Photos by Fred Kropveld
SAN DIEGO (SDJW) — Jewish veterans representing major American branches of the military assembled on Monday, Nov. 11, in front of Tifereth Israel Synagogue for a flag raising, words of tribute to current American servicemen, and reflections on their own military service to the United States.
As is customary, the ceremony was timed to coincide with 11:11 a.m. on November 11 (11/11), which were the time and date of Armistice Day ending World War I in 1918. In the United States, Armistice Day’s name was changed to Veterans Day, and elsewhere, such as in the United Kingdom, it became Remembrance Day.
The ceremony at Tifereth Israel Synagogue was organized by Bill Sperling, a former Navy doctor and retired Kaiser Permanente pulmonologist. “Taps,” the mournful anthem played at funerals, was sounded by Russell Pitts, a current mathematics teacher.
Rabbi Hanan Leberman hadn’t served in the U.S. military but did serve in the Israel Defense Forces, wherein he was honored to be chosen for a detail to escort then-U.S. Vice President Joe Biden on a trip to Bethlehem within the Palestinian Authority. On another occasion he cross-trained with the Green Berets in the United States. At the ceremony, he recited a prayer for current duty military service members.
Judy Springer also hadn’t served in the military but she was a teacher of military dependents at Travis Air Force Base in California, where she developed a great deal of respect and empathy for military families.
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San Diego Jewish World report
I remember attending during the COVID shutdown and taking notes with the kids to turn in for Social Studies credit. Hopefully, we will be in town next year since I would like to share my dad z”l and father-in-law’s service stories.