From the NY Times

Like many veterans, Max Fuchs did not talk much about what he did in the war. His children knew he landed at Omaha Beach. Sometimes, they were allowed to feel the shrapnel still lodged in his chest.  And once, he had told them, he sang as the cantor in a Jewish prayer service on the battlefield.

On Oct. 29, 1944, at the edge of a fierce fight for control of the city of Aachen, Germany, a correspondent for NBC radio introduced the modest Sabbath service like this:
“We bring you now a special broadcast of historic significance: The first Jewish religious service broadcast from Germany since the advent of Hitler.”

Full story here.

Editor’s Note: This is an awesome mitzvah on the part of Capt. Fouere, and we’re delighted he took the time to share the story with Jews in Green.

On the 14th of January 2008 the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) dropped anchor in the tranquil waters of Santa Barbara, California and was warmly welcomed by the citizens of town with the help of the Santa Barbara Chapter of the US Navy League.

The thousands of sailors were treated to wine tasting, jeep tours, a free concert, dinners out and several banquets.  These events and the ship visits were organized, coordinated and ran by the board of the Navy League, the members and dozens of volunteers.  One of the smaller events was a traditional Shabbat dinner catered for a small group of Jewish sailors aboard the ship.

The genesis for this event occurred at one of the Navy League Tuesday night mixers.  I learned that the USS Reagan was returning to Santa Barbara.  I suddenly felt compelled to reach out to any Jewish crew members on aboard. As a Merchant Marine member of the Santa Barbara Navy League and proud Hebrew, I know first hand the uniqueness of being on the ocean while Jewish Holy Days are being celebrated on land by those you love. 

This compulsion to act comes from my own experience.  After one Passover, when I was in transit from the Caribbean to Canada, 100 miles off the Jersey shore I wish I had a just one box of Matzo. Now with the USS Reagan coming to town I felt I had the opportunity to make sure no other Jewish sailor felt left out. Since I was privy to information about the arrival of this ship, I had to keep in mind the old axiom “loose lips sink ships.” Since US warships can not announce their arrival till 24 hours before docking, this turned the planning of this simple event into a clandestine operation.

First some background: The USS Ronald Reagan is a 1092 foot, nuclear-powered aircraft carrier that sails with over 5,000 crew members and can stay at sea potentially for years at time.  She is essentially a four and a half acre floating American city that can go anywhere in the world.  The Santa Barbara Navy League has adopted the ship and her crew and when she arrives in port helps to create truly a unique experience for both the sailors and townspeople.

In the US armed forces military members are free to practice their faith and uniformed chaplains are serving alongside these men and women to help and guide them with their religious needs. In the Navy there are rabbis, clergy and imams working amongst the sailors.  With help from the Santa Barbara Navy League Officers and Directors they provided me with the resources to help me orchestrate this small event.  My goal was to bring a small group of sailors to the local UCSB Hillel and to the Chabad of UCSB for a delicious Shabbat dinner.

Shabbat for the Jewish people is the day that G-d rested after creating the Universe and commanded us to do the same.  In our tradition each new day starts at night and Friday night is the beginning of this weekly Holiday.  Friday night Shabbat dinners are a corner stone of the Jewish experience and several occur each week at Rabbis homes and at Jewish temples in the Santa Barbara area each week.

All the feedback I got from SBNL President Karen Crawford was very positive and with her approval Vice President Doug Crawford, SBNL Chaplain Director Sister Christine Bowman, and Legislative Affairs Director Michael Roberts were able to help me coordinate and run the event.

What was needed though was getting through the proper Navy channels in order to get permission and to advertise the Shabbat dinner on shore.  Surprisingly there are many resources such as Harold Robinson of the Jewish Chaplains Council, the Jews in Green website, the nine commissioned Navy rabbis and the numerous and interspersed Jewish lay-leaders.  These organizations helped me find Navy Rabbi Captain Irving Elson and Chaplain Axtell.

