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Vol. 71 No. 4
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Jewish war veterans fight for justice By MIChAel MAlASZCZYK mmalaszczyk@liherald.com
Michael Malaszczyk/Herald
SteVe RhoAdS, the newly elected senator representing the 5th District, has wasted no time getting to work in Albany.
Steve Rhoads says he’s ready to deliver in state Senate By MIChAel MAlASZCZYK mmalaszczyk@liherald.com
When he was a seventh-grade student from Wantagh, Steve Rhoads volunteered to work on Assemblyman Frederick Parola’s campaign to get extra credit in his social studies class. As a result, Rhoads fell in love with politics. Years later, Rhoads is now the Republican state senator for the 5th District, representing Wantagh, Seaford, Bellmore and Merrick as well as other surrounding neighborhoods. Rhoads won the election in the newly drawn district in November, unseating incumbent Democrat Sen. John Brooks by winning 58 percent of the vote. Rhoads had previously
served as a Nassau County legislator for the 19th District, and now represents many of those same constituents in Albany. A special election will be held to determine who will win Rhoads’s vacant seat in the Legislature, but the candidates are not currently known. “There is a tremendous amount of overlap,” Rhoads said. “Obviously, there are many new areas that we’re in now because the Senate district is so much larger, but I’m very grateful that most parts of my legislative district are still with me. I am sorry to have lost a little bit of Freeport, though. Freeport is a great community.” While the election was not particularly Continued on page 4
The Jewish War Veterans is a national organization trying to dispel the myth that Jews never served in American military conflicts — and could also possibly help stem the rising tide of antisemitism. The JWV has posts and chapters around the country, and Post 652 is located in Merrick but counts members from Bellmore, Wantagh, Seaford, and other areas as well. The national organization was founded in 1896 as the Hebrew Union Veterans Association to raise awareness of contributions made by Jewish service members as well as to combat antisemitism. “Mark Twain claimed that the Jews had never served in the service,” Gary Glick, commander of Post 652, said. “Meanwhile, seven to eight thousand had just served in the Civil War. “Jews served in the military during and since the Revolutionary War,” Glick, a U.S. Army veteran who served from 1969 to 1972, added. “Jews have served in every American conflict up to and including the present day.” The group’s mission is to accomplish both veteran advocacy and Jewish advocacy, and
how you can help The Jewish War Veterans advocates for Jews who have served in the American armed forces. The group’s websites include We-AreVets.us and jwv.org. JWV Post 652, named for Ensign Lawrence D. Solowey, serves Long Island’s South Shore. being a Jewish veteran puts one at risk for double bigotry. “We are a Jewish voice for veterans and a veteran voice for Jews,” Eric Spinner, a Post 652 member who served in the New York Army Reserve National Guard, said. Members of Post 652 continue to be active in the communities they represent, as advocates for Jewish veterans. According to Ed Freeberg, an Air Force veteran and a lifetime member of Post 652, their activities include a balanced list of appearances at both veterans’ events and Jewish events. They attend commemorative events on Veterans Day and Memorial Day, visit public schools to disContinued on page 2