Standing in the Shadow of the IDF

Tablet Magazine published a discussion with Jewish historian Derek Penslar back in October that really struck a chord with me. The focus of the conversation is how the valor of Diaspora Jews who fought in the U.S. military is sometimes overshadowed by Israel’s military success.

The anecdote that really drives the point home is one that Penslar shares from his book, Jews and the Military: A History:

He gave a lecture about Jewish soldiers at a synagogue in Toronto, in the presence of many who had seen fighting in World War II and the Korean War—conflicts that were some the most vicious imaginable. But it was another man, who announced that he had served in the Harel Brigade in Israel’s 1948 War of Independence, who received all the applause.

Here at Jews in Green, my focus has always been to highlight Jewish service in the U.S. Armed Forces. I occasionally receive story ideas about the IDF that are completely compelling (and impressive), but don’t fit into our “mission” here. As most Jews, I have a special connection to Israel that existed long before I ever traveled there. I think it’s only natural to hold those who fought for, and continue to defend, the Jewish state in a unique regard. But the reasons we honor those troops are very different than the reasons we honor Jewish troops in our own country. By lumping them together I think we muddy the history of Jewish military service.

I’m not (and nor do I think Penslar is) suggesting that we diminish Israeli service in any way, just that we distinguish between that type of military service and the service by Diaspora Jews in their own countries’ militaries. The risk we face by making Israel the main focus of Jewish military pride is that it feeds into the stereotype that Jews somehow lack patriotism and loyalty to our native country.

As early as the French revolutionary wars, Jews proclaimed that the ultimate proof of their patriotism was their willingness to face other Jews in the field of battle. Jews continued to sound this note throughout the 1800s, and in World War I, Jews simultaneously declared their willingness to die for their countries and celebrated the heroism of Jews fighting for the other side.

…In the years after Israel’s creation, the transnational nature of the 1948 war—and the general story of Jews as soldiers in modern armies—was forgotten. The Holocaust, so it seemed, demonstrated the futility of Jewish devotion to states that betrayed them. As anti-Semitism ebbed, American Jews felt less compelled to publicize their contributions to the nation. In an act of psychic displacement Israel became the focus of Jewish military pride, the epitome of Jewish valor and virility.

Admittedly, the lines between Allied and Israeli military service were blurred during the founding of the Jewish state:

Israel could not have won the war without assistance from Diaspora Jewry. Almost 90 percent of the costs of weapons purchased by Israel in 1948 were provided by foreign, mostly Jewish, donations. Foreign volunteers known as Machal numbered only about 3500, but they comprised most of Israel’s infant air force. The Machal also included ground commanders, the most famous of whom was Mickey Marcus, who headed the Jerusalem front.

It’s worth noting that Penslar’s commentary ends with the period soon after WWII and the Korean War. We now have over two generations of Jewish troops that have fought in American wars since the founding of Israel. As the number of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans begin to outnumber WWII and Korea at veterans events in synagogues across the country, the distinction between American and Israeli service has become more distinct.

What I hope the reader takes away from this (other than heading over to read the full interview) is that we should make an effort to distinguish between these two sets of Jewish warriors. On Veterans Day, we should recall the accomplishments and honor the service of American Jewish service members. On Yom Ha’atzmaut, we should do the same for Israeli service members. I know I may be splitting hairs here, but I think this subtle distinction is an important one that recognizes the different contributions that these two groups have made to not only the Jewish people, but the world as a whole.

[Ed. Note: For somewhat of a different perspective, see another article by Tablet Magazine about how American IDF veterans living in the U.S. are caught between two worlds.]