July 15, 2021 (vol. , iss. 1) • Page Image 21
… 28. Nick Israel of Farmington Hills, 36, addressed the fifth- and sixth- grade students. Israel is a University of Michigan grad and Army veteran who among his many roles served in the cavalry and…
… later in psychological operations. Today, he’s a member of the Michigan Air National Guard and is studying for his master’s of science at New York’s Columbia University. Israel’s affection for and…
… tank. The students were no doubt particularly riveted to a training video Israel shared of him parachuting from an airplane. Hillel seventh- and eighth-graders were treated to stories from a member…
…JULY 15 • 2021 | 21 and Ike was a professor and head of public safety. Jewish geography at its finest. The dots were connected and a May 13 meeting set. McKinnon and Stern share a history of…
… unimaginable intolerance and incredible perseverance that dates back to their youth. Isaiah McKinnon at age 14 survived a beating at the hands of four Detroit police officers only to make a vow at a young…
… age to dedicate his life to change. From taking a beating to becoming a beat cop to eventually rising to chief of police. Stern at age 15 faced growing antisemitism and ostracism in 1937 Germany…
…, even among those who he called his closest boyhood friends. A foreshadowing of what was to come, Guenther’s (Guy’s) father chose his teenage son to be the sole representative of the family to travel…
… alone to the U.S. in hopes of securing sponsorship and safe passage for the rest of the family. A heartless U.S. lawyer thwarted Stern’s efforts just when his mission seemed to be within reach. Stern…
…’s parents and siblings ended up perishing in the Warsaw Ghetto. Ike McKinnon has been a dear friend of mine for years and, knowing my close association with the JWV, thought I would love to chronicle…
… the meeting of the two. Ike and Guy had an instantaneous camaraderie upon their meeting. It was an inspiring back-and-forth dialogue about serious issues but not without moments of lightheartedness…