Giving a Voice to Our Silent Heroes
By Rabbi Ron Stern
In the familiar story of Isaac’s near-sacrifice at the hands of Abraham, beyond the act itself, the most striking consequence is that Isaac says nothing. He willingly walks with his father, submits to being tied on the altar, and after his life is spared we hear not a word from him. We are left to wonder how this trauma at the hands of his father’s zealotry has lastingly impacted the son.
I recently was touched deeply when a colleague compared Isaac’s silence to that of our nation’s veterans. With the notable exception of those who fought in World War II, we hear very little about the experiences of the veterans of America’s subsequent wars about their experiences overseas. It is only with Ken Burns’ powerful and compelling documentary of the Vietnam War that these veterans’ stories have been told to a nation. In my colleague’s interpretation, our veterans are like Isaac. They went willingly to the potential sacrifice, allowed themselves to be offered up on the altar of freedom, and then returned home, forever transformed by their experience. They too, usually carry the burdens of their willingness to be sacrificed in silence—the heaviest memories are the ones they cannot share.
For some, the memories fade but don’t disappear; they just become a part of who they are. For others, those fraught memories become nightmares and make re-entry into society difficult and every day is a struggle. All too often the veterans silently tortured by the burdens of war join the ranks of our nations homeless. They are the men and women we see on freeway offramps, under the overpasses, camped out in places unfit for human habitation. We cannot allow them to carry their burden, forgotten by the nation whose causes they upheld.
This is the reason that Stephen Wise Temple works with the Department of Veterans Affairs to provide housing support to homeless veterans. Once they are placed in new homes and apartments, we help them feel at home by providing the basic necessities like beds, mini-fridges and microwaves, kitchen utensils, bedding and towels, and other necessities. November is a month dedicated specifically to veterans so we are inviting you to offer you support to our program. Visit our web site to make a contribution that allows our volunteers to purchase items that help our veterans feel welcomed home.