Delaware Memorial Honors Jewish Veterans

From the The Daily Times of Delmarva.

Del.’s Jewish veterans cap off project

After years of planning, war memorial to honor those who served – and died – will be unveiled

By ROBIN BROWN, The News Journal

A garrison cap, such as those worn by veterans, will be the dramatic centerpiece of a new display that soon will honor Delaware’s Jewish war veterans and those killed in combat.

 

Years of discussions and planning culminate Tuesday in the display’s dedication ceremony, set for 2 p.m. at the Jewish Community Center, 101 Garden of Eden Road, off Concord Pike (U.S. 202) in Talleyville.

The public is invited and light refreshments will be served after a brief ceremony.

Commander Leonard Markowitz of the Jewish War Veterans of the United States’ Department of Delaware is scheduled to speak at the ceremony, with closing remarks by Rabbi Sanford L. Dresin of the Adas Kodesch Shel Emeth Synagogue.

Dresin is director of military programs for the Aleph Institute, which is authorized by the Department of Defense to certify rabbis to be military chaplains. An Army veteran, Dresin served for 26 years as a chaplain, retiring as a colonel.

The Jewish War Veterans group – which welcomes new veterans as members and supporters without military service as sponsors – had discussed the idea of a memorial for many years, said member Henry Galperin.

After Markovitz became state commander, Galperin said, “He said, ‘We’re finally going to get this done.’ ” Markowitz tapped Galperin, who served in the Air Force during the Korean War, to spearhead the effort late last year.

Galperin, who retired in 1996 after 20 years with his own advertising agency, also is a past president of the Jewish Historical Society of Delaware.

For help with the display, he thought of society archivist Gail Pietrvyk.

“I thought, ‘Let me see if I can get her involved in this project,’ ” he said. “She was between major projects and said, ‘Sure, I’d love to get involved.’ ”

The two worked for months on the display with critical help from nearly a dozen volunteers who researched the names and photographs of hundreds of Delaware’s deceased Jewish soldiers – many of whom received medals for bravery or the Purple Heart for wounds suffered in combat – who will be listed in the display. Space also will be reserved in the display so that names may be added in the future.

The idea to use a garrison cap – this one a cloth cap bearing the Jewish War Veterans logo – came from Galperin’s daughter, Fern Galperin, who lives in Connecticut. As they talked about his work on the memorial, he said, she suggested it include something three-dimensional and symbolic “to dramatize the loss of the fallen.”

They talked about several symbols – the riderless horse of a fallen leader, empty chairs set for prisoners of war, an aircraft formation with an empty position – and she suggested a hat, like in a “field memorial,” when a fallen soldier’s hat or helmet is hung on his rifle stuck in the ground.

The veteran’s cap will fill a prominent spot in the top case of the display, which will also include photos of Jewish Delawareans killed in action and a history of the Jewish War Veterans organization.

The just-installed display incorporates plaques and pictures hung on the Jewish Community Center’s existing Memorial Wall over the years.

For the cases themselves, the vets’ group hired Joe Maxwell, a carpenter and cabinetmaker from Cochranville, Pa. He created a one-of-a-kind grouping of wood-and-glass cases installed to appear as if they are floating on the Memorial Wall.

“We’re extremely proud of this striking display,” Galperin said. “It’s magnificent and it’s different, it really is.”

And while the display was years in the making, Galperin said, “It was a labor of love … and a dream come true.”

Contact robin brown at 324-2856 or .