Connecting Generations of Jewish Military Service: Tzameret Student Exchange at the National Museum of American Jewish Military History

On March 10, 2026, a meaningful connection between two generations of Jewish military service took place in Washington, DC. Students from the Tzameret program—Hebrew University of Jerusalem’s Elite Military Medical Exchange program—currently training at the University of Maryland R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center, engaged in a thoughtful discussion about their experiences in this unique program.

Held at the National Museum of American Jewish Military History in Washington, DC, the program was moderated by Jerome Socolovsky (HU ’97). He led a conversation with the students and Dr. Ron Samet, Chief of the Division of Trauma Anesthesiology in the Program in Trauma at the University of Maryland School of Medicine and supervisor of the exchange. Together, they discussed the students’ experiences and what they hope to learn during this rotation.

Following a tour of the museum’s main exhibit, Mike Rugel, Director of Programs and Content, welcomed the group and shared the testimony of David Solomon, a World War II veteran who studied at HU through the G.I. Bill, which provided veterans with support for higher education, housing, and other benefits. In his testimony, Solomon reflects on his decision to attend the Hebrew University:

“After ’46, I suddenly heard of the G.I. Bill, which recognized different universities throughout the world, where former G.I.s could attend and receive a modest stipend, some money for books. And I heard that the Hebrew University had been accredited by the American government. I thought seriously about it, and my wife and I, after we married in ’46, we thought that was not a bad idea. In fact, we should come as students…

During one class day, the lecturer was going ahead full steam with his lecture. The windows were open, and one could see smoke rising in the distance. Now, we knew what that meant. We knew that the Arabs had set fire to another Jewish area in town, in Jerusalem. That these were burning Jewish shops in a place called the Commercial Quarter, near the center of Jerusalem today. Well, of course, most of the students in the class were members of the Haganah; in any case, they were looking out and couldn’t care less about what the lecturer was saying. After a while, he was a bit annoyed, because he saw we were all looking out the window. He took one big glance at the window and turned back, and said in Hebrew, ‘This, too, will disappear like smoke.’”

Solomon’s testimony is one of four testimonies recorded and transcribed by WWII veterans who later attended the Hebrew University, alongside David Brodsky, Moshe Hellnerl, and Eliezer Whartman.