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.

It’s time to start thinking about ordering supplies for Pesach.  This year Passover begins at sundown, Saturday, April 19, 2008 and concludes at nightfall on Sunday, April 27, 2008.

Passover Seder kits are available from the Defense Logistic Agency (DLA).  These kits must be ordered ASAP in order to insure their arrival before Passover.  There are two different Passover Seder kits.  The Rabbi/Leader kit (NSN 9925 - 01 - 526 - 3373) is for persons leading the Passover Seder.  The participant kit (NSN 9925 - 01 - 526 - 3364) is for those attending the Passover Seder.  Personnel unable to attend a community Passover Seder who plan to conduct their own private Seder should order the Rabbi/Leader kit.  Each kit contains all items necessary for two Passover Seders.

Jewish personnel should try their best to eat Kosher for Passover food during the holiday.  The DLA also has available Meals Ready to Eat (MRE) especially for Passover use.  The NSN is 8970 - 01 - 524- 8003 .  There are twelve meals per case.  Each case contains 8 meat and 4 fish meals.

Personnel requiring Passover Seder kits and Kosher for Passover meals should immediately contact their unit chaplain, Jewish chaplain or lay leader to advise them of their needs.  Any order should also consider additional incoming personnel who may arrive prior to Passover.

All of the above can be ordered for any Jewish service member where ever they may be stationed. Even if they are located in the US, Passover meals and seder kits can be ordered for them. One does not need to be deployed to order these items.

Every service member should be familiar with the DLA pamphlet “Happenings ... Ecclesiastical News for 2006 - 2007.” This DLA pamphlet contains all the stock numbers for a variety of religious supplies in addition to Passover items paid for by appropriated funds i.e. the military’s money.  Your chaplain should have a copy available.  Please note that the pamphlet contains the names, e-mail addresses and telephone numbers for all the POC’s in the ordering process at DLA.

Chaplains should work with Food Service personnel to ensure all Passover Seder kits are ordered with Ms. Maryann Bonk at DLA.  Ms. Bonk’s e-mail address is :

Ms. Deborah Sinno is available to assist with ordering Passover MRE.  Ms. Sinno’s e-mail address is: 

It is strongly recommended that any individual service member or Lay Leader establish a good working relationship early on with his or her unit chaplain or the installation chaplain.

You can download a pamphlet from the DLA that includes all contact info and details on the kits and rations themselves.

Celebrating Chanukah 2007 in Saddam Hussein’s Republican Palace, who would think? Yet tonight inside a marble encrusted hall in Baghdad, we lit the eighth light of a hand-made, 6-foot tall menorah. We prayed in Hebrew, joyfully sang a medley of Chanukah songs, ate latkes, and best of all, we were Jews together in the land of our earliest forefathers.

The Jewish community at the US Embassy in Baghdad is growing and thriving to such an extent that we now reliably form a minyan. We call ourselves B’nai Baghdad—a diverse group of US and Coalition uniformed service members and civilians stationed in the International Zone (IZ), known colloquially as the “green zone,” an enclave in central Baghdad that houses Iraqi government officials, various embassies, military headquarters, and international aid organizations.

The Republican Palace, now the temporary home of the US Embassy, is nestled in a scenic bend of the Tigris River, the view unfortunately hidden behind tall blast barriers. It is the largest of the palaces in the IZ and formerly housed the family of Saddam Hussein. But this year it houses our menorah!
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Did you ever feel like the Jewish version of the father from “My Big Fat Greek Wedding,” gleefully relating how we invented the kimono?

Here’s a bit of Flag Day trivia…

Did you know that Flag Day is, in part, attributed to German-born Jew Benjamin Altheimer?

When a St. Louis minister complained about a foreign-born Jew coming up with a day to honor the flag, Altheimer is reported to have said, “I told that preacher that it wasn’t the first time a Jew had given a Christian an idea or something to think about.”

Memorial Day this year was especially somber, as it should be.  A new generation of names is sadly being added to the roll call on a daily basis.  The reminders that liberty comes at a cost are stark and uncompromising, and all too frequent thanks to the war on terror.

I had the honor of riding a float with American Legion and VFW members in a local parade on Monday.  Schmoozing with another former Screaming Eagle of another generation, trying to out-sing each other (Marines vs. Army) on our branch songs, it was a magnificent time.  The pride of sitting alongside the Greatest Generation and the bond between soldiers that transcends time left an impression that won’t fade anytime soon.

