We’ve reached a milestone here on Jews in Green.  We just had our first official news story about the site.  An interview I did with Dan Sieradski is on the front page of Jewsweek! 

You can read the specific Jewsweek article HERE.

A special thanks to Dan and Jewsweek for such a great article!

UPDATE: Dan’s article was bought by Hillel and is now on thier website too.  See it HERE

UPDATE 2: We’re now on the Hillel Homepage!

Nate Bloom of the Jewish World Review recently wrote a story honoring the Jewish service members who have died in Operation Iraqi Freedom.

In addition to describing the lives (and deaths) of the soldiers, marines, and sailors, Bloom talks about the challenge of distinguishing Jewish casualties from non-Jews.  Mainly because, “the Defense Department no longer keeps statistics on the religion of their personnel. Moreover, Jewish chaplains observe a policy of strict confidentiality regarding the faith of service personnel and will neither confirm nor deny whether a war casualty was Jewish.” This is complicated by the fact that some Jews hide their religion because of fear of discovery by the enemy.

While some may see the difficulty of tracking Jewish personnel as a good thing, it can make the work of organizations like the Jewish War Veterans very difficult.  If you have a thought on the topic, leave a comment below. 

Abe Plotkin, of Scranton, PA, will be one of 100 World War II veterans who will receive France’s prestigious Legion of Honor award in ceremonies in that country marking the 60th anniversary of the massive D-Day invasion of Normandy’s beaches.  Mr. Plotkin enlisted in the Army in 1942 and served with the 284th Field Artillery, 3rd Army, in France and Germany.

You can read the full story here.

Yesterday, more than 140,000 people attended the dedication of the National World War II Memorial in Washington D.C..  President Bush was one of many distinguished guests who spoke at the dedication ceremony.  For full coverage of the event, check out CNN.com’s story.  You can also learn more about the memorial itself at the National WWII Memorial official website.

As the number of living veterans of the war dwindles, I was tremendously happy to see so many of them out there to finally see a memorial worthy of their sacrifice.  It is unfortunate that so many others (like my grandfather) never got to see it.

Some interesting facts about Jews in World War II:

At a time when Jews made up only 3.33% of the population of the U.S., the approximately 550,000 Jews who served in the military made up 4.23% of the military.

About 60% of all Jewish physicians in the United States under 45 years of age were in the Service.

*source: Jewish War Veterans of the United States of America

photo by Rick Latoff

This month Edward Alan Brudno, a Jewish, Air Force 1stLt, became the first Vietnam veteran who committed suicide after returning home to have his name engraved on the Wall.

While some may find this case controversial, this Washington Post article explains the circumstances of Brudno’s case in detail.  His story is a sad and touching one, and something I thought would be appropriate to share on Memorial Day.

The Lubavitch News Service has a brief story about Cpl Dustin Schrage, a marine with 2/4 who was killed this month in Al-Anbar Province, Iraq.

While the death of a service member is always tragic news, it is reassuring to know that proper kosher burial preparations were able to be arranged with the help of a Jewish chaplain.

Jews in Green has a brand new section called The Green Pages.  The idea is to compile and keep an up to date list of Jewish resources at duty stations around the globe.

This will be mostly powered by readers like you.  So send us what information you have and we’ll post it!  There is a very easy to use form in the Green Pages section so you can submit the information directly from the website. 

Right now it’s a very short list, but I think it will grow rather quickly.  We would always be interested in volunteers to do a little research beyond the gates of their own base too.

Jews in Green has recently gone through a MAJOR upgrade.  I’ll spare our readers the technical details, but the new software JIG is running on now provides you, the user with a lot more features, more security, and a better overall online experience.

We now offer free membership, which will allow you greater access to the site and some added features.  You should also expect to start seeing guest writers on the site, something the new software will help with as well.

As with anything new, there are some chances for bugs or website errors.  I’ve thoroughly tested everything to try and eliminate this, but if you run into any problems anywhere on the website, let us know.

A few weeks ago LTC Mitchell Ackerson, the Army's top Jewish Chaplain in Iraq, returned home to his family in Baltimore.

Rabbi Ackerson left some awfully big shoes to fill in Iraq. The Baltimore Jewish Times recently wrote an incredibly in-depth article about his adventures in Iraq and his heartwarming return to the States. This is kind of the Everything You Wanted to Know About Jewish Soldiers in Iraq article. I would even dare to say it's a must read.

One of Rabbi Ackerson's most notable (among hundreds of) incredible accomplishments was the Passover Seder in Sadaam's Palace.

God bless, and Yesher Koach Rabbi Ackerson!

The Army News Service is reporting that Soldiers who have been involuntarily extended past their 12 month tour in Iraq or Kuwait are eligible for an extra $1000 per month.

The extra pay is actually made up of additional hardship pay and incentive pay. To be eligible for the bonus, soldiers must serve 12 consecutive months or 365 days out of a 15-month period in theater.

Read more...