JNS
Five Jewish WWI soldiers receive Star of David headstones in France after a century beneath crosses
June 5, 2026

Five Jewish American soldiers killed in World War I received new headstones bearing Stars of David at France’s Meuse-Argonne American Cemetery on June 2, replacing Latin crosses that had marked their graves for more than a century. The American Battle Monuments Commission made the changes in coordination with Operation Benjamin, a nonprofit that works to identify Jewish U.S. service members buried under incorrect religious markers. The marker replacements of the soldiers—Pvt. Samuel Tamkin, Pfc. Barney Bardman, Pvt. Samuel A. Backer, Pvt. Hyman Aronoff and Pfc. Maurice W. Akabas—were approved after historical research and documentation were submitted to the U.S. government, along with requests from the soldiers’ families…Since partnering with the American Battle Monuments Commission in 2018, the group has helped secure dozens of headstone changes at American military cemeteries overseas. READ MORE