Opinion
Dry Bones MN
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Editorial
Remember Our
W
ar has dogged human exis-
tence. It's part of life. Aristotle
figured that out way back
when. "We make war',' he said, "that we
may live in peace."
That's a theme to remember this
Memorial Day, officially May 30 but cel-
ebrated this past Monday.
The federal holiday, originally
Decoration Day, commemorates the U.S.
men and women who died while in our
armed forces. It came about to honor
Union soldiers of the Civil War, which is
why it is celebrated near the day of reuni-
fication following the War Between the
States. After World War, the holiday was
expanded to include U.S. casualties of any
war or military involvement.
Michigan Jews have fought for their
country since the state joined the Union
in 1837. Men and women from Hancock
to Niles have served in every branch of the
military, at home and overseas. The Jewish
presence grew exponentially from the Civil
War to World War I to World War II.
In the Civil War, Michiganians included
Isadore Freund, Emanuel Wodic, Adolph
Barlow and Oscar Davis.
Henry Miller and Jacob Silverstein
joined Ben Shiffman in serving in the
Spanish-American War. Only a few thou-
sand Jews from across the U.S. fought in
this war.
Come World War I, Detroiters Isadore
Levin and Sidney Shapiro joined Major
Max Bailin in combat. Major Bailin was
head physician of the Medical Advisory
Board of the Selective Service forces at
Harper Hospital in Detroit before depart-
ing for active duty with the U.S. Medical
Reserve.
During World War II, Detroit was
represented by Mickey Behrmann, Ben
Kaufman, Edward Goldstone, Hank
Greenberg of Detroit Tigers fame, Navy
WAVE Charlotte Papernick and WASP
Sylvia Schwartz. Of course, there also
was Raymond Zussman, the only Jewish
soldier from Michigan who was awarded
the Congressional Medal of Honor for
gallantry on Sept. 12, 1944, in Noroy Le
Bourg, France, when he oversaw the killing
of 18 German soldiers and the capture of
92 more.
The Korean War saw Detroiters Brewster
Broder, Nathan Light and Charles Stone;
Vietnam, Joel Leib, Jerry Taylor, Paul Gold
and Larry Weil.
In recent times, we tend to not hear so
much about Jewish soldiers, but they're
fighting today still in Iraq and also are sta-
tioned elsewhere. Jews have shown deep
pride over the past 250 years in defending
America, some giving their lives to protect
its bounty of freedom, liberty and democ-
racy.
Detroit rabbis
who have served as
military chaplains
include: Milton
Rosenbaum, Morris
Adler, Richard Hertz,
Irving Schnipper,
Jacob Segal, Sherwin
Wine and Herb
Yoskowitz.
RICOTTA,
Detroiter Ben
Shiffman, who was
PROVOLONE,
born in Galicia,
ROQUEFORT,
believed deeply in
serving his family's
STILTON,
chosen country and
SWISS,
shared that patriotic
fashion with new gen-
erations of soldiers
throughout his life.
He died in 1969 at age 86. On May 17,
Shiffinan, one of the last surviving Jewish
war veterans of the Spanish-American
War, was posthumously became a mem-
ber of the Jewish War Veterans of the
USA/Joseph L. Bale Post 474 based here in
Oakland County.
Winston Churchill, who stood strong
even as German bombs rained on
England, put it well. "Not in vain. May that
be the pride of those who survived and
the epitaph of those who fell!'
DryBonesBlog.com
Rabbi Akiva, who lived around the year
100, tells us in Pirkei Avot, The Ethics of
Our Fathers: "The world is judged with
goodness, and everything depends on the
abundance of good deeds."
Each Memorial Day, take a moment to
think about the men and women whose
good deed was serving in our armed
forces and who are no longer with us.
They have earned our eternal blessing
once more.
❑
Why Doing Jewish Matters
W
hile Jews across the Detroit
area commemorated
Yom HaShoah (Holocaust
Remembrance Day) and Yom HaZikaron
(Israel Memorial Day) and celebrated Yom
HaAtzmaut (Israeli Independence Day) at
their synagogues and at the JCC, 60 Metro
Detroit eighth-graders from Hillel Day
School were actually in Israel intimately
and emotionally a part of these defining
days in April.
There is no more significant week to
spend in Israel than the week between
Yom HaShoah and Yom HaAtzmaut; for
this period encapsulates, more than any
other week of the year, the story of the
modern State of Israel and its connection
to Jews throughout the world.
For two emotional and action-packed
weeks, Israel not only became their class-
room, but also their lives. With only weeks
left before graduating Hillel,
these young Jewish adults were
able to make the connections
between all that they learned at
Hillel and their Jewish identity.
Prayer came alive on the
coast of the Mediterranean Sea
amidst the contradictions of life
in Israel. On one hand we were
facing south toward Jerusalem,
looking over the Mediterranean
Sea on a beautiful beach. On
the other hand, we could hear
the drone of an Israeli naval
ship patrolling the area; for only
yards away was the Lebanese border. Not
only was Rosh Hanikra behind us, but we
also knew the Israeli army was behind
us and somewhere on the other side was
Hezbollah.
A week later, as we prayed on top of
Masada, four jet fighters flew
overhead as we stood on the
spot where, nearly 2,000 years
ago, 900 brave Jews, desperate
to preserve their right to live
as Jews in the Land of Israel,
kept the Roman Legions at bay
for nearly three years. Today,
these fighter jets are necessary
because we are still fighting
for our legitimate right to the
land and to live freely as Jews
in Israel.
A visit to Har Herzl on Yom
HaZikaron, brought together, in
one place, the literal ascent from darkness
to light — for at the lowest point of the
mountain stands Yad Vashem and at the
highest point is Herzl's grave, representing
the Zionist dream and the reality of Israel.
Along the way up are the memorials and
graves of brave soldiers and pioneers who
fought and died for Israel.
The stories of our struggles and the
sadness that was palpable during these
sad days were suddenly and exuberantly
replaced by utter joy when the sun set
on Yom HaZikaron and Yom HaAtzmaut
began. Then 60 eighth-graders took off
down Ben Yehuda Street in Jerusalem to
celebrate with Israelis — singing, dancing
and spraying shaving cream on each other
(an odd Israeli custom).
Over and over again, the students heard
that the struggle for Israel is their struggle,
for the land of Israel is their land and their
home, too. Our students responded with
understanding, empathy and a belief that
they truly have a rightful place in the land
of their ancestors and in the land of their
Jewish Matters on page B2
May 28 • 2009
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