Jewish military personnel serve with just as much honor as other members of the U.S. Armed Forces, but their families today still have trouble getting accommodations when it comes to burying them at veteran cemeteries.
U.S. Reps. Mario Díaz-Balart and Jared Moskowitz want that to change, and they're asking the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to do something about it.
The two Florida lawmakers and eight other members of Congress sent a letter to VA Secretary Dennis McDonough highlighting three "critical issues" that addressing.
The first issue is wait times. In the Jewish religion, it is considered disrespectful for the deceased to lie in wait for burial, which must be conducted at the earliest opportunity possible. Usually that's within 24 hours after death.
"There is concern that many Jewish veterans have two-plus weeks elapse between time of death and burial ceremony," the letter said.
The second issue concerns the amount of time set aside for the funeral ceremony. Currently, the VA allots a 15- to 20-minute time slot per burial, half of which is dedicated to the honor guard and flag presentation.
Those are customs "greatly appreciated by family members," Moskowitz, Díaz-Balart and the others wrote. But the remaining time is in many cases is not long enough for Jewish families to conduct a service, share memories and receive condolences due to a "backlog of burials" that requires the committal shelter to be cleared for the next service.
"There should not be any scenario where putting a loved one to rest for the final time should be rushed," the letter said. "Family members should be able to spend the time needed to properly say goodbye."
The third issue, completing the burial, also stems from the haste at which the ceremonies take place at VA sites. It is customary in the Jewish religion for community members and loved ones of the deceased to participate in filling the grave by hand, using a spade. The act is widely considered the most striking part of the funeral, with mourners sometimes using the back of the shovel to demonstrate reluctance in saying goodbye.
"This process is sacred for the Jewish community and a key part of the entire process," the letter said.
At VA cemeteries, however, loved ones are not permitted to take part in completing the burial. Instead, it is done by hired workers and machinery.
All three issues must be addressed, the letter said, "because these are pivotal to Jewish burial, the same way that the VA honors its veterans with very specific rituals.
"The VA should allow and honor Jewish veterans who pass away with the customs and practices that have been in place for thousands of years and coincide with the customs (of those) who have risked their lives to serve our great nation."
The other lawmakers who signed the bipartisan letter are U.S. Reps. Becca Balint, Steve Cohen, Dan Goldman, Josh Gottheimer, Max Miller, Katie Porter, Bradley Scott Schneider and Susan Wild.
Sharing the letter with the press, Moskowitz's Office said he was inspired to seek the change after being contacted by the family of 85-year-old Barry Landsberg, a retired New York City Transit lieutenant who died last month and was buried at the South Florida National Cemetery in Lake Worth.
Landsberg's wife, Evelyn, said in a statement that he was "a patriot who loved his country and was proud of his Jewish faith."
"When we buried him, it was only proper that we recognized both of these facts," she wrote.
"However, the accommodations given to Jewish veterans just do not do justice to the heroes we're trying to honor. Burying a loved one is already difficult enough. The last thing families need are unbendable rules that conflict with our faith."
Moskowitz, who is Jewish, said that while he had great admiration for the VA and its dedication to burying victims with respect and dignity, the critical issues outlined in the letter must be addressed "so that every family can have the closure they deserve."
"Jewish veterans risk their lives every day for our freedom and prosperity," he said. "It's only right that their families can have the burial service that honors them properly."
Jewish membership to the American military dates back to colonial times and peaked during World War II, when more than half a million Jews served in various branches of the U.S. Armed Forces.
As detailed last year by The New York Times, many of those service members who died in battle during the war were given Christian burials. The descendants of some of them have partnered with Operation Benjamin, a group that helps deliver ceremonies to American-Jewish WWII vets, to lobby for more religious-specific rites and grave markings at VA cemeteries stateside and abroad.
Today, about 15,000 Jews serve on active duty and another 5,000 are in the National Guard and the Reserves.
