A man with a mission

The armistice ending the Korean Conflict had been in place for two years when Justin “Jay” Strauss enlisted in the US Air Force in 1955. It was the era of the Cold War, a time of deep tension and mistrust between former allies.

Jay Strauss successfully completed flight training in 1956 and was assigned to the Strategic Air Command’s MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Florida. He became the pilot of a tanker plane tasked with midair refueling mainly B47 bombers, which carried nuclear weapons as part of a deterrent strategy. The missions required precision and formation flying. They could be peaceful or harrowing, depending on the weather. The experience taught him self-reliance, he said.

On leaving the Air Force in 1958, Strauss, who had a degree in economics from University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School, entered the family business, Eagle Cornice Company, founded by his grandfather Simon Strauss. “It was not as thrilling as flying missions in the air force,” he commented, “but more steady.” He was married, with a family to consider.

His love for flying never abated. In time, Strauss was able to realize his dream of owning his own plane, a Beechcraft Bonanza, and flying to Europe (“call me Jay Lindberg”), South America, and across the United States. He has logged 12,000 hours of flying time and has received the Wright Brothers Master Pilot Award by the Federal Aviation Administration.

Not all of those hours were devoted to personal trips. While still growing his business, he did not have much time for joining organizations, but he did volunteer with Angel Flights, a national non-profit organization founded and led by pilots. An Angel Pilot brings patients, free of charge, to clinics or hospitals for life-sustaining treatment. Although generally centered in New England, the flights have brought Strauss as far as Ohio or Wisconsin or the Carolinas. He also participates in the Veteran’s Air Lift Command that flies   wounded veterans home or brings the family for a visit. “Many veterans prefer not to take a commercial airline due to their wounds, or perhaps their families cannot afford the fares,” Strauss stated. “Like with the Angel Flights, we give our time and our personal treasure. It is time and money well-spent.”

At age 52 Strauss enrolled in the Harvard Graduate School of Business and earned an MBA. Each year the Harvard Business School Club of RI scheduled a visit to the Naval War College in Newport. “I was enthralled by the level of intellect at the lectures presented there,” he stated, and so began his participation in the non-profit Newport Naval War College Foundation, which provides financial support for lectures, symposia and research for which public funds are not available to meet the need for officers “educated in international security affairs”.

Strauss has been frequently asked why he attends so many of the lectures at the War College. He replied, “Many lectures over the years have not been very positive toward Israel and Jews. I go so that when someone says something derogatory, I will raise my hand and speak out. I am not a bashful person. Often my wife Sandra comes with me. She gets nervous when I stand up because she does not know what will come out of my mouth. I come to bear witness for Israel, for the Jewish people and the military.”

At one of these lectures, Strauss was introduced to the work of JINSA (Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs) by David Ganz, a retired Marine aviator and three-term president of the organization.  The group’s emphasis on issues of security and defense partnerships involving the United States and Israel appealed to Strauss.

JINSA has its detractors who feel it espouses right-wing positions. Strauss emphasized that the organization does not lobby; it is apolitical and non-partisan but does have a “think tank” component. It arranges training/learning visits to Israel by cadets in the U.S. military academies, chosen by the military.

Of great importance to Strauss are the good deeds undertaken by JINSA at bases, mostly special ops, chosen by the military. They are geared for enlisted personnel below three stripes. As part of a delegation, Strauss visited one of these bases, Hurlbut Air Force Base in Fla. The services JINSA provided the soldiers and their families, he stated, are social and financial – interest-free loans, for example, at Christmas to buy presents. At a graduation ceremony, the base commander recounted all that JINSA had done for the base, explained the meaning of the acronym and asked the delegates to stand. “It was the first time I stood up in front of people most of whom were not familiar with Jews. They cheered us for about five minutes. I knew I was doing the right thing.”

Jay Strauss is a past president of the RI Holocaust Education and Resource Center, member of the board of Miriam Hospital, recipient of the Harrison Award of Warwick Rotary, member of Temple Sinai and the Facilities Committee of the Jewish Alliance.

GERALDINE FOSTER, past president of the Rhode Island Jewish Historical Association, has held many leadership roles in the community.