Pearl Harbor’s Jewish American Heros

Remember Pearl Harbor

 When you look down the barrel of your gun

Remember all the damage

That those Japanese planes have done!

 

“December 7th, 1941,” President Franklin Delano Roosevelt said, “is a day that shall live in infamy.”

Pearl Harbor was, without a doubt, the most horrific wake-up call this nation had even seen.  And, it certainly served as rallying point, calling an entire nation to arms.  America needed all of her sons to combat the yellow horde in the Pacific, and they all responded – - including those of Jewish descent!

The contribution of Jewish-Americans during WW II was massive – and sacrificial.  In all, 11,000 American Jewish servicemen gave their lives.  Furthermore, a goodly number of Jewish scientists played a major role in developing the atom bomb, which saved millions of American lives by preventing a land invasion of Japan being necessary.

Not only did Jewish-Americans serve, they distinguished themselves as well:  Three were awarded the Medal of Honor; 157 received the Distinguished Service Medal, and more than 1600 the Silver Star.  Chaplain Alexander Goode was one of the “Four Chaplains” who gave up their life jackets and “went down with the ship” when the Dorchester, a U.S. Army troopship, was sunk by a German U Boat in “torpedo alley” a 100 miles of the coast off Greenland in February of 1943.

The bravery and dedication of Jewish soldiers in WW II was not limited to the United States, however.  Nearly 3,000 British Jewish servicemen and women were killed; 200,000 Soviet Jewish servicemen were killed; 30,000 Polish Jews lost their lives in the campaign to stem the tide of the German invasion in 1939 and virtually every other of the Allied Armies had Jewish servicemen who served gallantly and honored both their countries, themselves, and their Jewish heritage.

It is no wonder that, with a legacy like this, the IDF is one of the premier fighting forces in the world today.  From the time of Saul and David to Moshe Dayan, the bravery and dedication of the Jewish soldier has never been doubted and has never been more needed than it is today!

Remember to pray for the Jewish American hero’s and for the peace of Jerusalem.