This is my favorite time of the year, all the holidays are over. I hope your holidays went well. They added special meaning being here, in Iraq, in many ways. To be here, only a few miles away from (Fallujah, and Haditha, the center of the creation of the Talmud) where the rabbis taught, and spoke about how to observe the holidays, is awesome. Also, to know that for over 2,600 years, Jews have been observing these holidays, in some fashion, again right here is amazing. The third significant thing, as well as being quite sad, is that the only functioning synagogue in all of Iraq, after 2,600 years, is here, at Al Asad. There were three High Holidays services throughout Iraq lead by Army rabbis, but they were held in a shared common space, not a dedicated synagogue. You could feel the history of this place, especially when we were praying as a community.

The evening, and first day of Rosh Hashanah, was okay. We did not have a minyan, which was disappointing. We had 14 people show up (4 non Jews, who were quite interested in the service.)  The second day, 7 people showed up, and we had a Torah study session, and service. When you are accustomed to having several hundred people in attendance for the holidays, you get spoiled.  In a way, this was better, because it was more intimate. The nice thing that came out of Rosh Hashanah was the meals that we ate together. We had dinner, and lunch, as a group. Many organizations, and synagogues, have been great in supporting us, by sending kosher food, such as salamis, and smoked salmon (lox.) They even sent raisin round challot. We had enough honey to start our own business.

In the afternoon, we went to an artificial lake on base, or reservoir, where we performed tashlich .

Yom Kippur was quite different. It was one of the most meaningful experiences I ever had observing the day of atonement. We had Jewish service-members, and civilians, come from all over the Province, and we had a high attendance of 26 people.  I must tell you how spiritual they were, especially with the realization that these holidays actually began in this area.  The most beautiful part of the services was the complete involvement of these, mostly young, Jewish military members who actually knew the prayers, and could read Hebrew.  A Navy Captain reservist, lawyer, and president of a synagogue in Jacksonville, Florida, conducted the service. He learned this on his own, and has a beautiful singing voice. After he chanted "Kol Nidre" the first time, everyone else joined in for the other two chantings.  It was very emotional (and loud) to have everyone so intimately involved in the prayers, and service.

We had Torah study, meals before the services, and Broke-the-Fast together, as if we were one family.  These soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines, came and participated, not because they were told to by their families, but because their Judaism was so important to them, that they went out of their way to participate.  I feel so proud to be among these Jewish Americans.  I'm not sure that the descriptions above correctly convey all of what I experienced, but I know that these experiences will live with me forever.

Sukkot was just as amazing. There are four major bases here in western Iraq -- Al Asad, Ramadi, Al Taqqudum, and Fallujah. At each base the Jewish community put up a Sukkah. Just in time for the first two days of Sukkot, I received the four sets of lulav, and etrog I had ordered while I was home on leave. Here in Al Asad, two of my Religious Program Specialists (chaplain assistants) found wood, and constructed a Sukkah .  A couple of us went to the nearest Palm tree, which was a few feet a way, and cut off leaves for the covering.

The day before Sukkot, I invited the chaplains on the base, and their assistants, for 'Pizza in the Hut.' This was the first time that Christian chaplains have ever seen, or eaten, in a Sukkah. I showed them the passage in Leviticus about Sukkot, and we enjoyed a communal meal in the Sukkah that evening.

For the next few days, a group of us that met in the Sukkah for breakfast and dinner. All the meals were provided by donations from synagogues, and organizations back home  The challah was prepared by the dining facility.

I traveled to Al Taqqadum (TQ) during the middle of Sukkot. Colonel Thorsen, the airboss for TQ, is the Jewish lay leader.  He, and others, constructed a Sukkah out of cammie netting. Eleven participants joined us for a service, and meal, in the Sukkah. On a side note, a few of them were not Jewish, but are interested in becoming Jewish.  They had never seen a Sukkah .

Some of the Jewish personnel have interesting backgrounds. There was a Lance Corporal Marine whose mother is Israeli, and whose father is Navajo. He was raised Jewish, speaks fluent Hebrew, and visits his family back in Israeli at least once a year.  There is a Sergeant Marine whose parents lived in Baghdad. When Israel became a nation, they walked from Baghdad, to the Promised Land. He was born in Israel, and the family moved to the States.  He speaks fluent Hebrew and Arabic. There is a Corporal Marine whose father was an evangelical preacher who found out that her family were Marranos (secret Jews) and the entire church became Messianic. She decided to explore more about Judaism. At 16 years old she went to the local Conservative synagogue, and started studying, then converted to Judaism. Her parents shun her to this day.

In Fallujah, I met a Lance Corporal Marine who was adopted, and raised as a Nazarene Christian. While in high school, he found his birth mother, and  grandparents. He is in contact with his grandparents, not his mother. His mother's parents were from Morocco, and Iraq. His father is not Jewish. While in high school he decided to explore more of his Judaism, started attending a Conservative synagogue, and gave up his Christianity. His parents were not happy, but they eventually came around, and fully accept him as a Jew.  While at his first duty station he came across a Lubavitch Marine. They both went to the local Chabad house, and he became immersed in the Lubavitch movement. He spent his leave time at the Lubavitch Headquarters in Brooklyn. In the meantime, he has taught himself Hebrew, Arabic, and Yiddish. The Jewish lay leader in Fallujah is a civilian Department of Defence contractor from Boston. She grew up as an Orthodox Jew, and attended an Orthodox day school. Her job is to work directly with Iraqis who live in Fallujah. Her special project is to work with Iraqi women, and educate them about voting, schooling, and health issues. She is responsible for handing out grants so Iraqis, especially the women, can start their own businesses, and become self sufficient. These are only a few of the people that I have met.

Finally, I returned to Al Asad in time for Shemini Atzeret and Simhat Torah. On the evening of Simhat Torah we took the Torah scroll, danced, and did the seven Hakafot. It was a lot of fun. The kosher Torah scroll I brought with me from Marine Corps Base, 29 Palms, California. We were able to read Torah , which is a rare treat.

This is the short of it for the holidays.
Kol Tuv,
Rabbi Cutler