By Jacob Kamaras
LA JOLLA, California — When Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin directed the movement of the USS Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group to the Eastern Mediterranean this week in response to the Hamas attack on Israel, it carried a special meaning for my family.
The Torah scroll that is currently aboard the USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier was donated by my family in memory of my grandfather and namesake, Sgt. Jacob Kamaras, a veteran of the U.S. Army Air Corps during World War II. We commissioned the scroll in partnership with the JWB Jewish Chaplains Council, a program of the JCC Association of North America, as part of the Torah for Our Troops campaign.
“My dad was a blue-collar worker who was drafted at age 34 before landing in Europe to fight for the four freedoms,” my father, Philip Kamaras, said when the Torah was dedicated in November 2017. “Now his legacy will live on as his Torah sails the world, overlooking brave sailors and giving them strength.”
With Israel at war, the USS Gerald R. Ford is now situated closer to Israel and stands ready “to bolster regional deterrence efforts,” according to Secretary Austin. Should the Jewish troops aboard the carrier find themselves in need of inspiration during this challenging time for Israel, here’s hoping that the Torah scroll can provide it.
Read more about the Torah’s story here and here.
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Jacob Kamaras is editor and publisher of San Diego Jewish World.
Thanks for sharing this.
Beautiful story.
Our son sent this to us; he is a chief in and teacher in the Navy in Norfolk.
Shabbat shalom during this sad time
Hoping and praying that Torah helps to bring victory and peace to Israel, the Middle East and the world.