continued from page 15

OUR COMMUNITY
ON THE COVER

16 | FEBRUARY 8 • 2024 J
N

Ethan Gross, a member of Post 510 
of the Jewish War Veterans Dept. of 
Michigan (JWV), is always looking 
for paths his comrades at the JWV 
can take to give back to the Jewish 
community. His focus of late has been 
in generating support for the war effort 
in Israel. And it has come in a variety of 
different ways.
Most recently, he participated in Aish 
Detroit’s November Israel Solidarity 
Mission. Prior to leaving, he reached 
out to JWV Senior Vice Commander 
Bill Glogower seeking something he 
could take with him to Israel that would 
represent the JVW’s support for the IDF. 
“I recalled that we had an extra 
JWV Department of Michigan flag,” 
Glogower said, “and suggested that our 
membership could personally sign and 
send messages on it to the soldiers. 
Ethan loved the idea. Days later, we 
were thrilled to receive photos of Ethan 
making the presentation to the IDF.”
Gross personally delivered the flag to 
a Special Forces Unit of the IDF, which 
was met with a great deal of gratitude. 
“The soldiers were so appreciative. 
They could feel the support from our 
Detroit Jewish community thousands of 
miles away.”
Gross and his wife, Yael, just returned 
from Israel on their own personal 
mission. They revisited some of the 
stops Ethan made on the Aish trip last 

November and made new connections 
of support. 
Included on that trip was a visit to an 
Israeli orphanage that is the temporary 
home of children who, for safety 
reasons, were moved from their home 
orphanage in war-torn Ukraine. That 
was before Oct. 7. Sadly, the children 
now face the challenges of the Israeli 
war. 
Also during his most recent trip to 
Israel, Gross sponsored and distributed 
on behalf of the JWV, 100 $50 gift 
cards for soldiers and others in need. 
It’s a project he’s helped generate 
through a collaboration with fellow JWV 
POST 510 member Sam Rozenberg.
Rozenberg, like Gross, is always 
seeking avenues of tzedakah for the 
betterment of Metro Detroit. He’s the 
co-founder of the nonprofit SHARE 
Detroit, which describes itself as “a 
community engagement conduit 
offering simple ways for neighbors, 
nonprofits and businesses to come 
together and strengthen our local 
community.”
The gift cards were inserted in 
specially printed envelopes supplied 
by the JWV that also included 
personalized messages from the 
membership. 
 
Visit the JWV Department of Michigan website at 
www.jwv-mi.org.

bers representative from across North 
America who together will express 
their solidarity with the people of Israel.
Among those Rabbi Tolwin hopes to 
encourage to volunteer and travel with 
him are mental health professionals 
who can offer their support to their 
counterparts in Israel. “I believe very 
experienced mental health professionals 
from the U.S. could serve as a welcome 
sounding board for their colleagues 
who are dealing with the overwhelming 
issue of PTSD on a daily basis. It’s all 
about building relationships to better 
serve those struggling in Israel.
” 

As reported by Lior Zisser-Yogev in 
a special submission to the Jewish News 
on Jan. 14, “The Jewish community of 
Detroit did an amazing job in raising 
money for the Federation emergency 
campaign that started in light of the 
war in Israel, with donations close to 
$30 million so far in a period of just 
weeks. 

“But beyond donations, there is a 
strong feeling of unity as people find 
reasons to be together and to feel a 
sense of belonging and brotherhood in 
these difficult times for every Jewish 
person.
”
Rabbi Tolwin has been awestruck 
by the outpouring of support by the 
Detroit Jewish community and the 
many other efforts by countless organi-
zations that have stepped up to support 
Israel during this tenuous and historical 
time.

“This is not a competition,
” Tolwin 
said. “Every action is making a differ-
ence toward the survival of Israel.
” 
What Rabbi Tolwin, Aish and the 
legions of volunteers joining the Israel 
Solidarity Mission are doing is even 
beyond donations. They are, if you 
will, the “boots on the ground;” every-
day Detroiters and American citizens 
whose actions are speaking louder than 
words or dollars. 

Learn about/sign up for Aish’s Israel Solidarity 

Mission at www.goinspire.com/trips/aish-solidari-

ty-mission/. Email Aish at Hello@aishdetroit.com.

Ethan Gross delivers JWV Department of 
Michigan flag that includes signatures and 
messages of support from the membership. 

Ethan and Yael Gross present a gift 
card to an IDF soldier on behalf of the 
JWV Department of Michigan.

