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| OHCC LIVING | JULY 2023 | 39 Yiddish Club Burton M. Sa, CAPT, USN (Ret): A Jewish Sailor's Story Burt was born and raised in Buffalo, NY. His parents grew up in very traditional Jewish homes and they continued this practice with their three children. ey kept a Kosher home and the family regularly attended services in one of Buffalo's Conservative synagogues. ey socialized with other families in a Jewish community center and spent a lot of time with family members in Buffalo and Rochester. Burt was a Boy Scout in a Jewish troop and earned his Eagle Scout Badge when he was 12. One of his favorite memories was attending an international Jewish Boy Scout Jamboree in Israel in the late 1950s. Burt attended the US Naval Academy (Annapolis) from 1961- 1965. Upon graduation, he headed to the Tonkin Gulf on USS Hoel, a destroyer. at experience convinced him that he'd prefer being underwater where he wouldn't get seasick. He applied for the Nuclear Power Program headed by Admiral Hyman Rickover. He was accepted and began his training to serve on nuclear submarines. Burt had many stories about Admiral Rickover but above all else, he was grateful for the training that Rickover insisted on. Burt's first submarine was USS Halibut. He was part of the crew whose exploits were described in the book, Blind Man's Bluff, published in 1998. He was stunned that their accomplishments were made public and would only comment that "the crab legs were delicious." Read the book to learn what that means! Burt was commanding officer of USS Guitarro SSN 665, from 1982- 1986. Stationed in San Diego and in overhaul at Mare Island Naval shipyard, these years were the highlights of his naval career, and he was exceedingly proud of his crews and their accomplishments. During his time in the Navy, Burt made a concerted effort to maintain a Jewish life while at sea. He got to know the Jewish chaplains who were stationed in San Diego, Japan and Hawaii. ey provided him with reading and worship materials so that he could observe the High Holy Days while at sea. He always got to know the cooks so that they would understand that he wasn't to be served any pork products. When our daughters were young, we had belated Hebrew Naming ceremonies for them with the Rabbi Chaplain at Naval Training Center in San Diego. Living in Hawaii provided us with a memorable Jewish family experience. e Pearl Harbor Naval Base has the only Jewish Chapel built by the Navy, complete with rooms for social and children's activities, meetings and a kitchen. e Rabbi and his wife were old friends of Burt's, having met each other in Japan years before. We loved going out for sushi with them! Our daughters went to Sunday School there and made friends with children of Air Force, Army and other Navy families who were stationed on Oahu. e civilians who were regular members of the congregation kept the Chapel going since the military families came and went. ey were very special people who we kept in contact with for a long time. In fact, about 15 years ago we were invited to attend a very special event when a new Torah was given to the Chapel. Navy life has its challenges, especially for one who wants to live an observant Jewish life, but Burt figured out how to do it. Our family was very enriched by his efforts. We will always be very proud of him for his service and for his commitment to ensuring that we could experience a Jewish family life no matter where we were living. Burt passed away on March 21, 2023. ~ Article written by Carolyn Sas We also had a great Deli Luncheon on June 11. Everyone enjoyed the food and entertainment! Our next meeting is on Monday evening Aug. 14, with more information following. ank you for all your support. ~ Carole Silverman, President

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