What would drive two Jewish communal professionals to spend four hours travelling back and forth to Little Falls, Minn., just days before Rosh Hashanah, at the busiest time of the Jewish year?
Only something very special.
Last week, we had the privilege of participating in the dedication of the new Minnesota Military and Veterans Museum (MMVM). We were honored to represent the Jewish community and to join a small group of interfaith religious leaders for the opening of this beautiful and important new center. We shared prayers and teachings, blew the shofar, and affixed a special mezuzah to the museum’s front entrance.
The museum tells the stories of ordinary Minnesotans who answered the call to serve our country, from the Civil War through World War I, World War II, Korea, Vietnam, and the wars on terror. Stories like the naval reservists from St. Paul who fired America’s first shots of World War II on December 7, 1941. Stories like that of Ensign Ira Weill Jeffrey. Ensign Jeffrey, a Jew, was the first Minnesotan killed when his ship was struck in Pearl Harbor. We chose a mezuzah with an anchor for the museum to honor these soldiers and tell these stories.
A special mezuzah affixed to the museum’s front entrance. (courtesy)
As busy as the Jewish calendar is at this time of year, the timing of the museum’s opening – Sept. 11 – could not have been more meaningful. The museum includes a presentation that takes us back to that day 25 years ago, reminding us how Minnesotans experienced and responded to one of the most frightening moments in our nation’s history.
The proximity to Rosh Hashanah was meaningful as well. For at the heart of both Rosh Hashanah and 9/11 is the obligation to remember.
One of the central prayers of the High Holy Days imagines God reading from Sefer Zikhronot, the Book of Remembrances. In this sacred book, the stories of our lives are gathered and remembered. On Rosh Hashanah, we are reminded that our lives matter, that our choices matter, and that the stories we leave behind matter.
In its own way, the Minnesota Military and Veterans Museum is a Sefer Zikhronot for Minnesota.
It is a place where people can come to learn, to reflect, and to better understand the experiences of those who served our country. It preserves the stories of people whose names and experiences might otherwise fade from our collective memory.
The story of Leon Frankel is one such story that calls to be remembered. Among his feats of heroism, Frankel risked his life to protect his squadron commander from attacking Japanese fighters while flying a damaged plane. Frankel’s bravery was recognized with a Navy Cross and two Distinguished Flying Crosses.
We honor stories like these by learning from them. That is the value of the MMVM. And it is also the value of telling family stories around the Yom Tov table.
Stories teach us about courage and resilience. They teach us about loss and sacrifice, and about the calling to serve something larger than ourselves. They connect us to those who came before us and educate future generations about the responsibility to care for one another and to contribute to the common life we share.
That is why remembering matters.
Of all the prayers we will utter during these High Holy Days, our prayers for peace are among the most precious. Until we arrive at that messianic era when, as the prophet Isaiah teaches, “nation will not lift up sword against nation,” we give thanks for those who stand ready to defend peace. We give thanks for all who support our active military and our veterans. And we honor those who have served our country.
But perhaps the greatest way to honor them is to remember their stories and to allow those stories to shape the stories we write with our own lives.
Rabbi Alexander Davis is the senior rabbi at Beth El Synagogue in St. Louis Park; Steve Hunegs is the executive director of the Jewish Community Relations Council of Minnesota and the Dakotas.
The mezuzah hanging at the Minnesota Veterans and Military Museum in Little Falls is a meaningful way to place Jewish stories within Minnesota’s broader military history. Making that four-hour journey just before Rosh Hashanah underscores how significant this moment was for Rabbi Alexander Davis, Steve Hunegs, and the interfaith community.