On Veterans Day, Wednesday, Nov. 11, at 11:11 a.m. Pacific Time (12:11 p.m. Mountain Standard Time), JWB Jewish Chaplains Council®, a signature program of JCC Association of North America, will host the Facebook Live premier of “The National Jewish Community Celebration of Veterans Day.” The event will honor Jewish veterans, some of whom will share personal stories of their military service and the influence it has had in their lives. They include voluntary veterans and those under age 40.
Among the veterans, military personnel, and JCC Association leaders to be featured in the video are:
- Sheila Berg, Senior Master Sergeant, US Air Force, Retired, Gulf War and Operation Iraqi Freedom, Years of service: 1980-2009 (Pennsylvania)
- Michael Blain, Corporal, U.S. Army, Former, Holocaust survivor, Korean War (Ohio)
- Ilya Bratman, Sergeant, US Army, Former, Operation Iraqi Freedom, Years of service: 2000-2008 (New York)
- Rabbi Irving Elson, US Navy, Captain, Retired, and Director, JWB Jewish Chaplains Council® (Washington D.C.)
- Brian Gilden, Lt. Colonel, US Marine Corps, Retired, Years of service: 1991-2011 (California)
- Nicholas Guttman, Lt. Colonel, US Air Force, Retired, Southern Watch, Enduring Freedom and Freedom Sentinel, Air Force Academy graduate. F15 C fighter pilot
- Years of Service: 1995-2016 (Nevada)
- Fred Golove, Rear Admiral, U.S. Coast Guard, Retired, Years of Service: 1957-1992 (Connecticut)
- David Hymes, First Lieutenant, US Army, Former, WWII Purple Heart Recipient, Years of service: 1941-1946 (Illinois)
- Gary E. Jacobs, board chairman, JCC Association of North America
- Rabbi Tracy Kaplowitz, Director of Operations, JWB Jewish Chaplains Council®, Chaplain, Captain, US Air Force, Former
- Rabbi Bonnie Koppell, US Army, Chaplain, Colonel, US Army, Retired, Gulf War, Years of service: 1978-2016 (Arizona)
- Doron Krakow, president and CEO, JCC Association of North America
- Jesse Paquin, Petty Officer Third Class, US Navy, Former (Israel)
- Rabbi Arnold E. Resnicoff, Chaplain, Captain, US Navy, Retired, Vietnam, Beirut bombing, Kosovo, Years of service: 1963-2001 (Washington D.C.)
- Cindy Rosen, Lt. Colonel, US Marine Corps, Retired, Desert Shield, Desert Storm, OIF, OEF, Years of service: 1986-2010 (Virginia)
- Thomas J. Rosen, Captain, US Army, Former, Vietnam, Years of service: 1966-1973
- Jeffrey Saks, Major, Army of the United States (AUS), Retired, Desert Storm and Desert Shield, Years of service: 1979-2017 (Illinois)
- Thomas Whitmire, Sergeant, USMC, Retired, Afghanistan, DRN Fukishima Reactor, Years of service: 2008-2015 (Ohio)
In addition, on Nov. 13 and 14, the Shabbat immediately following Veterans Day, JWB Jewish Chaplains Council, with the Rabbinical Assembly, Cantors Assembly, and USCJ (the rabbinical, cantorial, and congregational arms of the Conservative Movement) is inviting Conservative congregations throughout the U.S. to transform Shabbat Parashat Chayei Sarah into a “Shabbat of Service to our Country: Honoring Jews of the Military.” JWB will curate and distribute resources, for both online and in-person gatherings, that congregations can use as part of their Shabbat services.
As part of the broader JCC movement across North America, JWB Jewish Chaplains Council seeks to help American Jews — and others of all faiths and backgrounds — honor veterans and recognize that service to our country has been an important part of the American Jewish story since before the founding of our nation. This event is about the value of service and the role Jewish Americans have played in protecting the rights and freedoms of all Americans through military service to our country for nearly 250 years.
