The Jews of Iwo Jima
Yesterday marked the 60th anniversary of the start of the battle for Iwo Jima. I thought it appropriate to spotlight some news and information about the Jews who fought and died in the five-week battle between 70,000 American Marines (1,500 of which were Jewish) and an unknown number of deeply entrenched Japanese defenders.
The Metro West Daily writes about Sam Bernstein, a 20-year-old (Jewish) Marine corporal at the time of the battle.
Bernstein chuckles when he remembers the Tootsie Rolls he put in his cartridge belt.
“I chose Tootsie Rolls because they wouldn’t melt and they were just the size of a bullet. At the same time, I strapped on three or four bandoliers full of ammunition. Still, if the officers had known what I was doing, they probably would have shot me instead of the Japanese.”
He does not chuckle when he remembers the two men who were killed in his foxhole. Or the day he helped the Jewish chaplain bury some Marines. He wrote a poem that day; his wife will read it toward the end of his presentation. He cannot, he said.
An interesting fact that many of you may be unaware of is the historic events that surrounded a Jewish chaplain on the island.
Rabbi Roland B. Gittelsohn, assigned to the Fifth Marine Division, was the first Jewish chaplain the Marine Corps ever appointed. Rabbi Gittelsohn was in the thick of the fray, ministering to Marines of all faiths in the combat zone. His tireless efforts to comfort the wounded and encourage the fearful won him three service ribbons.
When the fighting was over, Rabbi Gittelsohn was asked to deliver the memorial sermon at a combined religious service dedicating the Marine Cemetery. Unfortunately, racial and religious prejudice led to problems with the ceremony. What happened next immortalized Rabbi Gittelsohn and his sermon forever.
Read on to learn more and to see Rabbi Gittelsohn’s sermon.
It was Division Chaplain Warren Cuthriell, a Protestant minister, who originally asked Rabbi Gittelsohn to deliver the memorial sermon. Cuthriel wanted all the fallen Marines (black and white, Protestant, Catholic and Jewish) honored in a single, nondenominational ceremony. However, according to Rabbi Gittelsohn’s autobiography, the majority of Christian chaplains objected to having a rabbi preach over predominantly Christian graves The Catholic chaplains, in keeping with church doctrine opposed any form of joint religious service.
To his credit, Cuthriell refused to alter his plans. Gittelsohn, on the other hand, wanted to save his friend Cuthriell further embarrassment and so decided it was best not to deliver his sermon. Instead, three separate religious services were held. At the Jewish service, to a congregation of 70 or so who attended, Rabbi Gittelsohn delivered the powerful eulogy he originally wrote for the combined service:
Here lie men who loved America because their ancestors generations ago helped in her founding. And other men who loved her with equal passion because they themselves or their own fathers escaped from oppression to her blessed shores. Here lie officers and men, Negroes and Whites, rich men and poor, together. Here are Protestants, Catholics, and Jews together. Here no man prefers another because of his faith or despises him because of his color. Here there are no quotas of how many from each group are admitted or allowed. Among these men there is no discrimination. No prejudices. No hatred. Theirs is the highest and purest democracy…
Whosoever of us lifts his hand in hate against a brother, or who thinks himself superior to those who happen to be in the minority, makes of this ceremony and the bloody sacrifice it commemorates, an empty, hollow mockery. To this then, as our solemn sacred duty, do we the living now dedicate ourselves: To the right of Protestants, Catholics, and Jews, of White men and Negroes alike, to enjoy the democracy for which all of them have here paid the price…
We here solemnly swear this shall not be in vain. Out of this and from the suffering and sorrow of those who mourn this, will come, we promise, the birth of a new freedom for the sons of men everywhere.
Among Gittelsohn’s listeners were three Protestant chaplains so incensed by the prejudice voiced by their colleagues that they boycotted their own service to attend Gittelsohn’s. One of them borrowed the manuscript and, unknown to Gittelsohn, circulated several thousand copies to his regiment. Some Marines enclosed the copies in letters to their families. An avalanche of coverage resulted. Time magazine published excerpts, which wire services spread even further. The entire sermon was inserted into the Congressional Record, the Army released the eulogy for short-wave broadcast to American troops throughout the world and radio commentator Robert St. John read it on his program and on many succeeding Memorial Days.
In 1995, in his last major public appearance before his death, Gittelsohn reread a portion of the eulogy at the 50th commemoration ceremony at the Iwo Jima statue in Washington, D.C. In his autobiography, Gittelsohn reflected, “I have often wondered whether anyone would ever have heard of my Iwo Jima sermon had it not been for the bigoted attempt to ban it.”
Good day,
Thanks to a special angel for sending this post to me.
Rabbi Gittelsohn’s words are as timely today as when written in the dark days of WW 11.
As I reread his tribute prayer for all men of whatever faiths, I pray we repeat this prayer till we get “it” right.
God bless our men and women in uniform and may He keep them safe and return them quickly to their loved ones.
