An exhibit opened in West Hartford, CT this week honoring Jewish veterans of WWII at the George J. Sherman and Lottie K. Sherman Museum of Jewish Civilization at the University of Hartford. Over 500,000 Jews served in the U.S. armed forces during WWII, and can be credited with such contributions as rebuilding synagogues, conducting weekday and Shabbat services, and assisting a reconstruction of the Talmud for Army issue:
"From two sets of Talmud brought from New York…a special Army edition of 500 sets were made in 1948. They are the only sets to include the English language, in a preface dedicating it to the U.S. Army for its "major role in the rescue of the Jewish people from total annihilation." The return of the Jewish GIs to the U.S. directly influenced a dissolution of the bigotry against Jews that had been prevalent nationwide, and opened doors that had previously been shut or barely opened. Jews, previously subject to quotas at many colleges and universities, attended schools en masse under the GI Bill. "Seeing Jewish GIs seizing the opportunity to fight for their country, there's something entirely empowering about that," Patt said. "It's only after the destruction of European Jewry that U.S. Jewry rises to a position of prominence on the world stage."
Superior Court Judge Referee Jerry Wagner, featured in the exhibit, agrees. "America at the time of World War II was a country of considerable bigotry. There were openly anti-Semitic senators in Congress," Wagner said. "I'm convinced one of the greatest forces for changing that was the influence of Jewish vets coming back."
The exhibit is on display through February 24th and contains portraits of the 24 local veterans (then and now) and various items they each donated to the exhibit. The exhibit was primarily sponsored by family of Navy veteran Jack Rosenblit (A"H), who passed in 2006 and whose portrait is featured on the exhibit catalog. "He was so proud to be in the Navy and so proud to be an American GI," Rosenblit's widow, Elka, said to the Hartford Courant. "This is my way of celebrating his life."
Related link: Jewish Historical Society of Greater Hartford.
Related reads: Ours to Fight For: American Jewish Voices from the Second World War and G.I. Jews: How World War II Changed a Generation.
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