Shalom Lamm is a New York real estate executive who focuses on high profile residential rehabilitation projects. Active with the board of the Jewish Institute of National Security Affairs, Shalom Lamm serves as an Operation Benjamin founding member. In February 2020, the nonprofit realized a long held goal of holding a burial ceremony for World War II Jewish American soldiers under the Star of David.
As reported by Fox News, the re-naming ceremony was coordinated by the American Battle Monuments Commission and Operation Benjamin. Honoring five fallen soldiers, the historic ceremony at the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial involved the participation of representatives of four of those men. In addition, the Israeli and U.S. ambassadors to the Philippines gave their blessings as part of a ceremony that included a recitation of the Mourner’s Kaddish at each grave site.
There were various reasons why Jewish participants in World War II might be buried under Christian crosses, from clerical error to personal omission. The latter was designed to minimize chances that a soldier would be persecuted, should he be captured in battle. In a number of cases Jewish service members were forced to deface the “H,” which stood for Hebrew, on their dog tags, so as not to be targeted by Nazis after their capture.
That a fundamental mistake was finally rectified, nearly eight decades after these men sacrificed their lives for their country, is a major accomplishment for Operation Benjamin and the families of the fallen.
