Why was this NYC playground named after a Jew?

The Captain Jacob Joseph Playground on the Lower East Side honors an incredible family! It's named after US Marine Captain Jacob Joseph, who sadly lost his life at the Battle of Guadalcanal during WWII, becoming the youngest captain in the Marines at the time. His grandfather, Rabbi Jacob Joseph, was a towering Lithuanian Torah scholar, a student of the Netziv and Rabbi Yisrael Salanter, who served as a leading rabbinic authority in New York and worked hard to establish Jewish schools for immigrant families. This playground near Henry Street is a reminder of how this family dedicated both body and soul to building Jewish life in New York and serving America.