Veterans honored at Neveh Shalom

By Anne Koppel Conway

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At the traditional 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, Congregation Neveh Shalom began a Veterans Day ceremony to honor Jewish-American veterans.

For some, the confluence of Foundation School graduate Travis Wong’s seven-member brass band playing John Philip Sousa, a bugler playing “Taps,” Boy Scouts marching with flags and Kaddish being chanted may seem a bit incongruous. But Neveh Shalom Vice President-elect Doug Lenhoff, a 1980 West Point graduate, said that in the ranks of the military, Jews constitute a higher proportion than they do in the general population.
   
“Jewish involvement in the military is greater than most people would think,” said Lenhoff.
   

Referring to the heavy casualties the Americans sustained on D-Day, Lenhoff, a former Army captain who was a linebacker for the Black Knights at West Point, teared up when he said, “I walked the beaches of Normandy … I saw no place to hide. I again lost my breath” when looking at the memorial pages of the West Point newsletter that lists all of the 2004-6 graduates who have died in Iraq and Afghanistan.
   
After the ceremony, Bob Weiner told Lenhoff that the mention of Normandy brought tears to his eyes as well, because his father had been there.
   
Rabbi Daniel Isaak said, “We come here simultaneously as Americans and as Jews to honor veterans, particularly those who helped defeat those who wished to put an end” to Judaism and Jews. “We pray for the day when no one has to serve in the military.”
   
Veterans Day, said Lenhoff, “is a day of reflection for people we never knew and for acts we may not be familiar with.”
   
Jewish involvement in the military has a long history, he said. In 1654 Jewish settlers joined the New Amsterdam defense forces. During the Civil War 8,500 Jews fought—divided like the nation, some for the North, some for the South. During World War I, 3,500 Jewish soldiers died, 12,000 were injured. In World War II 550,000 Jews served.
   
Along the way, Jews have received Congressional Medals of Honor, the highest military award for bravery, including two earned during the Vietnam War.
   
However, because of anti-Semitism, he said, somewhere between 150-200 Jewish veterans from World War II and the Korean War should have, but did not, receive their Medals of Honor. The Jewish War Veterans Act of 2001 requires the Pentagon to review the records of Jewish war veterans in an effort to correct such cases.
   
Veterans Day “brings strong emotions” for Charles R. “Ike” Eisenbach, Ph.D., a U.S. Naval Academy graduate who was commissioned as a Marine Corps officer in 1967. On July 4, 1968, then a first lieutenant, Eisenbach was wounded. “I am reminded of my service each morning as I reach for my leg brace.”
   
On this day, he said, “Vets are usually rounded up, dusted off and asked to say a few words” about their experiences. Eisenbach chose to talk about the folks currently serving.
   
“For most of us, life goes on unfettered” if we don’t have a loved one serving in Iraq or Afghanistan.
   
Talking about the U.S. soldiers serving today, he asked the 200 attendees if they cross a threshold facing death and not flinch? Could they render roadside bombs harmless, knowing that one mistake could be their last? Could they walk up to someone’s home and endure the screams of loved ones who are told their soldier has died?
   
Retired Brig. Gen. Kenneth B. Ross, a past deputy commander of the U.S. Army’s 104th Infantry Division, said, “Most serve without fanfare. They make a difference and deserve this nation’s respect and recognition. Because of our vets, the beacon of freedom is burning more brightly around the world.”
   
Veterans Day began as Armistice Day in 1919, he said, to mark the end of what became known as “The War to end All wars” on Nov. 11, 1918. But when World War II followed on the heels of World War I, Congress, in 1954, “broadened the scope” of the holiday to include all vets.
   
Congregants read the names of the 220 Jewish vets buried in the synagogue’s cemeteries, Neveh Zedek and Ahavai Shalom.
   
Harold Lesch, a former captain who served for 20 years in the reserves, and his wife Jackie were the day’s co-chairs. “Without Leonard Barde’s drive and support, this program wouldn’t have gotten off the ground,” said Lesch.
   
Congregation President Sandy Axel agreed that Barde, who is the synagogue’s cemetery chair, is “an inspiration for his service.”
   
Mason Wiederhorn, a senior patrol leader in the Boy Scouts, gave commands to his Scouts to advance and retire the colors. They included Scouts Ben Miller, Evan Anderson, Alex Metcalf and Charles Holmes.