WWII Video Honors Jewish Home Veterans
Nov. 05, 2007

Collage of World War II veterans honors Jewish Home residents

Left to right
Front: Saul Dannenberg, Elmer Zeif, Norman Fellow and Helen Glasner
Back: Gloria Leonard, Ben Dommu and Alan Gerard.

FAIRFIELD - Several residents of The Jewish Home for the Elderly recently participated in creating a video documenting their memories of service in the United States Armed Forces during World War II. The full color video gives eyewitness accounts of life in America and overseas in the 1940’s.

Since the average age of the residents of The Jewish Home is 88 years old, their adult lives were just beginning as the war raged around the world. Though each person was uniquely impacted by the war, they all experienced major life changes because of it.

In the video, resident Elmer Zeif, who was born in Germany in 1916, recalls what happened to him. "In 1942, June 29th, even the date I know, the hour 4:00 in the afternoon, they took us away to Russia. After the 600 kilometers, we reached the destiny of where we go to work...I had to start a new life. I started in the United States, in the land of opportunity."

Bernard Dommu, born the same year as Zeif but a world away in Bridgeport, remembers how the war changed his life. "A buddy of mine, we both lived on the same street as kids and we both went into the service together. It wasn’t a bad life, we were lucky."

Women also heeded the call to action and resident Helen Glasner was among them. "I joined the Civil Air Patrol," Glasner recalled. "My job was to protect the Atlantic Ocean. It was excitement for me. I loved the flying. I loved the speed that it had, especially on Fly Day. We did not call it Friday, we called it Fly Day and then we could fly and do whatever we wanted."

Also in honor of the veterans, Bunny Kasper, a member of the Home’s Board of Directors and a former family member of the Home created a collage of their photographs. Both were presented at the Home’s Women’s Auxiliary Fall Gala at the Stamford Marriott 10/18/07 and reminded the three hundred attendees of the vital contributions made by residents of the organization the Auxiliary supports so successfully.

"The video and the collage will be messages to future generations of the commitment "The Greatest Generation" had to protecting our freedom," said Andrew H. Banoff, of Trumbull, President & CEO of The Jewish Home.

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