Baltimore Jewish Times - Marcia Hillary
March 26, 2004
Army Specialist Joseph Kashnow, a 26-year-old Baltimore native, has found himself fighting for two causes over the past year.
The first was for his country, as an American soldier in Iraq. The second was for Jewish soldiers who feel they are being denied access to kosher food and the opportunity to practice their religion in the military.
Mr. Kashnow, a cavalry scout with the 1st Battalion, 8th Cavalry of the 4th Infantry Division, was wounded in Iraq by a roadside bomb Sept. 17, 2003, and was first profiled last December by the Baltimore Jewish Times after enduring numerous surgeries and the possibility of a leg amputation.
Fortunately, his leg was saved and he now is fairly mobile, with the help of his wife, Sarai, and a cane. He said he is confident that one day he will walk unaided.
Because he is still undergoing physical therapy courtesy of the U.S. Army and Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C., Mr. and Mrs. Kashnow have devoted their efforts full time to the Jewish Soldier Foundation, a non-profit organization that Mr. Kashnow hopes will one day be the gateway to providing kosher food and Jewish necessities to soldiers wishing to practice their religion while serving their country.
Mr. Kashnow, who lives in Colorado Springs, Colo., will be medically retired, but there is no date set. In the meantime, he has taken the opportunity to speak to groups within the Jewish community and outside, devoting a little time to his injury and the majority of his time to promoting his foundation. He has spoken to several elected officials, including Rep. Benjamin L. Cardin (D-Md.) and Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-Washington, D.C.).
Last week, Mr. Kashnow was the guest speaker at the monthly meeting of Congregation B'nai Israel's Men's Club in Rockville. In addition to the approximately 20 men attending the meeting, about 40 students from the synagogue's confirmation and pre-confirmation classes listened as Mr. Kashnow described his experiences in Iraq as an observantly Jewish soldier.
For many audience members, it was their first encounter with an American soldier, and certainly one who was an observant Jewish soldier who had fought and been wounded in Iraq.
"More Jewish people should be in the military," Mr. Kashnow, a graduate of Northwestern High School who grew up attending Greenspring's Congregation Shomrei Emunah, said in an interview before speaking to the group. "The military should not be deprived of our influence. This country needs its Jewish soldiers to defend it."
He said it had been his intention to "serve my country" for many years, "but being wounded ended that."
Mr. Kashnow said many Jewish soldiers are unaware of the rights to which they are legally entitled. Kosher food, he said, "is available" and a soldier may "wear a kippah" if he chooses.
Although kosher food was available to him on the way to Iraq, he said that once reaching the theater of operations, that supply seemed to disappear and "I did the best I could."
Mr. Kashnow noted that soldiers who observe Ramadan ? the month-long holiday during which Muslims fast during the day and only eat one meal at night ? often have their schedules modified and receive lighter duty assignments. He noted that he was asked several times to work on Shabbat, which during wartime is permissible by Jewish law.
"Some [Jewish soldiers] give up their Jewishness to some extent," he said. "But the fight is up to the person. Being frum [observant] is a very important part of my life."
Mrs. Kashnow, 23, said she is finding the military a new and interesting experience. She is deeply involved in the Jewish Soldier Foundation and would like to involve not only soldiers but their families as well.
"We should put the needs of the soldier" and families first, she said. Mrs. Kashnow said she is hoping an online connection will keep families connected and able to discuss issues of importance.
Adam Greenfest, a 10th-grade student at Wooton High School in Rockville and a member of B'nai Israel's confirmation class, said he thought Mr. Kashnow's presentation was "pretty good." He said he was "surprised that Kashnow was Orthodox" and did not fight for Israel. "A person with a big black hat is not the image one would imagine holding a machine gun," he said.
Sara Postal, also a 10th-grader at Wooton and a member of the confirmation class, said this was the first time she met an Iraq war veteran. "He told us a lot about how hard it was to stay Orthodox," she said. "He also told us that one has to take the right approach to get things done and make them work."
For information about the Jewish Soldier Foundation, visit www.jewishsoldier.org or call 443-738-9411. Mr. Kashnow may be reached via e-mail at Joe@jewishsoldier.org
Marcia Hillary Kay is a free-lance writer based in Rockville.
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Posted by: SPC KASHNOW on Apr 03, 06 | 3:19 pm
