ABMC expands program to correct Jewish graves overseas

By AI, Created 8:11 AM UTC, June 05, 2026, /AGP/ – The American Battle Monuments Commission will work with Operation Benjamin on a federally funded effort to identify and correct burial mistakes for Jewish U.S. service members at overseas cemeteries. The program aims to replace Latin crosses with Stars of David where records and research show a Jewish burial is appropriate.

Why it matters: - The new program is meant to restore religious identity to U.S. service members buried overseas under incorrect markers. - Correcting headstones can change how families, historians, and the military honor those buried in ABMC cemeteries. - The effort targets Jewish service members who may have been buried under Latin crosses after World War I and World War II.

What happened: - The American Battle Monuments Commission will facilitate headstone changes for Jewish service members incorrectly buried under Latin crosses. - ABMC will partner with Operation Benjamin, a nonprofit that identifies and corrects burial errors for Jewish American service members buried under Latin crosses. - The partnership is part of the Fallen Servicemembers Religious Heritage Restoration Program. - The program provides funding to identify, research and correct burial mistakes for these service members. - The announcement was made June 5, 2026.

The details: - ABMC operates and maintains 26 cemeteries and 31 memorials and monuments in 17 countries. - The commission said the effort will help ensure Jewish service members rest under Stars of David at overseas cemeteries. - Robert Dalessandro, ABMC’s acting secretary, said each headstone represents a person whose hopes and dreams were cut short. - Dalessandro said restoring religious tradition remains an important part of ABMC’s mission. - Operation Benjamin Chief Historian and Co-Founder Shalom Lamm said the work is “sacred work.” - Lamm said the partnership will ensure Jewish American service members are remembered truthfully and honored beneath the symbol of faith that shaped their lives. - ABMC says hundreds of service members may have been mistakenly buried under Latin crosses. - After World War I and World War II, some religion records were missing. - In some cases, Jewish service members identified themselves as Protestant out of fear of persecution if captured in Europe. - Operation Benjamin has worked with ABMC since 2018 to replace headstones for Jewish service members. - Pvt. Benjamin Garadetsky was the first service member whose headstone was changed at Normandy American Cemetery, and the nonprofit is named for him. - ABMC replaced three headstones at two cemeteries in Italy in July 2025. - ABMC replaced five headstones at Meuse-Argonne American Cemetery in June 2026. - ABMC also maintains 31 federal memorials, monuments and commemorative plaques in addition to its cemeteries. - The commission’s U.S. memorials include the Honolulu Memorial, the West Coast Memorial and the East Coast Memorial. - ABMC said its mission since March 4, 1923, has been to honor more than 200,000 U.S. service members buried and memorialized at its sites. - ABMC directs readers to more information about ABMC.

Between the lines: - The program builds on work already underway rather than starting a new burial-review effort from scratch. - The scale of the issue suggests many cases may still be unresolved, making research and records review a central part of the process. - The partnership also signals a broader institutional push to align burial markers with faith identity, not just military status.

What’s next: - ABMC and Operation Benjamin will continue identifying cases, researching records and correcting markers where evidence supports a change. - Additional headstone replacements are likely as the program moves through overseas cemeteries. - The partnership may surface more burial errors tied to incomplete wartime records and fear-driven misidentification.