UPDATE: The list has been sorted alphabetically, broken out by rank, service branch, and basic home of record (if known), including sadly the latest casualty.

I think it’s appropriate to remember our Jewish service members who have given all in the Global War on Terror.  If I missed any names, I do apologize.

For families of the deceased:  Ha’makom yenahem etkhem betokh she’ar avelei Tziyon vi’Yerushalayim.

Agami, Daniel - Specialist, Army, Florida
Allen, Howard Paul - Sergeant, Army National Guard, Arizona
Ben Yahudah, Benyahmin - Specialist, Army, Georgia
Bernstein, David - 1st Lieutenant, Army, Pennsylvania
Bitton, Albert - Corporal, Army, Chicago
Blum, Aron C. - Sergeant, Marines, Arizona
Bruckenthal, Nathan - Petty Officer, Coast Guard, New York
Budeysky, Steven M. - Sergeant, Army, Chicago
Cohen, Michael R. - Corporal, Marines, Pennsylvania
Dvorin, Seth - 2nd Lieutenant, Army, New Jersey
Engel, Mark E. - Lance Corporal, Marines, Colorado
Evnin, Mark A. - Corporal, Marines, Vermont
Farkas, Daniel - 1st Lieutenant,Army National Guard, New York
Fletcher, Jacob S. - Private First Class, Army, New York
Freeman, Daniel J. - Specialist, Army, Cincinatti, OH
Harrington, Foster - Sergeant, Marines, Texas
Jacobson, Elizabeth N. - Airman First Class, Air Force, Florida
Krissoff, Nathan M. - 1st Lieutenant, Marines, Nevada
Pine, Shawn - Lieutenant Colonel, Army Reserve, Texas
Pontell, Darin - Lieutenant JG, Navy, Pentagon, died on 9/11
Rosenberg, Mark - Major, Army, Florida
Schrage, Dustin - Corporal, Marines, Florida
Schulte, Roslyn - 1st Lieutenant, Air Force, St. Louis, MO
Secher, Robert Michael - Captain, Marines, Tennessee
Seiden, Marc S. - Specialist, Army, New Jersey
Shackelford, Michael - Sergeant, Army, Denver, CO
Sherman, Alan D. - Sergeant, Marines, New Jersey
Stern, Andrew K. - 1st Lieutenant, Marines, Tennessee
Tarlavsky, Michael - Captain, Army, 5th Special Forces Group
Wershow, Jeffery - Specialist, Army National Guard, Florida
Wolfe, Colin J. - Private First Class, Marines, Virginia
Wolfer, Stuart A. - Major, Army, Florida
Wong, Elijah - Sergeant, Army National Guard, Arizona
Yelner, Jonathan - Senior Airman, Air Force, California

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.

Full PDF here.

Suicide prevention is a big deal for the Army.  It needs to be.  Many of us recognize the preventative contribution that our faith traditions offer in such circumstances, one of the many tools we may draw upon.  As individuals, it is within our right to go to our chaplain, lay leader, or whatever representative of our faith tradition to seek that help.  As leaders, we may suggest that service members turn to their faith tradition as appropriate for help.  Of course, we can’t use this as an opportunity to proselytize or drive service members to individual traditions.  Such cynical use of such a horrible thing would be unquestionably wrong.

Major General Douglas Carver undoubtedly meant well on 2 March 2009 when he declared the 8th of April a day of prayer and fasting.

Why April 8th?  For Jews, it’s the 14th day of Nisan, which includes the tradition of the Fast of the Firstborn.  In all my years of observing it, I’ve never actually fasted thanks to the siyum that takes place at shacharit.  And it’s not just our tradition that seems at odds with the proclamation for the date:  do not Christians mark the date as Holy Wednesday?

Given the proximity of the Chief of Army Chaplain’s fast and prayer day to two traditions’ holiest times of the year, is this a question of bad timing?  Why not sooner?  Why not later?  Why did it have to come on the day that Jews are busily preparing for first night seder?  Why does it have to come on a Christian holy day?

Some might argue that a bold proclamation like this, in a military where specific religions hold hegemony over the chaplaincy, provides certain chaplains an opportunity for witnessing or evangelism.  I cannot speak to that.  I can speak to the terrific imposition such a proclamation puts on our Army rabbis, who are not only answerable to halachah but also the Chief of Chaplains.  How can a rabbinical chaplain carry out this duty, which his peers may happily embrace, and still meet the requirements of his faith?  Does this not present a possible imposition on the individual faith tradition of our rabbis?  A religious test, of sorts, on their duty?

