the quarterly newspa-
per published by the national 
JWV based in Washington, 
D.C. 
Art served in both the Army 
Air Corp and Navy. Included 
among his tours of duty during 
WWII, Fireman First Class 
Arthur Fishman participated in 
the Yangtze River Patrol mine 
sweeping mission in the Port of 
Shanghai aboard the destroyer 
USS Robinson. He was awarded 
the Bronze Star for his efforts.
Of his role during WWII, 
Art deflects any attention 
directed at himself; instead, 
he pays homage to those who 
paid the ultimate price. As he 
said to the hundreds of people 
in attendance at The Michigan 
WWII Legacy Memorial 
groundbreaking in April: 
“Remember the heroes that are 
not here. They are the ones we 
dedicate this day to.”
The fact is, Art served his 
country well during WWII, 
but he has dedicated the last 
50-plus years in service to his 

fellow veterans. As I stated 
to Channel 4 reporter Kim 
DeGiulio: “
Art just wants to 
do the common good for as 
many veterans as he can, that’s 
the difference. He just never 
stops.” For his efforts, folks 
affectionately refer to Art as the 
“Energizer Bunny.”
In between his current tours 
of duty on behalf of veterans, 
you’ll find Art organizing any 
number of events at Temple 
Shir Shalom, including his 
ongoing usher duties during 
the High Holidays. 
The temple feted Art on 
March 4, 2017, on his 90th 
birthday at an event fittingly 
titled “
Artful Living,” which 
I wrote about in the Feb. 23, 
2017, JN. At the time, Rabbi 
Michael Moskowitz described 
Art as being “part of the fabric 
of Temple Shir Shalom. He is 
the first to offer his support, is 
tireless in his commitment and 
boundless in his energy.”
I’ve witnessed Art being 
on the receiving end of many 
well-deserved honors over the 
years, but from my vantage 

point, this “Michigan Veteran 
of the Year” honor seems to 
hold a special place in his 
heart.
“I’m overwhelmed,” said Art. 
“I honestly can’t adequately 
describe the gratitude I have 
for my fellow Jewish War 
Veterans who nominated me 
for this incredible honor. I 
work hard on everything I do, 
but I never do it alone. My fel-
low members of the JWV and 
all the veteran organizations 
I have come to be associated 
with, we stand shoulder to 
shoulder, one and all, working 
for the betterment of those 
who have served our nation. In 
the process I have been blessed 
with years of endearing friend-
ships and a camaraderie that is 
second to none.” 
Congratulations Art! 
Your being honored as the 
“Michigan Veteran of the Year” 
shines yet another bright light 
on the JWV
, who, since 1896, 
have been bound their motto 
of being “a Jewish voice for 
veterans, a veteran’s voice for 
Jews.” 

continued from page 22

Art Fishman 
donates a 
brick to The 
Michigan 
WWII Legacy 
Memorial

Art Fishman and Phil Smith (cen-
ter) joined by JWV officers (L-R) 
Don Schenk, Mark Weiss, Bill 
Glogower and 
 
Larry Berry 

OUR COMMUNITY

