16 January 3 • 2019
jn
jn

O

n the day before Chanukah
began, I received an early and
priceless gift. It came in the
form of an inspiring
conversation I had
with 93-year-old
WWII Jewish War
Veteran (JWV) Elvin
“
Al” Rasof in his West
Bloomfield apartment.
Al has received
several prestigious
awards for his ser-
vice, but this past Aug. 16, more than
73 years after he flew in one of the
last B-17 missions of WWII, Al was
awarded France’
s Knight of the Legion
of Honor, its highest commendation.
The award, given to U.S. veterans who
risked their lives during WWII to fight
on French territory, was bestowed
upon him in a private ceremony.
The French government doesn’
t
seek veterans out for the award. Al only
found out about his eligibility after see-
ing information posted during one of
his frequent visits to the website of the
487th Bomb Group, of which he was a
radio man and gunner during the war.
The official letter to Staff Sgt. Al
Rasof from the Consulat General De
France states: “You gave your youth to
France and the French people. Many of
your fellow soldiers did not return but
they remain in our hearts … You saved
us. We will never forget … Gratitude and
remembrance are forever in our souls.
”
Although his bomb attacks over
France in “Operation Venerable” played
a pivotal role in the defeat of the remain-
ing German forces, Al made it clear that
he did not want to be made out a hero.
“I beg of you, I did nothing like the
guys who flew before me and died,
”
he told me. It was a request, a kindly
demand really, he repeated several times
during our two-hour visit.
If it had been up to a very modest
and humble Al Rasof, that ceremony
and recognition would have remained
known only to those in attendance. That
included Rabbi A. Irving Schnipper
of the Jewish Hospice and Chaplaincy
Network, a friend and weekly visitor of
Al’
s as well as a Korean conflict veteran.
He shared the details with JN publisher
Arthur Horwitz, which led to my meet-
ing Rasof.
In an attempt to take the spotlight off
himself, Al redirected the conversation
toward a cover story he wrote for the
JN 16 years ago about his cousin, world
boxing champion and WWII hero

Barney Ross, who was awarded the Silver
Star for his bravery. (Visit djnfoundation.
org to find Remembering a Fighter, Nov.
8, 2002.)
Al “failed” to mention that in that
same issue, the late JN Contributing
Writer Bill Carroll wrote a related story
that including Al’
s war experience. In
true Rasof fashion, he downplayed his
wartime role in that article; describing
his bombing missions as “milk runs”
toward the end of the war because of the
diminished counter attacks by the soon-
to-be defeated German forces.
At every turn, Al shone the spot-
light on veterans other than himself.
He recalls how a club made up of 14
boyhood friends in his hometown of
Chicago all enlisted. “I was so proud to
be a microcosm of the Jewish communi-
ty contributing to the war effort,
” he said.
He honored one of those “boys” in
1995, when he drove to Illinois to leave
his 50th high school commemorative
pin at the grave of his friend Sidney
Frederick Barr. While Sydney was recov-
ering from an injury in a field hospital
during WWII, German soldiers, sensing
their impending loss, infiltrated the
hospital and systematically went from
bed to bed shooting each soldier who lay
defenseless. Sidney was among them.

A TRUE MENTSH
Rasof spends the majority of his day in
a recliner chair. The love he showed his
caregivers during my visit was some-
thing to behold, a sentiment shared by
Rabbi Schnipper: “He’
s so appreciative.
No matter what people do for him, from
that chair he exudes menschlichkeit.
”
It’
s that same endearing quality he
exhibited as a doting husband. Al spoke
glowingly about his 64-year marriage to
his beloved wife, Betty (Yack), whom he
described as a “treasure.
” Betty passed
away in 2009. Said Al: “
All I want is to
walk hand in hand with Betty again.
” He
told me with great pride that as a spouse
of a veteran, Betty is laid to rest at the
Great Lakes National Cemetery in Holly,
Mich.
Blending sorrow with a sense of
humor, Al shared with me the three
things Betty said during one of their final
conversations: “Take care of my sister
Rose; I’
ll jump into your arms when you
get here; and don’
t forget the casserole
in the freezer.
” Betty passed away a week
later, lying next to her beloved.
Al made good on his promise, ensur-
ing Rose’
s well-being by visiting her
every day for four years until her passing
at age 101. It was a labor of love, a way to
pay tribute to Betty’
s sister who “opened

her home and heart” on Buena Vista in
Detroit after the war to newlyweds Al
and Betty Rasof. “Rose took us in,
” Al
said. “She had one husband, one child,
one bathroom and a Murphy bed for
us — two nuch schleppers (Yiddish for
hangers on).
”
Once settled in Detroit, Betty became
a bookkeeper and Al, after several years
as a retailer, earned his Ph.D. at Wayne
State University. He spent the remainder
of his career as an educator and admin-
istrator dedicated to helping make a
difference for kids in the Detroit Public
Schools.
Today, Al spends his days listening to
books on tape and his favorite music.
He is, as described by Rabbi Schnipper,
“sharp as a whip.
” And, as I had the priv-
ilege of witnessing, he continues, as his
94th birthday on Dec. 23 just passed, to
have an insatiable thirst for getting the
most out of every day of his life.
“I have no complaints,
” Al told me.
“I’
m surrounded by everything I love.
” ■

jews d
in
the

TOP LEFT: Staff Sgt. Al Rasof with Consul

General of France Guillaume Lacroix and

Honorary Consul of France in Michigan Jean

Mallebay-Vacqueur. TOP RIGHT: Rabbi A. Irving

Schnipper blows the shofar for Al Rasof prior to

the High Holidays.

Alan Muskovitz

Award After Decades

WWII offi
cer dedicates French decoration to his fallen comrades.