The American flag that draped the casket of Leon Klinghoffer, murdered by terrorists in the Achille Lauro hijacking, will reside permanently in the Jewish Chapel at the United States Military Academy at West Point. In ceremonies last week, Klinghoffer’s widow, Marilyn, presented the flag to representatives of the West Point Jewish Chapel.
Accepting the flag were Herbert Ames, president, West Point Jewish Chapel Fund; Chaplain (Lt. Col.) Marc Abramowitz, the first military Jewish Chaplain assigned to West Point; Maj. Gen. Jerome Waldor, USAF (Res.), an alumnus of West Point, Class of 1950; and Cadet Matthew Kuperstein, member of the Corps of Cadets, Class of 1987.
The Klinghoffers, who were married by the late Rabbi Avraham Soltes, who served West Point’s Jewish community from 1963 to 1983, were celebrating their 36th wedding anniversary with a cruise on the Achille Lauro.
The West Point Jewish Chapel, completed in the spring of 1984, is the first facility dedicated to serving the Jewish tradition, religion and culture at West Point. The Jewish Chapel’s Museum-Gallery, through displays and exhibitions, portrays the contributions of Jews to this nation and its military forces. The Klinghoffer American Flag will be housed in the Museum-Gallery’s permanent collection.
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The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