On the ground I was coordinating with the Hillel and Chabad Rabbis of the University of Santa Barbara and the students who would make this interaction of sailors and civilians so moving. At the Hillel, Program Director Amber Shields was getting me in touch with students who would shuttle the Sailors.  Rabbi Mendel and his wife from the Chabad of UCSB provided a colorful flyer that was to be posted aboard the ship inviting the sailors to their home. 

Down at the docks the sailors were being shuttled to shore. One of the USCB students Jarrod Goldberg, who is also a member of the ASI (American Students for Israel) and a junior member of AIPAC (American Israel Public Affairs Committee) provided transportation.  We greeted the six sailors around 500 and after some introductions headed over to Hillel to blend in with the student population.

Sailors CSSA Melissa Gumm, SK2 Bella Yusupova and their curious non-Jewish galley mates quickly made themselves at home with the College students, some who were stunned to see women and men in uniform at their weekly Friday night services.  At the Hillel three simultaneous Shabbat services are available, a Reform one led by Rabbi Allison Conyer, a Conservative service lead by students and an Orthodox minyan lead by Rabbi Loschak.

The sailors and the students had a great interaction with each other and planned on getting together later that weekend.  In one amazing game of Jewish Geography played that evening was that one sailor shared a parallel life story to one of the community members.  Many of the students had never met their uniformed counterparts and for the sailors it was a great atmosphere to decompress.  One community member and friend of mine, Larisa Traga, MSW and SK2 Bella Yusupova both had a common history.  They had escaped the oppression of communism in their home country of Uzbekistan with their parents as children and made their home in Brooklyn.  Now they would be here over this special Shabbat dinner.

As the evening came to an end and the sailors and students said their good-byes I realized how great our constitutional democracy is and how fortunate are our fighting men and women are to have enthusiastic civilian organizations comforting to their spiritual needs.  Surely the significance of this event would not be lost to either President Ronald Reagan or the Chabad Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson (z”l), who both worked in their lifetime’s for democracy, religious freedom and to bring down the oppressive regime of the USSR.

Capt. Elie A. Fouere
US Merchant Maritime Officer

New Jewish Chaplain for the Armed Forces

Manchester Rabbi, Arnold Saunders, is to become the new Jewish Civilian Chaplain to her Majesty’s Forces.

Rabbi Saunders, a graduate of Jews’ College, will take over from The Rev’d Malcolm Weisman on 1st September and will be the first full time Jewish chaplain for decades.  Based at Fulwood Barracks in Preston, he will be responsible for the pastoral care of all Jewish personnel of all three services throughout the UK and on duty overseas.  He said: “I know that the role will be challenging with a small but vibrant and steadily growing Jewish military community.  Our members represent all shades of Judaism but have a strong sense of Jewish identity, pride and belonging and deserve the very best support we can give them.

“I will be working closely with our faith endorsing authority, The Jewish Committee for HM Forces (JCHMF), to ensure that our troops receive whatever religious, cultural and welfare resources they need.  We will also be looking at Jewish educational opportunities for those living far from mainstream communities. I am looking forward to undertaking my new duties and I’m proud to serve alongside our brave servicemen and women.”

In addition to his civilian appointment Rabbi Saunders has been appointed to a Territorial Army commission in the Royal Army Chaplains’ Department and will serve in a muti-faith role with Greater Manchester Army Cadet Force.

JCHMF chairman, Colonel Martin Newman, welcomed the new appointment.  He said: “Padre Saunders will be a great asset to our community.  He has already made himself known to many of our members and has shown a great understanding of the pastoral needs of young servicemen and women often operating far from home and increasingly under very dangerous circumstances.

Padre Saunders will have the distinction of wearing the very rare Jewish cap badge of the Royal Army Chaplains’ Department, a scarce collectors’ item which has not been worn by a serving padre for some 40 years.

The British forces have lost its first Jewish soldier KIA since the Falklands Campaign.

