Yizkor, the Jewish prayer memorializing the dead, is recited in synagogues four times a year. One of those times is on the second day of Shavuot which, this year, fell on Memorial Day.
My father, who passed away several years ago, was a career military man. It was always important to him that this day was marked by more than those black lines left by the grill on our hamburgers. When we were young, he would bring us to Memorial Day ceremonies. After he retired, he would distribute poppies with the Jewish War Veterans in exchange for donations on Memorial Day and Veterans Day.
My current life is pretty removed from my Air Force brat upbringing, but Memorial Day and Veterans Day always remind me of my dad and the love he had for his fellow soldiers. And so the accidental coinciding of Memorial Day and the recitation of Yizkor is pretty meaningful to me. Apparently other Jewish groups are reflecting upon this coincidence as well:
Over at the Forward, Remembering Fallen Jewish Soldiers as Memorial Day and Yizkor Coincide
On Ritualwell, Yizkor on Memorial Day