UPDATE: A revision on the Forward’s blog as well as a communication from Mr. Treiman has indicated that indeed, positive attention is being called to the Jewish War Veterans.  Don’t forget, Capitol Hill Action Day is March 5-6th.  You need not be a member of the Jewish War Veterans (though if you’re Jewish and in the service or have been in the service, you should be) to care about pressing issues.

Perusing the Forward’s blog this morning, I came across this entry about the latest issue of the Jewish War Veterans’ magazine.

The blogger indicates that this cover of The Jewish Veteran “may very well be the greatest Jewish magazine cover in the annals of our people’s history.”

I tried to comment to the article to seek clarification, but their comment section seemed broken.  I would like to understand as to whether or not this was sarcasm.

One need not read deep into this website or other Jewish publications that Jewish veterans—past, present and future—have a stake in this election in terms of our benefits.  I am very concerned that the cavalier treatment of a very serious topic may be all too telling about the state of American Jewish cultural consciousness.

You’ll find no shortage of aspiring social justice activists amongst our youth, but there remains yet one Jewish group steadfastly dedicated to military advocacy, comprised of veterans.  It’s certainly not experiencing a groundswell in membership, either.

Whatever walk of Jewish life we come from, we cannot merely concern ourselves with this or that candidate’s position on Israel, or rejection of voices like Farrakhan.  If justice we are to pursue, then the cause of the wounded or aged warrior should be important to us.  The JWV doesn’t have the budget of the American Legion or the VFW, but it pours its heart into its efforts and its publications, and should not be mocked.

Hopefully, the Forward will clarify for us whether or not Daniel Treiman was earnest in his praise of The Jewish Veteran cover.  We have and will continue to put our lives on the line.  We deserve to be taken seriously whether we employ primates or not.

My novel MRS. LIEUTENANT: A SHARON GOLD NOVEL is a fictionalized account of my first nine weeks as a new army officer’s wife in the spring of 1970.  The novel has been nominated as a semi-finalist in the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award competition.  You can download the first few pages for free at the link below.  And if you have an Amazon account, you can scroll down the page to “create your own link” and post a review, which helps the book get noticed.

Regardless of how the novel does in the final judging, I’m publishing it through a print-on-demand publisher, and the whole novel will be available on Amazon in a few weeks.  The novel talks about Sharon Gold’s experiences as a Jew in the army during that turbulent time of the Vietnam War.  (Officers’ wives are considered “in the army” also.) I’ve saved all the original documents and I’ll be posting some on the website I’m having designed.

Now I’m working on the next novel—MRS. LIEUTENANT IN EUROPE—which will deal with living in Germany only 25 years after the end of WWII and being part of the armed forces keeping the Russians from invading Western Europe during the Cold War.  I also have the original documents from that time.

Read more...

The big buzz word of Web 2.0 seems to be social. To be honest, I still can't bring myself to use a lot of these new social networking sites. However, there are a few sites out there I've begun to use and find tremendously useful.

Going along with this trend, I've decided to bring JIG into the fold. I've added a few minor features that will hopefully enhance your experience as a user, and also help to promote some of the articles on our website.

The first thing you may notice is the addition of a few options at the bottom of each post. Digg is a service that promotes stories based on how many people recommend (or digg) them. If you already use Digg, all you have to do is click on the link at the end of an article, and it will post it to Digg's site.

Next up is a link to del.icio.us. In it's simplest form, delicious is a way to organize your bookmarks online. There is a social aspect to it that allows users to share (and make popular) some of your own bookmarks. There are 2 new features on JIG in regards to delicious.

• Clicking on the del.icio.us link allows users to quickly add a JIG page to their bookmarks
• If you are a del.icio.us user and you want to submit a link of interest to the writers here at JIG, just tag any bookmark with the tag "for:jewsingreen". It will automatically pop up on our bookmarks and we'll check out the story.

Finally, there is flickr. For those that live under a rock, flickr is the largest photo repository on the web. JIG now has its very own flickr group. I've uploaded most of the photos from our gallery to the site, but the idea is that now it's much easier for all of you to share your photos with us. If you are a flickr user, just add any photos of interest to the "jewsingreen" photo group and we'll see it.

Enjoy! Comments and suggestions are always welcome.

“Shabbat Across America/Canada” is an unparalleled display of unity and Ahavat Yisrael, created in the hope of making certain that every North American Jew will have the opportunity to celebrate Shabbat!

