Operation Benjamin

Ensuring the appropriate resting place for Jewish American soldiers

You may remember our earlier article about the participation of World War II veteran, Mr. Jack Appel on one of our Band of Brothers Tours last year (Read our earlier article – WW2 veteran on our tour). In that article, we mentioned that Mr. Appel visited the grave of Private First Class Benjamin Garadetsky in the Normandy American Cemetery who was the namesake of the non-profit organization called Operation Benjamin. It is crucial for the family members and loved ones to find an appropriate final resting place for the soldiers who paid the ultimate price in the service of their country. It is in this spirit that Operation Benjamin aims to find Jewish soldiers at American military cemeteries who were buried under markers incorrectly representing their religion. Today’s newsletter is about this organization.

In the Normandy American Cemetery, Mr. Appel wanted to pay his respects to Garadetsky due to the likeness of their stories. When preparing for his military service, Mr. Appel was advised by several people not to put Jewish as his religion because he would be shot if taken prisoner by the Germans. Thus, he put Catholic as his religion. He survived the war and still enjoys a peaceful and prosperous life. But who was the soldier whose grave he wanted to visit in Normandy?
 
Benjamin Barney Garadetsky was born Boruch Reigorodeczki on April 14, 1914, in the city of Zhitomir in the Russian Empire (now part of Ukraine). His parents had decided long before their son’s birth that they would leave Russia to start a new life in America. In 1913, his father arrived in New York alone to work as a tailor to finance his family’s trip to join him. They were separated for years when violent pogroms left over 330 of Zhitomir’s Jews dead in 1919. It was time for the rest of the family to bid farewell to Russia and to move to safety in America with the funds sent by the husband. They arrived at New York’s Ellis Island on October 21, 1921, aboard the RMS Aquitania. Shedding their Yiddish names, it was here that Boruch became Benjamin Barney Garadetsky. Finally reunited, the family settled in the heavily-Jewish area of the Bronx.
 
On February 17, 1941, nearly twenty years after he arrived in America with his mother and sister, 26-year-old Benjamin enlisted in the U.S. Army in the fight against Nazi barbarity. He was trained as a medic and assigned to a medical detachment with the 66th Armored Regiment, 2nd “Hell on Wheels” Armored Division where he served for over three years. The 66th Armored Regiment was primarily equipped with Sherman medium (Read our earlier article – The M4 Sherman) and Stuart light tanks. PFC Garadetsky was with them in their amphibious invasion of Morocco in December 1942, and during the invasion of Sicily.

He landed with the regiment on Omaha Beach at Normandy on June 10, 1944 (D+4), and fought through German paratrooper and tank forces in a grueling crawl from town to town. By July 31, the 66th was down to only 24 tanks, but they were soon outfitted with reinforcements and headed east, with the larger objective of crossing the Seine River at Elbeuf, into German-occupied Belgium. As they fought their way through Nazi-occupied Europe, U.S. soldiers met stiff enemy resistance. On August 23, 1944, Benjamin was killed instantly during a Luftwaffe bombing. Traveling in the dark of night and arrayed in a double column on the road to the Seine crossing, the large convoy was spotted by a single German JU88 aircraft, which strafed the slow-moving vehicles and dropped a bomb directly on the road. PFC Garadetsky was struck and killed by bomb fragments, and his ID tags were lost. His remains were identified by a major in the Medical Corps, and he was temporarily interred at the American military cemetery in St. André de l'Eure.
 
He died a Jewish American hero and was later laid to rest at the Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial in Colleville-sur-Mer, France, along with thousands of heroes of the war. At the same time, he was mistakenly buried under a Latin Cross instead of a Magen David (Star of David). In 2016, the mistake was discovered by a member of the initiative, well known historian, Rabbi Dr. Jacob J. Schacter, of Yeshiva University. It remained uncorrected until the summer of 2018 when his marker was changed eventually in a ceremony. It turned out that correcting the mistake was not a simple matter.

The ABMC was contacted by Operation Benjamin in January 2017. Just over two months after the receipt of the request, the ABMC agreed to correct the mistake and replace the marker. In the summer of 2018, a graveside ceremony was held with Benjamin’s extended family, members of Operation Benjamin, and the Superintendent of the Normandy American Cemetery. Benjamin Garadetsky was offered eternal rest under the symbol of his heritage, as his white marble grave marker was finally changed to a Star of David. The ABMC’s dedication to completing Benjamin’s headstone change in the most dignified manner was remarkable, and touched the hearts of all involved.  It was there, that Rabbi Schacter was inspired to utter the words, “PVT Garadetsky, in the name of the citizen’s of the United States, we thank you for your sacrifice. And Benjamin, in the name of the Jewish people, we welcome you home.” Each of the 23 headstone replacements since that very first one has been accompanied by the same iconic phrase.

As you could see in Benjamin Garadetsky’s case, a strict, formal process must be followed in every case when there is an intention to change a marker. First, it has to be established through impeccable documentary evidence that a service member buried under a non-Jewish grave marker is, without question, of Jewish heritage. The in-house professional genealogist conducts in-depth research, both independently and with the cooperation of the soldiers' families. Historical and genealogical research often involves field visits to cemeteries and archives, and of course, an immense amount of research is conducted online. Often, they unearth genealogical information that was previously unknown to the service members’ family. All the work is done free of charge. Surviving relatives and descendants also offer documentation, personal memories, or other evidence to support the research.
 
After requisite evidence is gathered, a dossier is presented to the federal government. The team also prepares a cover letter to be signed by a family member, requesting the change to the grave marker. Once the request is granted, the federal government changes the grave marker, free of charge, and maintains it in perpetuity. When a grave marker change is finally scheduled, the deceased's family members have the opportunity to be participate in a Jewish graveside marker change ceremony. The entire event is recorded on video so that the family receives a priceless momento for future generations, and the events are posted online on the Operation Benjamin website so that the public can be inspired by these soldiers, their stories, and sacrifice. Operation Benjamin members are also present to help ensure that the change of marker is conducted with the highest level of honor and dignity and fidelity to Jewish tradition.