Reservist or active servicemember, our jobs are made easier by the efforts of our national veterans organizations.  When the story broke about the horrible conditions at Walter Reed, the American Legion and others went to work.  In the state of Pennsylvania, these organizations campaign to see that the Guard, used heavily abroad these days, have benefits appropriate to our service overseas.

What I saw on Memorial Day, sadly, is that older generations are carrying our burden, fighting our battle at home when they’ve long since fought their own.  Worse, their numbers are dwindling year by year.  It’s these organizations that give us a voice in Washington, and since a small percentage of the population serves in the military, it’s important to maintain that voice.

I’d like to encourage all who read to actively seek membership with one or more of these organizations.  Jews in Green readers should especially consider joining the Jewish War Veterans (http://www.jwv.org), which has an in-service membership option.

When forty people show up at your Passover Seder (literally Order), it is anything but orderly.  But it is a blessing – especially when you are fighting a war in Iraq where duty schedules are heavy and Jews are not only scarce but also scattered across what we in the military dub the ITO – or Iraqi Theater of Operations.  But arrive we did – some even by helicopter or HMMWV convoy from remote FOBs (Forward Operating Bases).  We arrived in healthy numbers and in safety, a condition never taken for granted over here, where nightly explosions and busts of machine gun fire serve as prescient reinforcements of the Haggadah’s warning that “in every generation” there truly are those who would rise “against us to annihilate us.” We recite the shehchiyanu with unparalleled sincerity, praising God for keeping us alive, sustaining us, and enabling us to reach this joyous season.  Amen.

Major General Ronald Silverman, Commanding Officer of Third Medical Command, hosted both the first and second night Seders in his quarters, opening his heart and home; spoiling us with his hospitality; and sparing us what would otherwise have of necessity been a very impersonal and institutional dinner.  The General lives in what used to be the house of one of Saddam Hussein’s domestic staff – a gardener perhaps or a butler.  It’s a small building with a tiny living room that brimmed to capacity with forty of us packed intimately around three long tables, boxes overflowing with Kosher for Passover foods stacked against the walls, crock pots of matzah ball soup burbling in the background.  It wasn’t exactly home – least of all for the General, I’m sure – but it sure felt like home that night, particularly to a crowd more accustomed these days to living in tents (or trailers if we’re lucky).  Seders have always been special occasions for me, but this one was down right magical.  Ma nishtana ha-layla hazeh me-kol ha laylot?  Why is this night different from all other nights?

But it takes more than a house to make a Seder – it takes family.  And you might be surprised again – but we had no shortage of family either, even here in Baghdad.  General Silverman was joined by his son, 1LT Matthew Silverman, a paratrooper and gourmet chef, who flew in to celebrate Passover with us from an outlying FOB.  Two of our colonels – themselves classmates once-upon-a-time at the US Air Force Academy – discovered that their sons are classmates today at West Point.  And one of our majors pointed out one of our sergeants, reminiscing to me of how he knew her when she was just a little girl growing up in his home town.  How’s that for Jewish geography?

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Rabbi Leibel Karmel Director of ToTal, the Talmud Torah Network in NY is ready to send hundreds of Purim packs out to any armed forces personnel but needs Points Of Contact.  If you are interested in participating, you can email Rabbi Karmel at .  Click on the flyer for a closer look.

The DLA has processed the purchasing for all of the Kosher for Passover Meals that have been ordered so far.  The contractor this year, LaBriute, will produce some excess for late orders.  These meals come 12 meals per case.  Each person would need 2 cases for the 8 days of Passover 3-10 APR 2007.  The cut off date is extended to 1 MAR 2007 for any late orders.  Please pass this to anyone who may identify a requirement that still needs to be ordered.  The Leader Seder Kits and the Participant Seder Kits are also available to be ordered up to 1 March 2007 through our DLA Ecclesiastical Supplies Program.

For details on the contents and ordering procedures, see this article.

Additionally, if you are having issues with funding for seder kits or don’t have access to DLA ordering, the JWB has a solo Seder kit donor that wants to cover you. The main donor wants to cover all Navy folks, but there are options for the other services as well.  The JWB asks that everyone please reach out to all the contacts you have to ensure everyone who needs it is covered.  They will fill orders from any POC with a ship’s address.

For more information, contact at the JWB.

For those of you lucky enough to be stationed at MacDill AFB…