Kath
Kathleen Fennell, PA-c, RN
12th Evac Hospital
Cu Chi, RVN 1968-69
on returning Humanitarian mission with a hell of a group of RVN Vets and Rotarians to Viet Nam 11/6/07
I can’t seem to find appropriate words. I am very glad that someone has shown this to me. To all who read this: stay well, stay safe.
-bp
While in the army in Korea during the Korean conflict I was not impressed by most of the chaplains. When you found a good one, of what ever faith, you went only to him. I feel that the Catholic and Protestant chaplains should remember that if not for the Jewish race and their religion there would not be any chaplains other than Jewish ones for the others depend on the fact that their religion came directly from the solid foundation laid down by the Jewish faith and their TALMUND. I write this not with the intention of offending anyone, but if I do then that is their problem. Sometimes the truth hurts.
Perhaps all Chaplains should be Jewish! I was in elemntary school during War 2, so it was in my lifetime.
Schools were segregated in the South at the time. We have improved a bit since then.
Thank you for publishing this important message from that war.
Those of us who belong to Jesus Christ and thus God can do nothing but stand firm in support of Israel and the Jewish People, God’s Chosen Ones. and stand fast in opposing by all means the efforts from any source to divide the lands that the Lord God gave them. Anyone who opposes or opresses the Jews, our Brother, are thus opposing GOD, ignorant or not and deserve the punishment that He levies on them.
Our fragile republic will stand as long as this credo is in our hearts.
God Bless all of our men and women in uniform, past, present and future.
I am privileged to have seen this article and all it encompasses. Truly, Rabbi Gittelsohn saw the truth of God’s Word and lived it! Let us all keep his thoughts in our hearts and live them, even in this day when so many have forgotten. Let us make our stand for God and His love of all people and be proud. God bless all of you.
I AM NOT JEWISH BUT GREW UP IN MIAMI FLA. ATTENDING PREDOMINANTLY JEWISH JR & SR HIGH SCHOOLS.
I HAVE NEVER BEEN TREATED BETTER SINCE THOSE DAYS & BELIEVE JEWS TO BE EQUAL OR BETTER CITIZENS THAN MOST ALL OTHER RELIGIOUS OR ETHNIC GROUPS !
“THE WORLD IS A DANGEROUS PLACE TO LIVE, NOT BECAUSE OF THE PEOPLE WHO ARE EVIL…
BUT BECAUSE OF THE PEOPLE WHO DON’T DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT” ALBERT EINSTEIN
(THE SMARTEST HUMAN OF THE 20TH CENTURY) ALBERT EINSTEIN & THE JEWS OF IWO JIMA WERE GOD’S GIFTS TO THIS NATION !
AMERICA SHOULD ALWAYS PROTECT ISRAEL…
FROM OUR COMMON ENEMIES !
Respectfully submitted,
Stan Horton, Col. of Marines (ret)
Thanks to all of the men and women in the Armed Forces. They are the bravest of the brave. May God be with them and their families during this time of war. And thanks to all that have fought in previous wars. God bless you all and continue to give you the strength and courage to carry on. May He keep you in His care and His angels be with you in battle.
My great-uncle Harry, who was my grandmother’s step-brother, fought at Iwo Jima and Guadalcanal as a Marine infantryman during World War II. It shaped the rest of his life, needless to say, and he was a profound influence in my decision to one day join the Army.
Happy Veterans Day (observed) to all Marines, Soldiers, sailors and airmen, past, present and future.
Our Lord Jesus Christ was Jewish by birth and it seems incomprehensible to me that any Christian could be prejudiced against any Jewish person because of his parentige or his religion.
I suspect any such prejudiced person will regret it on the Day of Judgment
It should not be forgotten that Rabbi Roland Gittelsohn was a life-long pacifist. He became a chaplain during WWII out of a sense of duty. After the war he served as Chair of the Jewish Peace Fellowship. His writings and sermons attest to his belief that war must be a last resort in human relations.
I believe that anyone who has been to war must understand this at some level. Rabbi Gittelsohn is not the only combat veteran I know who is a pacifist.
Rabbi Gittelsohn’s speech actually made me cry.
He sounds like a real statesman. An American patriot of the highest order.
We need more spokesmen for Jews like him and not those collectivists with Jewish sounding last names.
It’s time for American’s of Jewish descent to speak out in favor of what this nation is supposed to be. It’s time to speak OUT AGAINST the Collectivist, Liberal establishment, their spokesmen and organizations who wish to make us a part of their “New World Order.”
Mr. Ladner’s comment is offensive. What does “Jewish-sounding names” mean? My name is Bentley and I am a rabbi, so I guess I do not have a Jewish-sounding name. “Collectivist” is the name of an anarchist movement, but I suppose Mr. Ladner meant “communist” and equated that with “Liberal” I have seen that before and it is like calling political conservatives fascists. Ciommunism has not been a significant movement in the USA since WWII and has been abandonned as a national economic philosophy almost everywhere that it once ruled. Even China is becoming capitalist and Israel’s kibbutzim have abandoned collectivism (the term Mr. Ladner probably meant to use.) The idea that a Liberal cannot be a patriot is disgusting and false. What is most offensive, however, is the way Mr. Ladner identifies Roland Gittelsohn with his own narrow-mindedness. I knew Rabbi Gittelsohn. His views on social issues were progressive and he was an outspoken critic of the Viet Nam war and other foreign policy outrages. The men who fought at Iwo Jima included people of all political philosophies, even a liberal pacifist like Rabbi Gittelsohn. The kind of demonization Mr. Ladner engages in weakens America and has unfortunately become common. We are all the poorer for it.
