More than a century after World War I ended, researchers are still discovering Jewish American soldiers buried beneath Christian crosses.

On June 2, five Jewish soldiers killed during World War I received new headstones bearing Stars of David at France’s Meuse-Argonne American Cemetery. The replacement markers honored Pvt. Samuel Tamkin, Pfc. Barney Bardman, Pvt. Samuel A. Backer, Pvt. Hyman Aronoff and Pfc. Maurice W. Akabas, whose graves had been marked by Latin crosses for more than 100 years.

The ceremony was another reminder that Operation Benjamin’s work is far from complete. Even now, more than 100 years after the war, researchers continue uncovering soldiers whose burial markers do not reflect their Jewish identity.

A mission that continues

Operation Benjamin researches military and genealogical records to identify Jewish service members buried under incorrect religious markers and works with families and government agencies to correct them. Since 2018, the organization has helped secure dozens of headstone changes at American military cemeteries overseas.

If the mission sounds familiar, that’s because Operation Benjamin’s work has already touched St. Louis in unexpected ways.

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The St. Louis connection

One connection involves PFC Benjamin Garadetsky, the soldier whose story inspired the organization’s name. Garadetsky was killed in France in 1944 and buried beneath a Latin cross despite being Jewish. After years of research, his headstone was replaced with a Star of David in 2018. Today, members of his family live in St. Louis.

Another case led researchers to Congregation Shaare Emeth. While investigating Pvt. Albert Belmont, a Jewish soldier killed during World War II and buried beneath a cross in France, Rabbi Dr. David Ellenson discovered that Belmont’s daughter was watching Shaare Emeth livestreams from Virginia. Rabbi James Bennett helped connect her with Operation Benjamin, a step that eventually led to Belmont’s headstone being replaced with a Star of David in 2022. Belmont’s mother also settled in St. Louis after her husband’s death.

Setting the record straight

For Operation Benjamin, the work continues because history is not always settled when the war ends. Sometimes the final chapter arrives decades later, when a cross is replaced by a Star of David and a forgotten detail is finally made right.