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LAKIN LECTURE
SHOFAR WORKSHOP
Arno Rosenfeld, a reporter for The Forward, shed light on the issue of antisemitism
Children prepare shofars at Temple Chai ahead of the holidays
1948
YEARS
2023
SEPTEMBER 15, 2023 | ELUL 29, 5783 | VOLUME 75, NUMBER 25
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Jewish soldier awarded Purple Heart in Peoria more than a century after his service SHANNON LEVITT | STAFF WRITER
O
n Sept. 28, 1917, only a few months after the United States entered World War I, David Shapiro became a private in the U.S. Army. His regiment, the 82nd Division’s 326th Infantry Regiment, Company E, trained the Jewish soldier to be a rifleman, an expert in placing well-aimed fire on the enemy. A year later, that training was put to the test when he and his fellow soldiers were fighting deep in the northeast of France. When they came under heavy enemy fire amid the Battle of Saint-Mihiel, the first large offensive in the war launched by the Americans, Shapiro had to take cover in a muddy trench. He didn’t know that it was saturated with mustard gas, a notorious chemical weapon deployed by the German forces. Within minutes, his eyes swelled shut, his skin felt as if it were on fire and his lungs started to fail him. Luckily, he was able to climb out of the trench and called for a medic. Though Shapiro’s legs were covered with severe burns and blisters and he had trouble breathing, his respite in the medical unit lasted less than a week before he was returned to the front — just from left: Gary Shapiro, Fred Shapiro, Brigadier General Lonnie in time to participate in the Meuse–Argonne Pictured J. Branum, U.S. Congresswoman Debbie Lesko and Edward Shapiro. Offensive, one of the war’s largest, deadliest and Courtesy of Edward Shapiro final battles. Within a few weeks, the war was officially over and Shapiro, an immigrant from Lithuania, became a U.S. citizen in an expedited naturalization process for foreign-born soldiers before he left France. While Shapiro had fought bravely after being seriously wounded, he did not receive any special recognition from the military, even after being honorably discharged on June 5, 1919. However, that wrong was righted on Wednesday, Sept. 6, when he posthumously received a Purple Heart, the oldest active military decoration, which is awarded in the name of the president to those wounded or killed in action. The special ceremony took place in Peoria’s Freedom Plaza Arizona with 125 people in attendance, including U.S. Rep. Debbie Lesko (R-AZ) and Brigadier General Lonnie J. Branum. The Arizona Air National Guard’s 161st Air Refueling Wing provided the Honor Guard, posting of the colors and playing of the National Anthem. Army Captain Erin Hannigan was the emcee and both Branum and Lesko offered praise and thanks for Shapiro’s service. SEE PURPLE HEART, PAGE 2
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