Imagine an entire Friday evening dinner devoted to people who want to know more about Judaism! Its an interactive prayer service, joyous Shabbat dinner complete with song, ritual and lively discussion. It is fun-filled evening of camaraderie that unifies Jews everywhere as one people. Tens of thousands of Jews at hundreds of locations across North America will celebrate Shabbat together on March 7, 2008, many for the first time!

Want to Attend Shabbat Across America 2008?

Call 1-800-44-Hebre(w) and we’ll make sure you are invited!

For more information, visit here.

HEBREW SCHOOL SEEK TO SUPPORT TROOPS
The national network of Total Hebrew schools is sending mishloach manos Purim packages out.  Read the attached files for further details.

Letter to Rabbi Robinson
Totally Treats Flier (PDF)

40% OFF JPS BOOKS
The Jewish Publication Society is offering a 40% discount on all books and other publications to all military chaplains and lay leaders. Go on line to www.jewishpub.org and browse through the catalog. Once you decide on a book contact email Dolores Verbit at . Send a check or give her a credit card and she will sent you the book. It is a great deal.

PASSOVER PACKAGES
To ensure that the right number of packages get to the right people I need you to email your current address and number of packages needed by 28 FEBRUARY 2008. We need to have the most current list. Please email your information EVEN if you have not moved from your present duty assignment. This information will ensure that we have the most up to date list.

Thank you for your cooperation.

NOTE: The Subject line on your email should read Passover Packages 2008.  Send emails to .

Includes items such as macaroons, fruit slices, chocolate-covered matzo, etc.

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.

The JWB-Jewish Chaplains Council in partnership with Bnai Brith finished shipping over 80 Buddy Bears for Hanukah to children (or younger siblings) of deployed Jewish military personnel. The strong response will result in a similar effort in the future. Return to this link often to find out when the next shipment will take place. Buddy Bears and future gifts are sent directly to the children. If you are or your loved one is deployed or about to be deployed please submit contact information for recipients to by clicking on the Buddy Bear Icon.

Editor’s Note:  I’m sure LTG Blum would find many of his American Jewish Soldiers feel the same way about Masada as their Israeli counterparts.

At Masada, a glimpse into the Israeli soul

By Staff Sgt. Jim Greenhill
National Guard Bureau

MASADA, Israel - This ancient fort atop a Judean Desert butte 1,300-feet above the Dead Sea offers a glimpse into the Israeli soul.

“Masada is roughly analogous in importance to the Israelis as the Alamo is to Texas,” said LTG H Steven Blum, chief of the National Guard Bureau (NGB).

An NGB delegation visited Masada in December during a four-day mission in Israel to bolster the Bureau’s relationship with the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) Home Front Command and discuss joint exercises and other possible exchanges under the aegis of the U.S. European Command.

Masada was a convenient stop en route to a modern military complex, the IDF’s National Center for Ground Force Training. The modern facility offered insight into current Israeli military operations. The ancient ruins offered a glimpse into a nation’s psyche as reflected in one of its most cherished legends.

“It really helps you understand the history of this region, the millennium-long struggles that have gone on for democracy and individual rights and freedoms,” Blum said. “It’s almost spiritual for Israel.”

Read more...

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!
Read the rest of the article at Aish...

Local man serves as Army chaplain

As the lone Jewish chaplain in Iraq, Andy Shulman currently spends his days counseling soldiers in one of the most dangerous places on earth.

For four years, Shulman, a Malden resident, worked as a program director for Congregation Beth Israel in Malden’s West End. However, as he wrote in an e-mail: “I was looking for something different.”

And something different he has found. Shulman now assists hundreds of soldiers – including American Jewish service members – as a chaplain with the Fourth Battalion of the Combat Aviation Brigade, Third Division. The battalion is stationed on the outskirts of Baghdad, outside the city’s international airport.

“The chaplain’s main responsibility is to ensure that each soldier’s Constitutional right to the free exercise of religion is being met,” Shulman wrote in an e-mail. “That’s the whole philosophy behind the military chaplaincy. Our mission is to ‘perform or provide’ religious support.”

Additionally, Shulman provides one-on-one counseling to soldiers and advises the battalion commander on troop morale and ethics. “And of course,” he added, “‘minority faith’ chaplains like me look after members of our own faith groups.”

Read the article at the Jewish Advocate.