Armed Forces Day and Veterans Day are the two yearly opportunities for the Fort Belvoir Jewish Congregation community to recognize members’ service to the nation.
On May 16, the FBJC community gathered for its annual Armed Forces Erev Shabbat and Deli Dinner in Fort Belvoir, Virginia, according to FBJC’s lay leader Seth Cohen. The celebratory event preceded Armed Forces Day, this year on May 17, which honors those who serve in the United States military.
“It’s a chance for us to celebrate who we are and what we’ve done for the nation and recognize ourselves as a group within America that has stepped up and taken the oath to serve the nation and defend the Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic,” Cohen said.
The Erev Shabbat event featured a guest speaker, a short service, an a cappella medley with all six branches of the military and a kosher deli feast catered by Motis Market in Rockville. Attendees also ate a traditional patriotic sheet cake that says “Thank you, service members.”
Both active and retired service members were encouraged to don their uniforms as a symbol of their military service, Cohen said.
“The important thing is gathering together as Jewish service members, wearing our uniforms with pride,” he added.
FBJC member Steven Weisel, a 1964 graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, Vietnam War veteran and retired service member now working as a substitute teacher for Fairfax County Public Schools, was this year’s guest speaker.
“He’s a regular member [who] shows up to FBJC events regularly,” Cohen said of Weisel. “He has a very interesting story, and I’ve been wanting him to tell his story to the larger group. We have so many members in our congregation who have such interesting stories; their backgrounds are full of adventure and glory.”
While Cohen largely leaves the topic of the speech up to the guest speakers themselves, he said speakers typically talk about their experiences being Jewish in the military “because common culture doesn’t depict American Jews being in the military.”
“We serve proudly and numerously, and everybody has a different story,” Cohen said. “It’s very interesting to hear everybody’s story.”
The service portion of the event included prayers and a chance to say Kaddish for fallen soldiers and those who aren’t able to say Kaddish themselves.
Cohen drew parallels between Jewish values and serving one’s country.
“I think the entire country relates to Jewish values,” he said. “Our country is founded on aspirations and ideals that are in a document, not [those of] any one person. Similarly, Judaism is centered around the Torah, which has been passed down through the ages and distributed widely.
“It’s also a Jewish concept to defend our ideals and fight for what we believe in, and Armed Forces Day is just another day where we recognize those aspects of being American.”
Cohen said he most looks forward to this annual event and Veterans Day.
“These two events are my two favorite events to attend because we get to see Jewish American servicemen and touch them, shake their hands and hear their stories,” Cohen said. “[I hope attendees walk away] knowing they’re not alone as Jews in the military.”
