Today is the beginning of Hanukkah, eight of the holiest days in the Jewish calendar.
Hanukkah commemorates the re-dedication of the holy Temple in Jerusalem following the Jewish victory over the Syrian-Greeks in 165 B.C.E. It also reminds us of the great Jewish contributions that have been made to our military by extreme dedication and hard of work of many patriots over many years.
Since the birth of our country and even before, Jews have been part of our Armed Forces, making contributions to keep us safe and free. In George Washington’s Continental Army, there were Jewish patriots present, fighting for America’s freedom from the British. Lt. Col. Solomon Bush was one such famous Jew, decorated for bravery in fighting the British at the battle of Brandywine, where his brother Lewis was also gravely wounded.
Since then our military has always had Jewish troops fighting and supporting America in every armed conflict we’ve been in. Roughly 250,000 Jews fought for the United States in World War I, another 550,000 in World War II. Admiral Ben Moreel became the first Jewish sailor to reach the rank of 4 star admiral and founded the famous Navy Seabees.
During the 1950's, Ben Moreell became a conservative activist. He helped to set up the Americans for Constitutional Action and outlined his views in a book that he wrote, The Admiral's Log (Philadelphia: Intercollegiate Society of Individualists, 1958).
Did you and Maddi go running today?