The family of 1LT Lawrence Craig, killed in action shortly after D-Day, participate in a ceremony to correct his headstone to a Star of David at the Normandy American Cemetery, 29 May, 2023. Photo: Operation Benjamin

The headstones of three Jewish-American soldiers killed during the Second World War and mistakenly buried under crosses were replaced on Monday with Stars of David in separate Memorial Day ceremonies in France.

1st Lieutenant Lawrence S. Craig, Private Simon Goodman, and 2nd Lieutenant Robert Meltzer were killed in action in France in the days and weeks following the D-Day landings in June 1944.

Hundreds of Jewish American soldiers killed in World War II are thought to have been buried under Latin crosses. According to Project Benjamin, the non-profit that led Monday’s effort and that works with the American Battle Monuments Commission to rectify such cases, the mis-burials were largely inadvertent.

“Through the fog of war and tragedy, we have found that paperwork was ignored, mistakes were made, or families were otherwise unable to communicate their marker preferences to the government,” their website says. “In cases where these errors became known to surviving relatives, effecting change proved very difficult for already distraught families dealing with massive bureaucracies in times of national emergency.”

Many Jewish soldiers, including 1LT Craig, chose to identify as Christian on their dog tags, either out of fear of German reprisal or of facing antisemitism within their own units, contributing to many mis-burials.

Monday’s ceremony for 1LT Craig was held at the Normandy American Cemetery, and for Pvt. Goodman and 2LT Metlzer at the Brittany American Ceremony.