34 | APRIL 11 • 2024 
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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.

