Holocaust survivor and hidden child, René Lichtman, holding a picture of himself with his parents at the onset of WWII, 1939. René passed away at about 7:25 this evening, January 28 2025, under hospice care in Troy, Michigan.
The small things mattered to René Lichtman; and while he might let you know, he was sensitive to not be too controlling. He was a complex man, and a deep student of behavior. An example: he told me before the Gaza tragedy that they were “getting ready to mow the grass”. He was not particularly easy – a bit the harsh realist – but René paid dividends; he could make humanistic sense of the world turbulence. René took brave forthright stances. His was studied opinion; he sometimes seemed encyclopedic.
Indeed, young people made Rene beam, and they will wail at his passing. He stood before them as an open book. With no fanfare, René showed them their importance and made them comfortable and actively nurtured them. He would just pop up at an event and talk deeply and clearly and passionately about the issue of the day.
René is survived by his wife Catherine, his son Josh (spouse, son, and daughter in New Orleans), his son David (spouse and son in Chicago), and his daughter Risa (with spouse in Portland).
Update: Rene’s funeral and burial were conducted 1/30/25 in metro Detroit.
René, man of many talents and experiences
He is a Detroit icon, but there are suburbs in the northeast of Paris who claim him. René was born in Paris, and he hoped to go back again, as he did last year. He also has a French family, the people who hid him as a Jewish child during WWII. Rene’s father died in battle serving in the French Foreign Legion, 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, and he articulated Israel’s sad irony.
Rene’s art is never really totally done.
René and I had been collaborating on an account of his life, each of us writing it up, with intent to merge it as one. I intend to get it done.
Another unique, hard-to-replace man moves on
Thank you, René. Your memory is enduring. I won’t say you are irreplaceable, in order not to discourage any of the aspiring youngsters you brought along. Peace and love.