[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 186 (Friday, October 22, 2021)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1135]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     HONORING THE JEWISH WAR VETERANS (JWV) DEPARTMENT OF MINNESOTA

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. BETTY McCOLLUM

                              of minnesota

                    in the house of representatives

                        Friday, October 22, 2021

  Ms. McCOLLUM. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the Jewish War 
Veterans (JWV) Department of Minnesota as members celebrate their 75th 
anniversary year. For three quarters of a century, the Minnesota JWV 
has been the premier voice for Jewish uniformed service members and 
veterans in Minnesota, upholding the national organization's mission to 
affirm the heroic and honorable service of Jewish veterans and fight 
against anti-Semitism.
  The national organization, Jewish War Veterans of the United States 
of America, was founded by a group of 63 Jewish veterans of the Civil 
War in 1896 in response to a series of anti-Semitic comments made about 
Jewish service in the war. JWV is the oldest congressionally chartered 
veterans' organization and has grown to include over 15,000 members 
across the country. Saint Paul Post 162 is led by Commander Jim Hassing 
and was founded in 1938 by World War I veterans as the first Jewish War 
Veteran Post in Minnesota. In the following years, the official Jewish 
War Veterans Department of Minnesota was created and today is home to 
two other posts; the Nilva-Dansky-Neff Post 331, led by Commander Ben 
Weisbuch, and the Abrahamson-Biglow-Spector Post 354, led by Commander 
Stewart Mednick.
  Throughout its history, the JWV has gone above and beyond fighting 
anti-Semitism through their many avenues of service to veterans and 
their families. They helped to establish the Jewish chaplaincy within 
the military and fought for the inclusion of grave markers, including 
the Star of David, in veteran's cemeteries. They have stood up against 
the rise of Nazi Germany, campaigned for religious and racial 
protections in the 1944 GI Bill, and helped pass multiple bills that 
awarded Medals of Honor to Jewish service members. The JWV has also 
supported active duty servicemembers by sending care packages to troops 
during World War II, the Vietnam War, and after 9/11, during the wars 
in Iraq and Afghanistan. They also established the National Museum of 
American Jewish Military History in Washington, D.C. to serve as a 
tribute to the long and proud history of Jewish American military 
service. More recently, the JWV has been an active supporter for the 
Global War on Terrorism Memorial Foundation which would honor the 
sacrifices made by all those who have served in the nation's longest 
conflict.
  As a congressionally chartered veterans service organization, the 
Jewish War Veterans Department of Minnesota is one of nine 
organizations that make up the Minnesota Commanders' Task Force, a 
group created in 1988 that meets regularly to discuss issues affecting 
veterans and their families across the state. The Minnesota JWV 
provides an important voice to this group as they act as advisory board 
to the Minnesota Commissioner of Veterans Affairs and work to develop a 
unified Minnesota Veterans Legislative Agenda and establish Veterans 
programs throughout the state. It has been my distinct pleasure to work 
with this great organization over the years as a lifetime Auxiliary 
member of the VFW and the American Legion, and as a State 
Representative and now as a Member of Congress.
  Led today by Commander Lou Michaels, the Jewish War Veterans 
Department of Minnesota continues to be a valuable advocate for Jewish 
servicemembers and their families in the state of Minnesota. Madam 
Speaker, please join me in recognizing all members of the Jewish War 
Veterans Department of Minnesota as they celebrate their 75th year of 
service to the community.

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