Post 126 General Membership Meeting:

Monday, January 8, 2007 - 7:30PM at Temple Beth Sholom

Guest Speaker:  Robert Jacobs, Department of New Jersey Commander
Subject:  Jewish War Veteran Initiatives in New Jersey

It’s January 1, 2007 and I woke up to the news that there are now 3,000 U.S. military dead and 22,000 causalities since the war started in Iraq in 2003. As veterans and friend of veterans we know that when an individual is killed or wounded in battle they change the lives of numerous members of their family. DOD says the ratio of 1 killed or injured directly impacts 10 family members. We aren’t sure how many of these killed and injured heroes are Jewish, but many of us know of more than a few Jews that have served in Iraq and not returned the same.

Since September 11, 2001, 80% of the U.S. Reserve Components (National Guard and Reserve) forces have been activated to fight the Global War on Terrorism (GWOT) – 510,000 Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, and Coast Guard. They have been activated for 30 days to two years and some have been activated more than one time. We are now in the sixth year of the "long war", GWOT, and there is no end in sight. We don’t know how many Jews are among the 510,000 but the Jewish Welfare Board estimates 2% are Jewish.

Your Post 126 has taken the lead for our community in supporting our Jewish and non-Jewish troops both activated and reserve component members. In the previous two months we have jointly organized two of the major veteran’s support events for New Jersey: Veterans Dinner Dance and Thanksgiving Dinner for troops deploying to Iraq. There have been more than a dozen other troop support activities our post has actively led or participated in during the previous two months. The most recent was a Hanukkah Party at McGuire AFB/ Ft. Dix – 39 Post members and spouses participated and there were approximately 90 people in attendance, it was a great experience.

In my view, the "next" Greatest Generation is serving in our Armed Forces today. The future of your Post and the Jewish War Veterans rests with how we support and welcome the next generation.

What’s next?

Every once in a while in one’s life, we will be called upon to fight a "special battle". I’m calling upon each of our members and friends to support the Post activities. Over the next few months we will continue to increase our support of U.S. troops. We have some money for the effort but need people like you to participate and lead our activities. Additionally, we will increase our support of all Post members and their families by social activities and sharing veteran related information.

Please keep looking for information in the Post 126 newsletter, telephone calls, post cards, and our soon-to-be activated Post website.

If you need transportation to the meetings or activities, please call one of the Post officers listed on the front page of this newsletter. We will do our best to provide it.

Please join me in supporting the current and "next" Greatest Generation!

Respectfully,

Nelson L. Mellitz – Commander Post 126

JWV/JWVA Mid-winter Convention BANQUET:

January 13, 2007 at the Port-O-Call Hotel, Ocean City, New Jersey. Anyone wishing to attend the banquet only, call Arthur Seltzer at 856-428-1561. Rooms have already been reserved for those who have paid.

Also look for information in the coming months about the Department of New Jersey’s summer convention to be held in June, 2007.

Monday, January 15th.

Information is also available on the Internet at www.va.gov or from any local veterans service organization.

A THANK YOU TO POST 126 FOR THE CHANUKAH PACKAGES - FROM IRAQ:

TO F. Penina Hoffnung, Director Dept of Jewish Education & Continuity,

JEWISH FEDERATION OF SOUTHERN NEW JERSEY:

Please extend my thank you to the South Jersey Jewish school leadership and students for supporting Operation Maccabbi 2006 with Hanukkah cards and letter for the troops. We send over 400 cards and letters from the Southern New Jersey community to Jewish troops in Afghanistan, Iraq, Kuwait, and the surrounding middle-eastern countries "stans." I spoke to Chaplain/ Rabbi (Colonel) Ira Kronenberg, USAR last night and he said the Hanukkah cards and letters arrived and were handed out to several hundred Jewish troops in the combat area.

I'm sure the cards and letters provided the troops great comfort from home in a hostile environment.

Thank you again for participating in Operation Maccabbi 2006.

Have a happy and healthy New Year!

Please feel free to e-mail this message to your schools and students.

Sincerely,

Nelson

CHANUKAH HUMOR:

A woman goes to the post office to buy stamps for her Chanukah cards. She says to the clerk, "May I have 50 Chanukah stamps?"

The clerk says, "What denomination?"

"Oh my God," the woman says, "has it come to this? Give me 6 Orthodox,

12 Conservative and 32 Reform."

PRESS RELEASE FROM NATIONAL JWV:

JWV Opposes Criminal or Civil Claim against Defense Secretary Rumsfeld and Others.

The Jewish War Veterans of the USA (JWV) opposes the vacuous political efforts to have former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and others face civil or criminal charges brought by former prisoners in Iraq and Afghanistan for what appears to be purely political purposes.

The prisoners, represented by attorneys from the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), contend that Rumsfeld and other high-ranking military officials ignored warnings about the alleged abuse of these prisoners, and they were in violation of their constitutional rights.

This once again confirms our proposal that no American troops or officials be assigned to any country which does not grant them immunity. This was recently shown in Belgium, where NATO is erecting new buildings, and in Germany, where U.S. troops number 65,000. In both instances the suits were denied lest the U.S. withdraw funding and personnel. But what will happen after the U.S. withdraws from the country?

The JWV has long been on record in opposing the jurisdiction of civil courts and such entities as the International Criminal Court to try American government officials or our troops for actions committed in the course of their terms of office or actions (political or military). Such prosecutions would leave civil courts free to try cases which ought to be adjudicated by military courts. Such cases could also lead to officials of a sovereign government being tried by courts with no jurisdiction to adjudicate internal matters of another sovereign government.

It is for this reason that government officials are generally immune from civil suits related to their jobs as representatives of a government entity. The JWV supports this position and urges the Federal judge hearing this case to dismiss these claims. Our officials and military officers must be free to conduct their jobs as they see fit without the threat of prosecution from a civil court or an international body that does not have jurisdiction over the actions of the representatives of a sovereign nation.

COMMUNICATIONS:

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