Rabbi Gittelsohn’s Iwo Jima Eulogy

The following is the text from a sermon given by Rabbi Steven Rein of Agudas Achim Synagogue in Alexandria, VA. For the second time in recent memory, the festival of Shavuot, and more specifically, the recitation of Yizkor, coincides with Memorial Day. Today, we recall not only parents, children, siblings, friends, and family, but more than one million men and […]

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Miranda Bloch, The Flying Marine

“What is a nice Jewish girl going to do in the military, especially in the Marine Corps?” –Miranda Bloch’s incredulous father Oy, don’t get me started about that question. The Jewish Women’s Archive has an excellent profile of Miranda Bloch, who enlisted in the Marine Corps during WWII and served as an aviation technician for training flights that prepared pilots […]

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Replace the Clergy? Think Again.

Back in November Captain Timothy Riemann, a student at the Marine Corps’ Expeditionary Warfare School, wrote an article in the Marine Corps Gazette titled Replace the Clergy that argues for disbanding the active duty chaplain corps. For years, the Navy Chaplain Corps has undergone little scrutiny or evaluation of its capabilities or effectiveness. Once examined, it becomes clear that the […]

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It’s Not About The Nosh

While discovering the story about Rabbi Bazer in Kabul, I came across another recent article from Tablet Magazine called Davening for Doughnuts. It’s a personal account from a Jewish Army recruit who was initially lured into services for the snacks, but wound up staying for the meaningful experience. After the service we filed into the parking lot, where some kind, […]

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What Service Should I Join?

I get this question a lot, and not just from JIG readers. While I’m a little biased to the Few and the Proud, even I can admit that there are different benefits and downsides to serving in each of the different branches. Well the folks over at About.com put together a decent guide to choosing a service to enlist in. […]

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Former Marine Teaches Martial Arts in Israel

Y-Net reports on David Stern, a 31-year-old martial arts expert, and former U.S. Marine who is now teaching self-defense to adults and children in Israel. According to the article, he had studied in martial arts prior to joining the Marine Corps and even trained some of his fellow Marines in Krav Maga. My favorite part of the article is how the […]

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