The Jewish soldiers, both German and American, were mistakenly buried as Christian; There are five soldiers from the US Army who are buried in France, and 12 soldiers from the Imperial German ArmyHiday Biran| Related TopicsPvt. Samuel Abraham Backer was one of five American soldiers killed in World War I who were mistakenly buried as Christians, with crosses on their graves.The injustice has now been corrected for Backer and four fellow soldiers buried near him in France, as well as for 12 Jewish soldiers from the German army whose graves also bore crosses.5 View gallery Honoring the World War Jewish fallen (Photo: anibas)The operation took place simultaneously on Wednesday at the Meuse-Argonne American Cemetery, the largest U.S. military cemetery in France, and at the German military cemetery in Consenvoye.5 View gallery Emotional ceremony in France (Photo: anibas)5 View gallery Switching the cross for a Star of David (Photo: anibas)The fact that an American organization and a German organization joined forces to place Stars of David on the graves of men who had been bitter enemies on the battlefield underscored for participants the shared fate of the Jewish people and the supreme importance of honoring the dead.Alongside relatives of the fallen, public figures, researchers and students from around the world took part in the historic event. Participants included U.S. Ambassador to France Charles Kushner, who recited Kaddish at the graves; historian and former Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Dr. Michael Oren; Operation Benjamin honorary president Rabbi Dr. Jacob J. Schacter; Rabbi Dr. Meir Soloveitchik, head of the Straus Center at Yeshiva University; and Shalom Lamm, Operation Benjamin’s chief historian.Hiday Biran speaks at the grave of Pvt. Samuel Abraham Backer5 View gallery US Ambassador to France Charles Kushner recited Kaddish at the ceremony (Photo: anibas)5 View gallery Hiday Biran speaks about the fallen soldiers (Photo: anibas)Representatives of the next generation also attended, including students from Yeshiva University, cadets from the Virginia Military Institute and students from Bundeswehr University Munich, representing Germany’s federal armed forces, among them a Jewish doctor and chaplain.The event marked a moving full-circle moment for the families of the fallen and for the Jewish people as a whole, serving as living testimony that time does not dull the commitment to restoring truth and dignity to those who sacrificed their lives.Comments