Woodmere woman sends challah to Jewish troops overseas

For the Jewish soldiers stationed in Iraq, Afghanistan and Kuwait, the challah that Woodmere resident Marla Turk sends to them twice a month isn't just a loaf of bread - it's a welcome reminder of home.

Monday Turk wrapped up the last of the nearly 50 boxes destined for Jewish chaplains and lay leaders in the Middle East theater she's sending in time for the Jewish holiday of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish new year, which begins at sundown on Sept. 8.

"I have it down to a science," Turk said as she displayed the neatly packaged boxes in which she fit 30 challah rolls and bags of candy and dried fruits and nuts on her sunroom floor.

Each package takes between 5 and 10 days to arrive, but, Turk said, the challah is still fresh and ready for Friday night Shabbat or holiday meals.

"I say God is watching over the challahs so Jewish soldiers can get it," she said.

Rabbi Henry Soussan, an instructor at the U.S. Army Chaplain Center and School in Fort Jackson, S.C., spent a year stationed in Kuwait. He said it would have been impossible to get kosher bread if not for Turk's efforts.

"It was great - we could really re-create an atmosphere of Friday evening," said Soussan, who also traveled to bases in Afghanistan and Iraq to serve troops there. "It was amazing. Everyone was surprised how fresh the challah still tasted and smelled after it shipped over there."

Jewish groups place the number of Jewish troops in the Middle East theater at anywhere from 700 to 17,000 - the Department of Defense said it does not keep official statistics.

Turk has been sending the challah to the troops for two years, having taken over the volunteer project that was started by a woman in South Carolina.

Rabbi Shneur Wolowik of Chabad of the Five Towns said his group handles the donations for the packages, which cost roughly $36 each to prepare and mail.

Wolowik said the packages give the troops spiritual strength as well as physical nourishment.

"If you need belief and spirituality to give you that boost on a good day, how much more so on the front line?" he said. "You realize how fragile your life is. You need that strength. It helps you fight the battle because you feel more upbeat."

How to sponsor challah for soldiers

To sponsor a package of challah for Jewish soldiers, contact Chabad of the Five Towns at 516-295-2478 or www.chabadfivetowns.com.