NOVEMBER 9 • 2023 | 61
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‘Golden Book’ of the Fallen
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ov. 11, as it is every year, is Veterans 
Day. This is the day when we honor 
all the women and men who have 
served in America’s armed forces. This 
is distinct from Memorial Day, a time to 
commemorate those who died for our nation.
Veterans Day began 
as Armistice Day. It was 
designated as such to honor the 
soldiers, sailors, Coast Guard 
and Marines who fought in 
World War I, which ended by 
agreement, an “armistice,” at 11 
a.m. on the 11th day of the 11th 
month of the year. In 1954, after 
intense lobbying by veteran organizations, 
Congress renamed the holiday Veterans Day.
During World War I and World War II, the 
practice of displaying stars on banners in the 
windows of homes with family members in 
the military began. A blue star indicated that 
someone was on active duty; sadly, a gold star 
meant that a family member had died while 
serving. 

In Metro Detroit, Jewish members who died 
in action in WWII and Korea are honored 
in a special way. The Jewish War Veterans 
(JWV) Michigan chapter created a Gold Star 
book that recorded the names of all known 
Jewish Michiganders who died in WWII and 
Korea in 1954. This “Golden Book” is a part 
of the JWV collection at Temple Beth El’s 
Rabbi Leo M. Franklin Archives.
Laura Gottlieb, director of cultural 
resources, states that: “The Golden Book is an 
incredible resource. Not only for the wealth 
of information but also for the feeling you get 
flipping from page to page. On more than one 
occasion, visitors have opened the Golden 
Book, simply interested in looking, only to 
find their own relative was included, and 
those moments really touch your heart. It is a 
very special item.”

Indeed, this “Golden Book” is a fine 
and lasting tribute to those who made the 
ultimate sacrifice. This and all JWV Michigan 
records can be accessed at the Michigan 
Center for Jewish Heritage, online https://

mijewishheritage.catalogaccess.com/
archives/2950 or onsite at the Joan 
Meyers Jampel Center at Temple 
Beth El. 
For Veterans Day, I decided to 
explore the topic in the William 
Davidson Digital Archive of Jewish 
Detroit History. At 
first, I thought I had 
discovered a “gold mine” 
about the Golden Book 
as “golden book” was 
a topic on 997 pages. 
However, most reports 
were about the golden 
book of the Jewish 
National Fund or stories 
about the creation of 
golden books for special 
occasions at local 
synagogues and other 
Jewish organizations. 
For example, see the 
item in the Jan. 26, 
1979, JN about William 
and Belle Levin being 
inscribed in the JNF 
book. 
I did locate reports 
about JWV’s Golden 
Book in the Archive. The JN had a story 
about the dedication of the book in its 
April 26, 1957, issue. A week later, Danny 
Raskin wrote a very nice description of 
the event and the Golden Book in his 
“Listening Post” column (May 3, 1957).
An excellent story about our vets that 
includes the Golden Book is by JN’s own 
Alan Muskovitz, who often writes about 
veterans and the JWV. “Thank You for Your 
Service” was written especially for Veterans 
Day in 2021 (Nov. 11, 2021).
Saturday, let’s all take a moment to thank 
our veterans, whether in person or in our 
thoughts. 

Want to learn more? Go to the DJN archives, available 
for free at thejewishnews.com.

Mike Smith
Alene and 
Graham Landau 
Archivist Chair

Looking Back

From the William Davidson Digital Archive of Jewish Detroit History 

accessible at thejewishnews.com