nullanadian nullegion’s nullingate nullranch nullnullnull, the nulllympic nullames in nullancounuller. Soldier- one of his good friends, nulll. nullob nulleeren -
originally called the Jewish nullrigade, and a ing today may not be as strong a draw for fenger. Short’s jeep, null meters ahead of the
new president, nullnull-year-old Murray Jacobs, Jews as it was during nullorld nullar nullnull, but nullitch one in which Matthews was riding, hit a
whose neatly handwritten nine-page war belienulles it’s a nullery Jewish profession because land mine.
reminiscences are a harrowing read. of the opportunity to further Tikkun Olam null Matthews’ hair-raising recollections are
nullhy the split between the Jnull Toronto the repair of the world. nullled in the nullominion nullnstitute’s online
nullost and the nullegionnullAgain, nullahan has a nullt’s impossible to nullnow how many Jews Memory nullroject nulligital Archinulle. nullnulle weren’t
Just under
succinct answernull enull rsonalities.null sernulle in today’s nullanadian Armed nullorces. nullThe sure what was going on,null he recalls. nullnull really
17,000 Jewish
nullhat occupies the old soldiers these daysnull nullorces does not dinullulge that sort of informa- didn’t see it all null all null heard was the big nullnullnullnull.’
Aside from pronulliding colour guards at com- tionnull. The total could be nulla lot more than the null loonulled onuller at my friends to see what was
Canadians
munity enullents and nullarious sernullices of re- Jewish public may be aware,null says nullabbi nullanuller going on, and all null saw was an nullltis jeep in a
volunteered to
membrance, nullwe watch out for each other,null nullannullinger, who became a Jewish chaplain in huge ball of yellow, orange and red nullames. serve in World
says nullorman nullardner, the Toronto nullost’s the nullorces last year. nullA lot of times,null he goes on, nullnulle saw the drinuller of the nullehicle step up,
War II. nullased on
commander, and former Toronto municipal nullnull would walnull in the mess and people nullwouldnull step out, tanulle nullnulle steps and fall down, and
the 19null1 nullensus,
come up to me and say, nullnull’m Jewish.’ nullr, nullnull’m so start screaming at us to get him out of there.
happy to see you here.’ nullt manulles them proud. nulle got the drinuller out in behind our jeep,
this indinulltes
And they’re ready to self-identify as a Jew.null ganulle him nullrst aid, and then we went bacnull
that one in 10
nullabbi nullannullinger, nullnull, says he’s contacted regu- out again to get our fallen comrades.null
onull Canadanulls total
larly by other chaplains all onuller nullanada about nulloth Short and nulleerenfenger were dead.
Jewish nullonullulanull
the needs of Jews, including pronulliding wor- nullnullt was the most hair-raising, frightening,
tion served
ship sernullices and copies of the Tanach. manulle-me-want-to-be-sicnull-to-my-stomach
Attached to the Army nullesernulles’ nullnull nullTo- moment in my life, hanulling to go and get the
rontonull Sernullice nullattalion, nullabbi nullannullinger is dead body of a friendnull says Matthews, who
one of three Jewish chaplains in the nullorces. walnulled away without a scratch. nullowenuller,
nulle now joins nullttawa’s nullabbi nullhaim Men- that day scarred him for life.
delsohn, the nullrst nullrthodox rabbi to sernulle in nullou wouldn’t nullnow it from talnulling to the
the nullorces since the end of the Second nullorld cheery nullnull-year-old father of two, now an
nullar. nullabbi Mendelsohn sernulles as chaplain to nullttawa-based sergeant wornulling in military
nullnull nullield Ambulance, a nullnullnull-member unit in intelligence. Matthews sernulled alongside just
nullttawa that pronullides health support sernullices one other Jewish soldier during his four-
to resernulle soldiers in the area. And earlier month tour of duty in Afghanistan nullthe two
this year, the nullorces welcomed its nullrst female nulleep in touchnull and says his being a Jew in
rabbi. nullapt. nullaren Soria, also a resernulle padre, combat was a non-issue.
is assigned to null nullanadian nullorces nulllying Train- nullnullt was linulle being Jewish at home,null he says
politician. That includes helping members ing School in nullortage nulla nullrairie, Man. nullach with a laugh. nullnull was there as a soldier. At
tap into social sernullices and nulleterans benenullts. has the mandate nullto minister to their own,null that moment in time, enulleryone’ s the same.
As for whether anti-Semitism is a factor in according to the nullhaplain nullranch Manual, nullou’re sitting together, you’re eating together
the nullorces, perhaps the snappiest reply comes but also to facilitate the worship and religious null people nullnew null was Jewish. null was one of the
from the highest-rannulling Jewish member of needs of others. guys.null nulln the other hand, all soldiers had
the nullorces. nullMy standard response is, nullnulloonull, null A nullhabadninull from Toronto, nullabbi nullannull- instructions to downplay issues of religion
made major-general. nullith no anti-Semitism, inger also anticipates the nulluestion. nullnull hanulle outside their camp’s perimeter, or nulloutside
what would null benull nullueennullnull nenuller encountered any anti-Semitism,null he the wire,null as Matthews puts it. nullAfghanis are
Maj.-nullen. nulld nullitch, who has made a career says. nulln the contrary, nullnull’nulle gotten only the nullery set in their ways,null he says diplomati-
of the army, ending it just two notches below utmost respect and cooperation.null And he’s cally. nullAs a soldier, if there’s something null can
nullanada’s highest military rannull, adds, nullnull thinnull actually loonulling forward to the possibility of do to ease someone a little bit, null’ll manulle sure
the result speanulls for itself.null As for the notion being posted in Afghanistan. null can ease someone a little bit.null
that Jews hanulle shirnulled their duties in wartime, nullerhaps the nullnal measure of the accep-
he says, nullyou nullnow, null’nulle heard that, but only Life on the frontlines tance, indeed of the success of Jews in the
from Jews. Maybe we’re onuller-sensitinulle.null nullt was in Afghanistan’s treacherous Jownull nullanadian Armed nullorces, is seen in the small
Spurred by his father nullurton, who had nullalley where nulln Matthews saw the hor - things. nullabbi nullannullinger boasts that the
been a platoon leader in the nullrst nullanadian rors of war up close. nullt was nullt. null nullnull, nullhaplain-nulleneral has nullput into motionnull one
battalion to raise this country’s nullag on nuller- and nulll. Matthews, a signaller with the d null of the rabbi’s personal initiatinullesnull A nullippah
man soil in nullnullnullnull, nullitch’s storied career began nullattalion nulloyal nullanadian nullegiment was that conforms to nullAnullnullAT nullnullAnadian nullis-
in nullnullnullnull and ended, at least ofnullcially, nullnull years manullng plans to attend nullom nullippur ser - ruptinulle nullATternnull standards. nulln other words, a
later with the rannull of major-general. nullow nullices at the null.S. air base in nullagram. Mean- camounullage nullippah. Says the rabbi, nullit would
based in nullictoria, null.null., nullitch is one of the time, he had gone out on patrol with his be a tremendous morale boost.null fn
military’s point people in the planning for section commander, Sgt. nullob Short, and Ron Csillag is a freelance writer in Toronto.
January/February 2010 friday night 29
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