The New Memorial to Fallen Jewish Military

The new memorial to fallen Jewish military chaplains began last month and will continue to tour the East Coast, with stops in Florida, New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Delaware, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Washington, DC. The memorial will stop at JCCs as well as synagogues, military installations, and civil institutions. At its final stop, the monument will be formally dedicated on October 24th at Arlington National Cemetery.

The campaign to erect the Jewish Chaplains Memorial, initiated by Ken Kraetzer of the Sons of the American Legion, and jointly led by JWB Jewish Chaplains Council and Jewish Federations of North America, has taken several years to reach its successful conclusion and involved the concerted efforts of many community organizations, including the Brooklyn Wall of Remembrance. A necessary joint resolution of Congress permitted the construction of the new monument, which will be placed on Chaplains Hill next to similar memorials dedicated to Catholic, Protestant and World War I chaplains.

The ceremony on October 24th at the Memorial Amphitheater at Arlington National Cemetery is open to the public. “We hope people from all over the country come to the dedication at Arlington,” said Rabbi Harold Robinson, director of JWB Jewish Chaplains Council. “This is an extraordinary event for the Jewish community, and for anyone who is concerned that proper respect be paid to chaplains who died while on active duty. The American military chaplains’ corps is unique in its dedication and commitment to the diversity of religious expression in our armed forces.”

The day’s events on October 24th will begin with a wreath laying at the Tomb of the Unknowns at 11:15 am. The Tomb of the Unknowns is located next to the Memorial Amphitheater.

More than 250 American chaplains of all faiths have died while on active duty in the US Armed Forces. In 1926, the chaplains who served in World War I erected the first chaplains’ monument at Arlington National Cemetery, dedicated to the memory of their 23 colleagues who gave their lives in that conflict. In 1981, a separate monument was erected to memorialize 134 Protestant chaplains who died in World Wars I and II. Eight years later, a similar memorial to 83 Catholic chaplains who died in World War II, Korea and Vietnam was consecrated on Chaplains Hill. Now, through the efforts of many individuals and organizations of all faiths, a memorial to the 14 Jewish chaplains who died while on active duty will stand alongside those of their Protestant and Catholic brethren.