The USS Gerald R. Ford goes underway on its own power for the first time while leaving Naval Station Newport, Virginia, April 8, 2017. Image by U.S. Navy

WASHINGTON (JTA) — Jewish sailors aboard the Navy aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford now have a Torah scroll to use during their six- to eight-month stints at sea.

The umbrella body for Jewish chaplains, the JWB Jewish Chaplains Council, dedicated the scroll on Wednesday aboard the ship in Norfolk, Virginia.

It was dedicated to the memory Sgt. Jacob Kamaras, a veteran of the U.S. Army Air Corps during World War II. On hand for the ceremony were his son, Philip Kamaras, a New York lawyer, and his namesake grandson, Jacob Kamaras, a journalist and publicist in Houston.

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

The Kamaras family helped pay for the $36,000 scroll as part of the chaplains’ council Torah for Our Troops campaign, which equips chaplains with travel-size Torah scrolls. The scroll, slightly smaller than those used in most synagogues, is designed for use in the shipboard chapel.

“My dad was a blue-collar worker who was drafted at age 34 before landing in Europe to fight for the four freedoms,” Philip Kamaras said in a statement describing his tailor father, referring to goals articulated by President Franklin Roosevelt in his 1941 State of the Union address. “Now his legacy will live on as his Torah sails the world, overlooking brave sailors and giving them strength.”

The Forward is free to read, but it isn’t free to produce

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward.

Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.

At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.

Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.

This is a great time to support independent Jewish journalism you rely on. Make a gift today!

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.

$90 $180

$360

Other amount