34 | APRIL 11 • 2024
J
N
T
he incomparable life of the late
Dr. Günther “Guy” Stern was
celebrated before a sold-out
gathering at The Zekeleman Holocaust
Center (The HC) in Farmington Hills,
on Sunday, March 10.
Stern — Holocaust survivor, WWII
Ritchie Boy hero and celebrated scholar
— passed away on Dec. 7, 2023, just
weeks shy of his 102nd birthday. He
was laid to rest the following day in a
private funeral with military honors
at the Great Lakes National Cemetery
in Holly, Michigan. At the time of
his death, he was the director of the
International Institute of the Righteous
at The HC.
The legacy of Guy Stern was honored
in a cover story, A Hero in War and
Peace, in the Dec. 21, 2023, edition of
the JN. On March 10, Cheryl Guyer,
director of development at the center,
opened the program and introduced a
lineup of distinguished guest speakers,
friends and colleagues of Stern. They
captured in intimate and loving detail
the breadth and depth of this true
renaissance man who touched them
personally as well as our community
and the world.
The program, An Enduring Legacy:
Celebrating the Life of Dr. Guy Stern,
is just over an hour long and is a
must-see inspirational experience that
can be viewed on The HC’s website,
holocaustcenter.org/past-events.
The program opened with a moving
processional by a large contingent
of Jewish War Veterans (JWV) and
members of the Ladies Auxiliary from
the Department of Michigan.
In her opening remarks, Guyer said:
“My mother used to tell me, ‘Friends are
the family that you choose.’ Each of you
were Guy’s family. Guy was our teacher.
He showed us how to defy hate with
humanity. Guy will continue to speak at
our museum. His voice will be heard in
the exhibits and throughout our walls.”
In his reflections, Rabbi Michael
Moskowitz of Temple Shir Shalom, who
also eulogized Stern at his funeral, said
that Guy “made sure to do more than
make the most of his days, his years, but
to shine the light of hope in our world
of goodness, of kindness, despite what
we see around us. To know that we have
a mission to bring light to darkness.”
The rabbi spoke of the profound
impact Stern had on his life, both
personally and professionally. “It is not
an exaggeration to admit that one of the
greatest honors bestowed upon me is
that Dr. Guy Stern called me his rabbi.
He would introduce me that way, would
share that with others. It humbled me.”
LEAVING A MARK ON THE WORLD
Dr. Michael Berenbaum, a Holocaust
scholar and director of the Sigi Ziering
Institute at the American Jewish
University in Los Angeles, called Stern
a friend and colleague for more than
50 years. The two attended Holocaust
conferences together.
Berenbaum recalled a lighthearted
moment with Guy in 2020 on the
occasion of interviewing him during
a virtual book launch celebration of
Stern’s memoir, Invisible Ink.
“My first question in the pre-
interview was: ‘Tell me something,
who has the audacity, the chutzpah, to
wait until their 99th birthday to write
an autobiography?’ And his response
was, ‘My wife finally convinced me
that I had fewer tomorrows than I did
yesterday.’”
In his tribute to Guy Stern, author
Bruce Henderson spoke of how Stern
was a major influence in the writing
of his 2018 New York Times bestseller
about the Ritchie Boys. Until he learned
about Stern’s story, Henderson had
A Shining Star
Friends and colleagues gather to celebrate
the phenomenal life of Dr. Guy Stern.
ALAN MUSKOVITZ CONTRIBUTING WRITER
OUR COMMUNITY
PHOTOS: JERRY ZOLYNSKY
Video of Guy Stern
plays inside newly
renovated exhibit
at The HC.