“Whatever Came, I Knew I Had Aleph Behind Me”
Aleph helps service members celebrate the holidays around the world.
by COLlive Editor · COLliveJust days before Rosh Hashanah, HM3 (FMF) Myer Bleich found out that his orders had changed. Suddenly, he had limited time to figure out how he would observe the holiday, and even whether he would be able to take the days off.
He called Ch Capt Chaim Roome, Aleph’s military chaplain stationed in Okinawa, who immediately connected him to Chaplain, Major Elie Estrin, Aleph’s Director of Military Programs. Within an hour, Bleich received word that his chain of command had granted him Yom Kippur and the second days of Sukkot off. Moments later, Rabbi Estrin called again: a shofar was already on its way.
“Somewhere underneath all that scrambling, I held onto a quiet confidence that I’d be alright in the end, because I knew I had Aleph behind me, whatever came.”
On Rosh Hashanah at 6:45 a.m., Bleich blew the shofar—likely one of the first shofar blasts sounded anywhere in the world that year.
“When I opened my prayerbook, it was like being wrapped in a blanket by G-d,” Bleich reflected. “Thousands of miles away from the world I had grown up in, I suddenly understood how much it all meant to me. I felt closer to G-d than I had in years.”
For so many service members stationed far from home, Aleph is their anchor to who they are, reminding them throughout the year of one simple truth: they never have to choose between serving their country and staying connected to their Jewish identity.”
This year, we are helping thousands of service members properly observe the holidays. Our dedicated chaplains are stationed across the globe to lead services. Our team is supporting over 4,000 military personnel on 600+ bases in 30 countries, and we have shipped thousands of religious supplies to service members around the world, including: 475 machzorim, 96 lulav and etrog sets, 48 shofars, 709 honey packets, 15 pop-up sukkahs, 642 High Holiday cards, 4,252 jewish calendars, 552 yarmulkes, and so much more.
“Looking back at that deployment,” said Bleich, “I genuinely don’t know how I would have made it through without Aleph, be it spiritually, physically, or emotionally.”
Thousands of miles from home, in places where Jewish life can sometimes feel impossibly far away, Aleph is there to remind our service members that they are never forgotten and never alone. Bleich concluded: “If there is someone out there who feels like they’re alone in this, I’m here to tell you—you’re not. Reach out to Aleph. They are here for you, ready to assist you in any way they can.”
To find out more about Aleph’s military work, please visit alephmilitary.org.
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