The U.S. House of Representatives passed a bipartisan bill on Monday to help the family members of fallen Jewish American servicemembers commemorate their fallen heroes with proper military grave markers.
H.R. 2701, the Fallen Servicemembers Religious Heritage Restoration Act, led by Reps. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.) and Max Miller (R-Ohio), was introduced in April. It passed by a voice vote.
Some 900 American-Jewish servicemembers killed in World War I and World War II are estimated to have been mistakenly buried overseas under Latin Crosses, rather than the Jewish Star of David.
The act directs the American Battle Monuments Commission to create a 10-year program to assist in identifying servicemembers incorrectly buried under incorrect markers. Five years of funding, at $500,000 per year, is to be provided, on top of the ABMC budget.
“This bill is an important step to allow for the research necessary to correct these errors and ensure there are resources for that work,” Wasserman Schultz said in a statement. “This will make it possible for these brave Jewish servicemembers’ descendants to know that their loved one’s military service, life and religious heritage are properly honored.”
The process for replacing a grave marker at American Battle Monuments Commission cemeteries can be difficult, as the next of kin is required to document their decedent’s religious heritage, 80 years or more after they fell in battle.
The appropriated funding under the bill would go to contract nonprofits to identify and research Jewish American servicemembers buried in ABMC cemeteries, and locate those whose grave markers don’t reflect their Jewish religion and heritage.
“This vote represents more than funding. It is a recognition that the sacred duty of remembrance belongs to the entire nation,” Shalom Lamm, chief historian of “Operation Benjamin,” stated.
“Operation Benjamin” is a donor-supported nonprofit based in New York that works closely with ABMC to preserve the memory of fallen Jewish American soldiers from both World Wars.
“We have labored as historians, families and volunteers to right these wrongs,” Lamm stated. “Now, Congress has declared that this mission must be a shared one: a partnership between private citizens and the public institutions entrusted with our collective history.”
Companion legislation, S. 1318, led by Sens. Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.) and Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), will now be considered in the Senate.
The bill is supported by the Jewish Federations of North America, Jewish War Veterans, the Military Order of the Purple Heart, Gold Star Spouses of America, Vietnam Veterans of America, the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors and the Non-Commissioned Officers Association.
