Jewish chaplain Yisahar Izak

From the Fayette Observer: Soldiers tediously shoveled sand, filling bags for their pits as Capt. Yisahar Izak moved around the training area. His presence, quiet and unassuming, didn’t alter the gruff language between laborious scoops. Instead, it offered a sense of serenity for anyone who might pull Izak, a chaplain, aside. “You need anything?” Izak asked a soldier.  The soldier […]

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Guard of Israel – Bencin Riseman and Family in WWI

Russian-immigrant Bencin Riseman joined the Massachusetts National Guard and served on the Mexican Border in 1916. When that conflict ended, Riseman returned home to Boston. The Great War was raging in Europe and Riseman anticipated the need for a growing military in the U.S. He began recruiting in an unofficial capacity. He was particularly interested in training young American Jews to prepare for […]

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The American Jewish Soldier Who Brought Democracy to Japan

Colonel Charles Kades spent most of his overseas service during World War II in Europe. He landed in Southern France on D-Day, and participated in the multiple campaigns and the battle for Rhineland. But it was in Japan that Kades would leave his legacy. A native of Newburgh, N.Y., he arrived in Japan one week before the Japanese surrender aboard the U.S.S Missouri. […]

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