René Lichtman passed away January 2, 2025 in Troy, Michigan.

He is a Detroit icon, but was born in Paris, and also has a French family, the people who hid him as a Jewish child during WWII. Rene’s father died in battle early in the German assault, quite near where he was being hidden.

Rene’s mother recovered him from hiding after the war. They went to New York, where he was schooled and became an accomplished painter and filmmaker. When he later moved to Detroit, René was quite active with automotive worker rights. He produced the movie “Finally Got the News”, published in 1970. It chronicles the rise of a grassroots labor movement called the League of Revolutionary Black Workers in the late 1960s.

The Zekelman Holocaust Center in metro Detroit featured René as a regular speaker. However, when he spoke out and protested against Israel’s extreme behavior in Gaza, they unceremoniously removed him from the calendar. This did not phase him, such was Rene’s war opposition.

Published on February 6, 2025
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