Is this a question of bad timing?  Or worse?  It’s not without historical precedent, but one has to ask, is prayer and fasting the proclamation regarding suicide prevention and the stresses on the force really the best the Chief of Chaplains can do?

How about a resolution on finding common ways between various faith traditions to confront the challenges facing the Army, rather than such a poorly timed activity?

I ask these questions realizing that seldom (if ever) does such a proclamation enjoy retraction or modification.

Editor’s Note:  I hope this starts a trend.  Maj. (Ret) Edith Freyer sent me the following, complete with photos, of Purim festivities at Fort Hood.  In spite of a recent misunderstanding broadcast by someone new to the Fort Hood Jewish community, this article demonstrates that the on-post community is a welcoming bunch.  Other installation lay leaders and chaplains are encouraged to submit write-ups of their own communities for Jews in Green!

The West Fort Jewish Chapel celebrated Purim on Monday, March 9, 2009.  Forty nine members and friends of the Jewish Military Community enjoyed food, drink and the traditional reading of The Book of Esther [Megillah].

Purim, Hebrew for “lots,” is a festival that commemorates the deliverance of the Jewish people of ancient Persia from Haman’s plot to annihilate them, as recorded in the Biblical Book of Esther. According to the story, Haman cast lots to determine the day upon which to exterminate the Jews.

Purim is characterized by public recitation of the Book of Esther, giving mutual gifts of food and drink, giving charity to the poor, and a celebratory meal. Other customs include drinking wine, wearing of masks and costumes, and public celebration.

Jewish exiles from the Kingdom of Judah who had been living in the Babylonian captivity (6th Century BCE) found themselves under Persian rule after Babylonia was conquered by the Persian Empire. According to the Book of Esther, Haman, royal vizier to King Ahasuerus, planned to kill the Jews, but his plans were foiled by Esther, the queen.

Mordecai, a palace official and cousin and foster parent of Esther, subsequently replaced Haman. The Jews were delivered from being the victims of an evil decree against them and were instead allowed by the King to destroy their enemies, and the day after the battle was designated as a day of feasting and rejoicing.

With Pesach looming, I reprint this warning received by email:

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/Special/Petition/

To: Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Walmart

Missionary Haggadahs Look Jewish
by IsraelNN Staff

A Jewish outreach organization has called on mainstream booksellers, including Barnes & Noble and Amazon, to remove a Christian missionary version of the traditional Passover Hagaddah from the Judaism sections of online and conventional bookstores.

Rabbi Tovia Singer, director of Outreach Judaism, warned, “Despite the innocent-sounding title ‘Passover Family Pack: Everything You Need to Enjoy a Passover Seder Dinner,’ the guide quickly departs from the traditional holiday message once it is opened.”

[March 18 Update: Barnes & Noble has agreed to categorize the guide under “Christianity.]

Jewish families seeking to celebrate the ancient exodus of the Jewish People from Egyptian slavery find once they open the package that they are encouraged to express their faith in the Christian deity, “Yeshua the Messiah.”

“Barnes & Noble, Amazon.com, WalMart Books and other retailers are trusted names in the book industry,” Singer said. “As such, they have a special responsibility to accurately label such material under a Christian category rather group it together with legitimate Jewish material,” he added.

“The ‘Passover Kit’ is an insidious tool Christian organizations use to convert Jewish people,” declared Singer, who also urged buyers to lobby booksellers’ corporate offices to remove the publication from Judaism publications lists.

Outreach Judaism urges all denominations of Judaism - Reform, Reconstructionist, Conservative, and Orthodox - and people of all faiths to sign an online petition to pressure booksellers to exercise responsibility to the public and remove the missionary Hagaddah from Judaism sections.

The publisher of the missionary Passover guide, Messianic Jewish Resources, is associated with works such as The Jewish New Testament, The Messianic Jewish Manifesto, and other similar books. Singer said that such books are “an assault to the Jewish faith” and placing them in the Jewish section of their walk-in and on-line book stores is tantamount to “consumer fraud.”

Singer noted that missionary publishers often intentionally try to mislead the book-buying public by giving their works Jewish-sounding titles.  “It’s ironic that mainstream organizations who are seeking to undermine the Jewish faith are able to pass themselves off as legitimate Jewish groups, he commented. “The unsuspecting Jewish families who purchase this “Haggadah” are undoubtedly stunned by a not-so-familiar Passover story.”

Singer, who has released for free internet download a 24-hour lecture series on Judaism’s Response to Christian Missionaries, called on people who have already purchased the Haggadah to return the volume at the point of sale.

