I received the Recorder. The names on the ‘roster’ that are distinguished by the asterisks seem to thin the air in one’s sails…And then it dawns on me. I’ll never see those faces again! Those seats will empty at the games! The stern reality of the situation is shocking and we must remember those names in something more than a bronze plaque in the foyer. Those names must represent an ideal, to be held forward to the future, as something substantial.
– Jack Coonin, Letter to Mollye Sklut, November 4, 1944, India
Discover the stories of seven Jewish American service members from Wilmington during World War II through the letters and objects sent to Mollye Sklut, Secretary of the YM-YWHA (the precursor to today’s Jewish Community Center). These letters, and other collections shared with the Jewish Historical Society of Delaware, illustrate how a close knit community deployed around the globe was impacted by world events and maintained a connection by sharing their experiences.