22 | OCTOBER 13 • 2022 

W

orld War II Jewish 
War Veteran 
(JWV) Art 
Fishman, 95, never tires in the 
giving of his time and energy 
in support of his 
fellow veterans, 
both in and out 
of the Jewish 
community. And 
I never tire of 
writing about 
my dear friend 
— at least a 
dozen times in the JN, if you’re 
keeping track, two times as a 
cover boy.
Art is a member of JWV 
Shapiro-Rose Post 510. He’s 

their past commander and is 
the JWV Dept. of Michigan Sr. 
Vice Commander Emeritus, 
and now you can officially call 
him the “Michigan Veteran of 
the Year.”
The prestigious award 
was bestowed upon Art by 
the Commanders Group 
of Michigan (CGM). The 
group is made up of 14 
congressionally chartered 
veterans’ organizations in 
the state whose mission is to 
advocate for the well-being of 
veterans and their families. The 
honor is given to the individual 
who has contributed most to 
that calling. 

According to the 
Commanders Group selection 
committee, while credit is 
given for service by a veteran 
in years past, greater credit 
goes for accomplishments 
in the most recent year. And 
in 2022, 95-year-old Art 
Fishman, a JWV member for 
55 years, has been as busy as 
ever working on behalf of his 
beloved comrades.
The “Michigan Veteran of 
the Year” honor was presented 
to Art on Sunday, Sept. 18, 
during a special ceremony 
at the Zekelman Holocaust 
Center. On hand was a 
large gathering of JWV post 
members and leadership of 
the JWV Dept. of Michigan, 
with newly elected department 
commander Mark Weiss and 
Post 135 commander Donald 
Schenk offering congratulatory 
remarks. 
Art’s greatest joy was being 
able to be surrounded by 
his children, grandchildren, 
great-grandchildren and 
loving friends to witness 
the festivities. That was the 
sentiment he shared with 
WDIV Local 4 News reporter 

Kim DeGiulio who was on 
hand to cover the event. 
(Search “
Art Fishman Veteran 
of the Year” on WDIV’s 
YouTube channel.) 
The JWV Dept. of Michigan 
nominated Art for the award 
with the CGM selection 
committee deliberating over 
several candidates using 
a 10-point rating system 
in each of 10 categories of 
achievement.
Committee chairman, 
Master Sergeant Phil Smith, 
USMC, Retired, himself a past 
Michigan Veteran of the Year 
awardee, presented Art with 
the official declaration. Smith 
served in Vietnam and is also 
a veteran of the Desert Storm 
era. 
In reflecting on Art’s legacy 
Smith said, “I think everybody 
on the select committee had 
the same opinion of Art. He’s 
a 95-year-old veteran doing 
everything possible to help 
veterans and their families. 
Wherever his heart is, that’s 
what he sets out to do. He’s got 
more energy than guys that are 
50, even 40 years old. He just 
keeps going.”

OUR COMMUNITY

Alan 
Muskovitz

JWV’s Art Fishman adds another 
accolade for his work with veterans.

Michigan

Year
the
Veteran of

Michigan Veteran of 
the Year — 95-year-old 
Art Fishman always on 
the go on behalf of his 
beloved veterans.

