Operation Benjamin - Jewish WWII Soldiers buried under crosses

[KewlKat]

Operation Benjamin is an organization created by Rabbi Jacob J. Schacter to identify Jewish soldiers who died in WWII that had been mistakenly buried under crosses.

The first case

Four years earlier, as Rabbi Jacob J. Schacter gazed at the stones that mark the 172.5-acre bluff overlooking Omaha Beach, he took mental note of the periodic stars that interrupted the crisp rows of crosses.

Schacter, a professor of Jewish history and thought at Yeshiva University in New York, had an itching feeling that something was off: there were too few stars in the cemetery.

Upon returning home, Schacter approached his friend, Shalom Lamm, who has a background in military history, to share his theory. The two decided to investigate and enlisted the help of a summer intern from the university.

Unscientifically choosing a “Jewish-sounding name,” the group began to painstakingly recreate the life of Benjamin Garadetsky, consulting military archives, uncovering familial documents and verifying that the young private, who was buried under a Latin Cross, was unmistakably Jewish.

more information at the link above...


This group will not take funds from family members and if you'd like to donate to this effort, then here's their WEBSITE