Shalom Lamm has worked as a real estate developer for decades and has completed projects in eight different states. Devoted to his community, Shalom Lamm is the founder of Operation Benjamin, an organization that honors Jewish-American soldiers buried under incorrect grave markers. The organization recently rededicated the resting place of five Jewish soldiers from World War II located in Manila American Cemetery.

Operation Benjamin’s work starts with thorough research of military and civil documentation. This involves working with genealogists and the soldier’s family and often takes a long time.

With heritage established, Operation Benjamin approaches the US government with a dossier requesting that the marker be changed. The government bodies responsible for this change are strict in their requirements and need both proof of heritage and support of the family.

If everything checks out, the government approves a marker change, and the change is scheduled. When the time comes, family members can participate in the ceremony and see their relative’s marker changed from a cross to a Star of David.