Members of JWV Austin Post 757 enjoy a successful Memorial Day Poppy Drive at the Dell Jewish Community Center. Courtesy: Steve Krant

By Steve Krant

Members of Post 757, Jewish War Veterans of the USA, observed Memorial Day this year in the Jennifer & David Kaufman Family Living Room at the Dell Jewish Community Center with a Poppy Drive fundraiser supporting local area veterans in need, regardless of faith. The poppy flower – these days often in the form of a colorful sticker – was popularized in the World War I poem, “In Flanders Fields” by Canadian battlefield surgeon John McRae, referring to the blood-red poppies growing over the graves of his fallen comrades. The Remembrance Poppy has endured for more than a century as a memorial symbol for soldiers lost in battle.

Over that same weekend, several JWV Post members performed the mitzvah of placing flags on the gravesite each Jewish veteran at various cemeteries in Austin and surrounding communities.

Memorial Day, a federal holiday observed on the last Monday in May, has roots in the post-Civil War era. First known as Decoration Day, it was a time to remember and adorn the graves of soldiers with flags, ribbons, and flowers. Today, it honors all men and women who wore the uniform and made the ultimate sacrifice in-service to the nation.

Ironically, the Jewish War Veterans also has post-Civil War origins. Formed in 1896 as the Hebrew Union Veterans Association in New York City by a group of 63 Jewish veterans in response to persistent and baseless myths that Jews profited, but didn’t serve. In fact, thousands fought and sacrificed on both sides, among them several Medal of Honor recipients. The Hebrew Union was soon joined by their Confederate counterparts, then by veterans of the Spanish-American War, ultimately coalescing as Jewish War Veterans of the USA. Still going strong in its 129th year, JWV is the nation’s longest continuously operating Veteran Service Organization.

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Members of Austin’s Post 757 are active in the community throughout the year, fundraising, assisting veterans in need, or helping them navigate the VA’s bureaucracy. JWV’s nation-wide network of members actively supports democracy and works to counter antisemitism and extremism. For more information, visit jwv.org or contact [email protected].