FOXNews reports that the body of rabbi Abraham Klausner, the leading advocate for Holocaust survivors after WWII, was rejected by the Army for burial at famed Arlington cemetary. Rabbi Klausner was the first Jewish chaplain to enter Dachau after the Army liberated it in 1945 and died last week at 92.

The Army says that because of space, those special Arlington burials are limited to “active-duty members, retirees after lengthy service and veterans who have won special awards or medals,” and Rabbi Klausner’s short service as a chaplain doesn’t qualify him — although his family can choose to have him cremated and his remains stored at the cemetary.

Jess Hordes, Washington director of the ADL, said that offering “cremation is not an option for a rabbi,” and Klausner should be made an exception primarily because of his work with Holocaust survivors. “It was really exceptional work at an exceptional time,” said Hordes, who was calling officials at the White House and Defense Department, hoping they would convince the Army to change its mind.

Simon Wiesenthal Center founder Marvin Hier said, “It’s just unbelievable to me he would be denied being buried at Arlington cemetery…It’s a rule that violates religious principles. So I want to know who made the rule and why it wasn’t challenged.”

Hmm. I agree that suggesting Rabbi Klausner be cremated is ridiculous. He was an exceptional man and did much for the poor souls who had to make a life after so much horror. But he is eligible for burial in any other Army cemetary with full honors, so why make such a fuss? Surely the Army has been asked to make an exception for many a soldier whose family considered his service, life and story extraordinary, and it feels hurtful to be told that “rules are rules.” But a rule that “violates religious principles?” C’mon. My sympathies to the rabbi’s family; he had a long, presumably full, life. Let his burial be an honorable moment for the Jewish people, not a kvetch.