Rabbi Bentley:
What were your views on the Soviet slaughter of thousands of our fellow Jews in the early 1950’s????????
Did you know that there was an uproar in this great land?
Did you know that the CPUSSR (Communist Party of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics) told their sister organization the CPUSA (Communist Party of the United States of American) to stop any dissent against the attrocities going on?
How many Jew’s have to die before the communists get what they want????
Let me get this straight…
We’ve gone from a soul-stirring speech that blossomed in spite of bigotry, which in turned honored the sacrifice of American servicemen who bled or died on a piece of Pacific rock, to concerns over communism?
Kudos to you, Rabbi Bentley, for setting this straight.
This site is about Jews in the service of the United States Military… it is not a platform for any lunatic fringe pushing some kind of flaky Ron Paul agenda. If, as I suspect, Mr. Ladner singled out the crop of activists who spring from Judaism’s missive for tikkun olam, and end up working for NGOs, I’d be more concerned about that kind of Antisemitism than that of those darned commies. My own dear cousin has just embarked on life working for some NGO, and there’s nothing but stars in her eyes as she seeks to make the world a better place. She’s not seeking some kind of New World Order/tin foil hat collectivist agenda.
Mr. Ladner, I’m all for your participation in the democratic process, and what not, but your posts aren’t germane to this site or post topic.
PLEASE PERMIT ME TO PLAY REFEREE HERE BY THE SAYING THE FOLLOWING…
LENNY LADNER IS NOT ANTI-JEWISH !
HE IS THE ONE WHO E-MAILED ME THIS SITE TO REVIEW!
HE IS SIMPLY TRYING TO MAKE A VALID POINT HERE.
MOST JEWS VOTE DEMOCRAT – BUT HILLARY WOULD SACRAFICE ISRAEL IF IT SPARED HER A TERRORIST ATTACK OR EVEN GAVE HER A “POLITICAL BOUNCE” IN THE NATIONAL PRESIDENTIAL RACE !
MANY DEMOCRATS ARE NOW CALLING FOR TERMINATING OUR SUPPORT FOR ISRAEL ! AMERICAN JEWS HAD BETTER WAKE UP AND FAST, AS TOO MUCH IS NOW AT RISK..
THIS EVIL WITCH WOULD EVEN THROW ISRAELI JEWS INTO AN ISLAMIC OVEN IF IT GOT HER ELECTED !
ISRAEL DESERVES OUR BEST PROTECTION & SUPPORT,
NOT TO BECOME A “POLITICAL PAWN” USED BY HILLARY CLINTON TO APPEASE ARAB-ISLAMIC FANATICS !
THESE ARE TRUTHFUL WORDS & I STAND BY THEM…
STAN HORTON, COL. of MARINES (RET)
I have apparently struck a nerve mentioning Rabbi Gittelsohn’s pacifism.
I posted about a fellow rabbi whom I greatly admired and I got responses about the Communist menace (which has been gone for almost 20 years) and a partisan attack on the leading Democratic candidate. How is that right for this site?
Col. Horton’s statements on Sen. Clinton and Israel are completely off-base and untrue. They are probably repeated from one of the many right-wing blogs or from Fox News. Hillary Clinton is a senator from New York and I can assure anyone reading this that no one can win a state-wide election in New York and be remotely anti-Israel. The people of that state overwhelmingly support Israel whether or not they are Jewish. Words like “evil witch” are childish. Is this the level political discourse has fallen to in this country? By the way I do not support Senator Clinton’s candidacy largely because I find her to be too hawkish.
Here’s my response to Col. Horton’s diatribe. Many Republicans maintain the our President is a great friend of Israel. I disagree. I think our President abandoned Israel for the past seven years either because that was something his predecessor cared about or because he did not feel up to the task. He has made a terrible mess of the entire region from Turkey to the border of India and that is not good for Israel. I am glad he has finally decided to try his hand at starting peace talks but I fear he will mess it up just like he messes up everything he touches. The Bush family has been doing business with the Saudis for over 70 years and it strikes me as more likely he’s sell out Israel to them than that any Democrat likely to be elected would. Israel is a real country and I have both family and friends there. I care very much what happens to Israel. (Please note that I criticize George W. Bush, but I do not need to call him names)
Okay we’ve all had our say. Could we now go back to the purpose of this site honoring the dead and veterans of Iwo Jima? It is a great shame that our nation has lost the unity of purpose it had during World War II. There were political differences of course, but there was also a strong sense of shared identity and purpose. A site like this might remind us of how we used to be and should be again.
This Prayer is the most stiring Eulogy i have ever heard. I have read this at synogouge meetings and JWV Post meetings. A true message to all religonist and non religonists. A great example for all.