Lieutenant Paul Mervis killed in Afghanistan
A Military Operations news article
14 Jun 09

It is with deep regret that the Ministry of Defence must confirm that Lieutenant Paul Mervis from 2nd Battalion The Rifles (2 RIFLES) was killed as a result of an explosion during a deliberate operation near Sangin, northern Helmand province, Afghanistan, on the morning of 12 June 2009.

Lieutenant Paul Mervis, born on 30 September 1981, grew up in London and was educated at King’s College Wimbledon. He then spent a gap year in China and Israel before going on to study philosophy at University College London.

Summer holidays were invariably spent in Africa in the Namibian bush. Post graduation, his passion for geo-politics and travel led him into the world of journalism where he was involved with ‘The Week’ and ‘The Spectator’. But it wasn’t long before his thirst for adventure drew him into the British Army.

Lt Mervis was one of the very first officers to commission into the newly formed RIFLES in April 2007. After the testing Platoon Commanders’ Course at Brecon, he was posted to 2 RIFLES as the Platoon Commander of 10 Platoon and he was straight into the mix.

He led his platoon with distinction on a demanding TESEX (Tactical Electronic Simulation Exercise) before deploying with the Battle Group to Kosovo, where he thrived on his first operational tour. He was in his element in the diversity of that place and it soon showed that he was an operational soldier who relished overseas deployments.

2 RIFLES then entered an intensive period of pre-deployment training for HERRICK 10 (Afghanistan) and, for Lt Mervis, the operation could not come soon enough. Lt Mervis’ unique character and leadership forged a very special platoon.

Every exercise and training serial, whether platoon, company or battalion, was tackled with the vigour, thoroughness and professionalism of someone who cared passionately about his Riflemen and who was prepared to strain every sinew in preparing for the demands of operations in Helmand. During his first two months of the tour, based out of Forward Operating Base (FOB) Gibraltar as part of Battle Group (North), Lt Mervis was at the forefront of all his company’s operations.

He fought hard and led his platoon through tragic times; when Rifleman Thatcher was killed in action he was a rock to those he commanded. It was typical of the man that he led from the front in one of Afghanistan’s most demanding and dangerous districts. Tragically, Lieutenant Paul Mervis was killed whilst on a foot patrol by an explosion north of FOB Gibraltar on 12 June 2009.

Lt Mervis’ family, Jonathan and Margaret, Hannah and Jack Mervis, said:

“Paul was a wonderful, loving son, brother and friend - generous and thoughtful, with an infectious sense of fun. Paul was killed doing the job he chose and loved. He was passionately committed to his men - far beyond mere duty. He had read widely about Afghanistan, and went with a genuine desire to help bring enough stability there to enable reconstruction to follow

Facebook represents the best of online social networking.

Jews in Green benefits by gaining larger access to its intended audience, especially as more Internet savvy youth become members of our Armed Forces.

Group membership is open, please jump on this bandwagon ASAP.

Seattle-area Jewish soldier killed in Afghanistan

July 6, 2009

(JTA)—A Jewish soldier from the Seattle area was killed in a Taliban attack on a U.S. army base in Afghanistan.

Pvt. Aaron Fairbairn, 21, of Aberdeen, Wash., was killed last Saturday when an insurgent drove a truck full of explosives into the base in eastern Afghanistan and detonated it.

Fairbairn’s stepfather, David Masters, made the news public Saturday using Twitter shortly after receiving the news in a visit by an Army chaplain, according to reports. The Defense Department has not yet released the identities of the two soldiers killed in the attack.

The family had spoken to Fairbairn on Friday, just hours before the attack, according to the Seattle Times.

Masters asked Twitter users to honor Fairbairn by using the term #thankyouaaron, which became the most used term on Twitter late Saturday night.

American Jewish Woman Dies in Line of Duty in Afghanistan

by Hana Levi Julian

(IsraelNN.com) The first female U.S. Air Force Academy graduate to die in the U.S. counter-terror campiagns in Iraq and Afghanistan, a Jew, fell in the line of duty last week in an insurgency attack in Afghanistan.

