Fourteen Jewish chaplains who died serving our nation were honored Monday on Chaplains Hill in Arlington National Cemetery with a dedication ceremony and unveiling of the Jewish Chaplains Memorial.

Among the organizations involved in this effort were The Jewish Federations of North America and the Jewish War Veterans, two of the 32 agencies and programs funded by The Birmingham Jewish Federation Annual Campaign.

The memorial's installation coincided with the 150th anniversary of service by rabbis in the armed forces. Veterans, chaplains, families of the fallen Jewish chaplains and members of the Jewish community from across the nation attended the ceremony.

Update ran a story on this event on Tuesday. Shortly after it appeared, we received a great email from Adina Shmidman, wife of Rabbi Abie Shmidman, who was the rabbi at Birmingham's Knesseth Israel Congregation before the Shmidmans moved to Philadelphia.

"One of the first rabbis at Knesseth Israel was a chaplain who was killed in North Africa," Adina wrote. "His name was Louis Werfel. He was in the middle of teaching Alvin Rich (a current member of the Birmingham Jewish community) his bar mitzvah parsha (portion) when he went off to war."

"I thought that might be an interesting Birmingham twist to the story you sent out," she added. "I always enjoy reading Update. Thanks for making Birmingham part of my day."

Rabbi Werfel was the only Orthodox Rabbi killed in action during the Second World War. He was known as "The Flying Rabbi," a title he had earned from soldiers as he traveled by plane to Jewish airmen at isolated locations throughout North Africa.

On December 25, 1943, the State Department sent a telegram informing his wife that while returning from conducting a Hanukah service for American soldiers in Casablanca, the small plane carrying her husband had crashed into the Algerian mountains due to limited visibility caused by bad weather.

Above information on Rabbi Werfel is from Wikipedia. Photo is of the new memorial. Rabbi Werfel's name is listed fifth.

Tonight, Giving Tree Ministries, along with "Friends of Israel," will host "Ode to Israel," a Birmingham event designed to support and educate individuals about the importance of the US-Israel relationship.

The event is from 5:30-7:30 PM at Gallery 1930 in English Village. There will be wine, hors d'oeuvres and a silent auction. Tickets are $75 and can be purchased by going to the below link.

All proceeds from ticket sales will go to Giving Tree Ministries. GTM, a 501c(3) non-profit organization, is comprised of two organizations: American Israel Education Association and JH Ranch Israel. The primary purpose of GTM is to educate individuals about the importance of the US-Israel relationship.

"This event is a great opportunity to support Israel," said Heather Johnston, founder and director of AIEA and director of JH Ranch Israel. This effort is to help build Israel's Ariel National Leadership Center and support US Congressional tours that survey the West Bank and primary locations associated with the peace process.

For more information, contact Alex Sokol at alex@alabamaforever.org or Danielle Welden at dpwelden@me.com.

"We don't waste your time and we don't waste your money." That's a message we communicate to our volunteers constantly and it's a creed we try to live by at The Birmingham Jewish Federation.

Not too long ago, we recruited a veteran Jewish community volunteer leader to serve on our BJF board. This person has been involved in the community for years, serving as the president at one point of one of the agencies we fund.

Thus, it was especially gratifying when we received the following message from this individual after our Sept. 26th board meeting -- a meeting that was highlighted in Update in a story headlined, "A Standing Room Only BJF Board Meeting." (See below link.)

"I love, love, love the board meetings," this friend wrote. "Is it even possible to love a board meeting? But I do. They are amazing!!! Just like you promised."

Everyday in so many ways, we make life better for people, including our volunteer leaders, by providing them opportunities to become involved in and give generously to an organization which, in addition to doing wonderful things, provides them with motivation and personal satisfaction.