Rabbi Richard Hertz's Chaplain's tallit from World War II.

Ritual Objects and Military Service

Ordained at Hebrew Union College in 1942 and appointed military chaplain one year later,Rabbi Richard Hertz (1916-1999)was one of more than 280 Jewish chaplains to see active service in World War II. The placing of the symbol of the Ten Commandments with the seal of the U.S. Armed Forces on the Talit, enabled men such as Rabbi Hertz, to make an association of their Jewish identity with their work as soldiers and rabbis. In previous centuries Jews were denied the right to serve, and as such, denied the rights of citizenship. By creating a synergy between their ethnic identity and their role as soldiers, men such as Rabbi Hertz were able to fight as Americans and worship as Jews.