Air Force 1st Lieutenant Roslyn Schulte was traveling from Kabul to Bagram Airfield when her convoy passed a roadside bomb. She was killed instantly.

Schulte, 25, was based at Hickam Air Force Base in Hawaii before she was sent in February to Afghanistan. She served in military intelligence and was involved in teaching Afghan army officials how to gather and interpret information from the field.  more http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/131562

From the New Jersey Jewish News website:

by Debra Rubin
NJJN Bureau Chief/Middlesex

April 28, 2009

World War II veterans recalled recent and ancient history during a Passover seder held at the New Jersey Veterans Memorial Home at Menlo Park.

They gathered around the table, some in wheelchairs, to take part in the traditional meal sponsored by the New Brunswick/Highland Park Post 133 of the Jewish War Veterans.

The April 14 seder marked at least 15 years since the JWV began conducting the Passover ritual at the Edison facility through the efforts of 87-year-old World War II vet Milton Frant of Highland Park, the post’s religious committee chair.

“Since my wife passed away 18 years ago, I’ve dedicated my life to volunteer work,” said Frant, who led the seder and had prepared the Haggadot created especially for the event.

“We come and do barbecues, take the guys to a ball game,” said post commander Edward Salvage of Somerset. “We want to make sure these guys are not forgotten.”

Joseph Brandspiegel, the home’s chief executive officer, joined in the seder and explained the services the facility provides for its Jewish residents.

More here.

Some of you may remember some of the excellent pieces written by Alison Buckholtz, the wife of a Navy pilot.

She has now published a book titled STANDING BY: The Making of an American Military Family in a Time of War.

From her book website:

Alison Buckholtz never dreamed she would marry a military man, but when she met her husband, an active-duty U.S. Navy pilot, nothing could stop her from building a life with him—not even his repeated attempts to talk her out of marriage. He didn’t want her to have to make the kinds of sacrifices long required of the spouses of military personnel. They wed shortly after September 11, 2001 and, since then, their life together has been marked by long separations and unforeseen challenges but also unexpected rewards.

Standing By is Alison’s candid and moving account of her family’s experiences during her husband’s seven-month deployment on an aircraft carrier in the Persian Gulf. With insight and humor she describes living near a military base in Washington State, far from home and in the midst of great upheaval, while trying to keep life as normal as possible for the couple’s two small children. But she is not alone in her struggle. In Standing By, Alison portrays her friendships with other military wives and the ways in which this supportive community of women helps one another to endure—and often thrive—during difficult times.

Throughout Standing By, Alison speaks honestly about the culture shock she experienced transitioning into the role of a military wife.  Because she had been raised to conquer the world on her own terms rather than be a more traditional wife and mother supporting her husband’s career, the world of the Armed Forces was at first as unfamiliar as a foreign land. But a remarkable and surprising series of events challenges her long-held assumptions about the military, motherhood, and even the nature of American citizenship.

A rare and intimate portrait of one of the tens of thousands of families who now wait patiently for their service member to return home safely, Standing By also provides a window into what matters most for families everywhere.

This is very exciting, and I personally look forward to putting this on my summer reading list.

From Alison herself:
Many of you have asked me to let you know when my book is being published, and I’m happy to report that today is the day! STANDING BY: THE MAKING OF AN AMERICAN MILITARY FAMILY IN A TIME OF WAR (Tarcher/Penguin) is now officially available. If you’d like more background or information, please see my web site, http://www.StandingByBook.com.

Thank you for your support and encouragement!

Yasher koach, Alison.

From Jews in Green to all Jews in uniform:

Chag Sameach Pesach!

Whether patrolling the streets of Iraq, the mountains of Afghanistan, on the seas and skies, and on bases at home and abroad, please enjoy a safe Pesach.  No one sets a stronger example of what Passover means as you work to liberate the oppressed and make the world a better place.

For families celebrating at home tonight, please consider adding a prayer for our country and service members to your Seder tonight.

Next year in Jerusalem, or at the very least, at home with family and friends.