Beth Hillel Synagogue E-Shul .. Shabbat Terumah... sent on February 3, 2011 / 29 Shevat 5771

The Four Chaplains...... we still remember!

Sixty-eight years ago today, on February 3, 1943, several hundred American soldiers, sailors and merchant mariners lost their lives when their troopship, the USAT Dorchester was torpedoed just 80 miles from the Greenland coast. In the midst of this horrific tragedy, survivors reported an amazing act of faith, heroism and self sacrifice. Four US Army Chaplains of different faiths gave up their life jackets to other soldiers as the ship was sinking, and prayed together one final time.

Over the last three years I have had the opportunity to research and read some of the Chaplains' military records, and to speak to some of the people who knew them before this profound act. Since many of the Four Chaplains have ties to Pennsylvania, I wanted to share what I have learned of these four men on the anniversary of their ultimate sacrifice.

Today, we often learn that our heroes have some of the same flaws as ourselves, our neighbors or our families. In going through their own records and in reading their own handwriting, I discovered their greatness in not only how they died, but in how they lived.

George Fox, born in Lewistown, Pennsylvania, volunteered to serve as a medic as a teenager in World War One. On the battlefield, he showed bravery and compassion, saving lives on and earning awards for valor from the United States and France. After the war, he went into business, married and became a Methodist Minister. Writing on the letterhead of his local American Legion post in Gilman, Vermont, where he also served as a State Chaplain, Fox volunteered to "serve the spiritual needs of the men in the service."

Rabbi Alexander D. Goode was a strong advocate for civil rights and public education while serving as a religious leader in York, Pennsylvania. When asked to sponsor a new Boy Scout troop, he boldly led the way in the 1930s by insisting that every child, no matter what the color of their skin, could join. Even before Pearl Harbor, he unsuccessfully volunteered to become a Navy Chaplain.

Rev. Clark V. Poling's father was one of the most widely know Baptist ministers in the country, running a media powerhouse of publishing and radio from the largest Baptist Temple in Philadelphia. Clark told his father that he didn't want to be coward by joining as a Chaplain and wanted to join the infantry. Daniel Poling, a World War One Chaplain, told his son that his experience was that Chaplains had one of the highest mortality rates in uniform.

As a Priest and an educator, John P. Washington was an energetic and popular presence in the Kearny, New Jersey parish. As a young child, he received a BB gun and, some fifty years before the movie "A Christmas Story" was made, he apparently ignored the sage advice of Ralphie Parker's mom and injured his eye. His thick glasses made him recognizable as he took his students to Yankee games in the late 1930s. A local religious leader recounted to me a story heard from an elderly congregant. As a young child she was being teased by other children because of her different faith. Father Washington, who did not immediately recognize the child, was walking by, saw her distress and stopped the teasing.

Unlike younger men who were subject to the draft, all four men volunteered to join the military as Chaplains and, remarkably, they took the extra effort to request in writing combat and overseas duty. Rev. Fox cited his prior combat and first aid experience. In the military, every Chaplain filled out a monthly report describing their efforts. Rev. Poling took the unusual step of requesting overseas duty at the end of one of his reports, stating that while he believes when there is just one soldier there is work for a Chaplain, he believed he could do more in combat. Father Washington prepared a hand written letter to a Chief Chaplain that opened with humility and humor. "A feint heart never won a fair lady" he wrote in his request to his General.

When facing death, these chaplains prayed and worked together. But in my mind, what is also remarkable is how they worked together and let their faith compliment each other long before that fateful night. Ernest Heaton, one of the few remaining survivors of the sinking told me of his first encounter with them on land as the Four Chaplains casually introduced themselves on a street corner and together sought to learn his background and concerns. They were the original "G-d squad", a team of men of different faiths who did not wait for people with problems to come to them. Together they proactively ministered to their soldiers, no matter the religion.

Today our faiths, our military and our country face numerous challenges. I would not presume to draw specific policy conclusions from the experiences of these four men more than two thirds of a century ago. But I believe that their enthusiasm to serve and work with others, the importance of their faith and their willingness to sacrifice for others can inspire Americans today. We may never be called upon to take off that life jacket, but in our everyday lives, we can offer a hand.

Dan Ocko, Esq is a Volunteer Board Member of the Four Chaplains Memorial Chapel Foundation. The Foundation seeks to educate the public about the story of the Four Chaplains and to encourage volunteerism. www.fourchaplains.org

Israel News

What is happening in Egypt will have a great effect on Israel. The newspapers and magazines are full of articles trying to divine the future of Egypt and the efffect of the rioting on Israel/ the Middle East.

The article below, ccourtesy of Arutz Sheva, shares some news that I haven't read elsewhere.

Gold-Seeking Mobs Destroy Egypt's Historic Treasures

by David Lev