Action items from Outreach Judaism: Sign the online petition Send emails to the following bookstore chains: Barnes and Noble, and Wal-Mart (click and follow the customer service links). For Amazon, go to http://www.amazon.com, click on “help” in upper right corner of page. Click on yellow “Contact us” tab in right column. Then click “Skip sign in” at bottom of box. Hear Rabbi Tovia Singer’s Radio show
Comment on this story

Alisha Margulies cares about the troops, and her concern pours forth like a freshly brewed cup of java.

Originally from the Philadelphia area, Alisha has a friend or two in the 56th Brigade, now deployed to Iraq.  Her father, Michael, was in the Air Force, and her brother-in-law (SGT Kresge) is also a member of the 56th Stryker Brigade Combat Team.  Alisha is also motivated by her Jewish faith to do mitzvot, meaning literally “commandments” but colloquially “good deeds.”

Given her connection to the service and her employment at Starbucks as a barrista, Alisha had a great idea as to how she could support the troops. She went to management of Starbucks store 10210 in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and asked if she might put up a sign asking for coffee donations.  Her management keenly approved, and the customers in Lancaster overwhelmed her with their generosity.

An enormous selection was donated by customers and Alisha herself, including a seasonal Christmas blend (which is by all accounts good year-round), and
many other “fancy-shmancy” bean varieties that will help dispell the morning grumpies that Infantry Soldiers in particular are well-known for.

Her brother-in-law, SGT Brian Kresge, will be shipping the coffee Alisha collected to members of the 2/112th SBCT at Forward Operating Base Liberty in Iraq.

Asked if his unit would accept delivery of this coffee, CPT Paolo Sica of C Co, 2/112th SBCT responded (in all capitals) “DO YOU EVEN HAVE TO ASK!?!?!?”

Given the considerable dollar value of the Starbucks coffee Alisha has diligently gathered, one might think she’s done.  She is still collecting coffee as well as other requested various and sundries.

Though she’s not fully aware what a boon good coffee represents as a force multiplier, Alisha knows that her efforts will result in a slightly extravagant taste of home for more than a few Stryker Soldiers.

Alisha Margulies epitomizes the kind of individual support that Soldiers so deeply appreciate.  Members of the 2/112th SBCT will be presenting her with a framed certificate of recognition for her efforts.

This is the subject of an email I got after Shabbat last night.  I was so impressed with the email that I asked the writer of the email – Shira Telushkin – for permission to reprint it at http://www.OperationSupportJewsintheMilitary.com/blog in the hope that people will help fulfill her request.  I’m posting her request here too. (The boldface is mine.)

My name is Shira Telushkin and I am a senior at SAR High School, a coed Orthodox day school in Riverdale, NY. This upcoming Shavuot several friends and I are looking for a way to give back to the Jewish community.

All of us spend nearly five periods a day in the top Talmud and Tanakh/Bible classes at SAR, engage in serious additional learning, and have extensive public speaking experience. I myself identify as non-denominational, and have been very active in teaching and learning throughout the full spectrum of Jewish knowledge and/or involvement.

We would like to spend this Shavuot learning with and helping create Torah-learning options for Jews serving in the military if possible. Having grown up inside a New York Jewish bubble, none of use has ever had serious exposure to the U.S. Army. There seems nothing more significant than showing our support by going and leading discussion groups, giving shiurs, presenting texts, or anything else people would be interested in. We would create a full program for the holiday in accord with interest and time availability.

Having little contacts in the military world, we have no clear way to find information about Jewish life. Which army bases have Jewish soldiers? Which bases would actually be interested in such a program? How do we contact people? Is this idea even feasible? Where would we be most helpful?

We are more than willing to travel to wherever we could be needed. All of us are knowledgeable and vibrant students eager to show our support for our brothers and sisters in uniform however we can—and what we can do is learn.

If you could be of help in any way at all regarding this matter, we would be so appreciative.

In response to a question I then emailed her, she added:

We did notice the bases close to our area [in the database on OperationSupportJewsintheMilitary.com], though we felt it might actually be more interesting or even helpful to get out of the Tri-state area, perhaps even head to a state we’ve never been in before, or where Jewish life is in more need of invigoration than New York.

Now let’s see if we can find a way for Shira and her friends to fulfill this proposal.  Email me at if 1) you want to help find a place for these high school students to do this or 2) you are on a military base and would be interested in getting in touch with Shira.  I will then forward any appropriate emails to Shira.