Title: World Repair
Challenge #101: Mirror
Fandom: Captain America
Rating: G
Length: 947 words
Summary: Few people knew Steve Rogers was Jewish.
Author's Note: Possibly to be continued.... someday.

His dog tags claimed him to be Protestant. It was a standard tactic by the time he was allowed to enlist and rumors had started to filter back about what a bad idea it was to go to war in the European Front as a declared Jew. Sure, you could risk it and have that 'H' stamped on your tags, but if you could pass as anything else they'd pressure you to get a 'NO' or 'P' and just make sure a buddy or two you could trust would know what kind of last rites you'd want if it came down to it.

Steve didn't like hiding or lying about who he was, but Doctor Erskine had suggested it to him personally and he'd seemed so sincere and concerned that Steve had gone along with it. It felt wrong, he'd always tried to honor his mother and her beliefs, but the doctor was so earnest when he said, "Trust me, Steve, you are the epitome of an Aryan, do not risk making things more difficult by announcing that you are of the Hebrew faith." Steve couldn't find it in his heart to argue.

He'd never had any formal schooling in what it meant to be Jewish, everything he knew he'd learned from his mom or the kids who played stickball from the tenement across the way and he wasn't terribly observant. In fact, considering rations were what they were, most of the rules were pretty easy to follow. Mixing milk and meat wasn't an issue when milk was nowhere to be found and he was more likely to come across Hitler himself then an actual piece of bacon. And as for the ideas of living the best life he could and helping people? If him becoming a super soldier in an attempt to end the war as soon as possible wasn't an example of tikkun olam, repairing the world, then he didn't know what was. And as for stopping Schmidt and Hydra? Definitely a mitzvah his mother would be proud of.

Buck knew, of course, but it never occurred to Steve to tell the rest of the Commandos that he was Jewish. Why would it matter? And if it hadn't been for Passover in the spring of '44, they might never have figured it out.

Since fresh bread, or actually bread of any kind, had been impossible to come by Steve hadn't thought observing Passover was going to be any different than how he went about his usual meals- avoiding the obvious treif like Spam and bacon and trying not to mix his meat and dairy (not usually a problem since milk and cheese was nearly impossible to get) and hoping it was good enough to appease the Man upstairs. His Bubbie, rest her soul, would be appalled, but it was the best he could do.

Then came the seventh day of Pesach and the Commandos stumbling across a recently abandoned farm house with a fairly well stocked larder, including a beautiful ham and several loaves of dark, delicious looking bread. The boys were civilized about it, they didn't just tear into the food willy nilly, they carefully collected what was going to spoil, prepared the food and even set the table while Steve and Bucky shored up their defenses, setting traps and arranging sight-lines, having long learned that safer was better than sorry when it came to anticipating Hydra.

Steve and Bucky returned to find a huge dinner awaiting them: glazed ham, bread, rolls, roasted vegetables and several bottles of (according to Denier, anyway) an excellent vintage of wine to go with the meal. Bucky was ecstatic, it was the most food they'd seen in one place in weeks but Steve couldn't quite prevent his face from falling at the sight. "It looks great, boys," he said, trying to hide his disappointment at being unable to eat most of the night's bounty. "You all sit and enjoy, I'll take first watch."

"Captain, no, we insist you eat now." Monty looked almost offended that Steve had even suggested walking away from their meal. "Surely we can rig up something so there will be no need for a guard for a short while? You need to eat."
"I, I can't," Steve started before turning helplessly to Bucky and shrugging. "I'm Jewish, I can't eat most of this. Don't get me wrong, I love the company, but there's no bread until dusk tomorrow and the ham, well, I don't eat ham."

Other than being momentarily surprised none of the Commandos seemed bothered by Steve's declaration. Monty just nodded and passed the potatoes, Morita shrugged while Jones explained it to Dernier. Dum Dum, meanwhile, clapped Steve on the back and said, "Well, hell, Captain, more for us!" and Bucky laughed and said,

"Told you none of them would care."

And none of them did. In fact, the boys even found him apples and honey for Rosh Hashanah and a service to sneak into for Yom Kippur. They didn't build a sukkah during Sukkot, but considering they were behind enemy lines at the time they were eating outside and Steve figured that was just as good.

After Bucky.... Well, after Bucky was gone Steve found everything painful, religion included. Sure, he covered his mirror and said the Mourner's Kaddish but when it came time to crash the plane into the ocean in hopes of saving New York he just couldn't find it within himself to pray. If Bucky hadn't been written into the Book of Life for 5705, Steve figured maybe it was just as well he hadn't been either.

It took almost seventy years to find out he was wrong.