You know that you are less than 45 minutes from North Austin and that there are quite a few congregations down here. If you want send me a email and I will send you a link to a small one would would definitely welcome you.

I didn’t say I believe most servicemen are Reform.

I also think it’s less than helpful to promote the tired canards about Reform Judaism.  This site is “Jews in Green” not “(Insert Movement Here) Jews in Green.”

I was debating whether to address this in the forums, but once it was brought to the blog I feel I have to mention something.

I understand that you (the poster) feel out-of-place at Conservative and Orthodox services if you don’t follow the practices, but I beg you to reconsider. We, while following more of the traditions and laws, will do things that may seem foreign or different. Imagine, if you will, that you enter a Chinese Temple and they ask you to wear a certain robe, would you be offended or feel out of place? Most likely you’d be respectful of their traditions and comply so as not to offend them or their customs.

I believe all we’re asking is that you respect our customs the same. We’re not trying to tell you what to believe, and I’m sure if you approached one of the people before prayers they’d be happy to help you.

Wow!  Where should I begin with this?  I could start by pointing out the “supposed” literacy level of the writer is absurd.  I teach Special Education, and the extreme fluctuation in syntax points to a fake.  I could start with the fact that Ft. Hood is not large enough that it takes and hour and a half to get from any barracks or housing area to reach the West Ft. Hood Chapel.  Nor is it necessary to travel any further than Roundrock if one chooses a civilian congregation.  What I really want to talk about is the make-up of the Jewish congregation at Ft. Hood.  I have been a member of this congregation for approximately twelve years, and in that time I have gotten to know many people from the extremely orthodox to the very liberal.  We have had Lay Leaders who are Reform and Conservative, as well as the ever-Orthodox rabbis the JWB sends.  We have always been able to blend together into what I have always thought an appropriate term-Reconservadox, that blending that tries to meet everyone’s needs.  Most of us just consider ourselves Jews without any delineation.  If that offends anyone, sorry, but that is life.  Why narrowly define yourself so that there is no room to explore?  The Service on Friday evenings is set up in a manner that anyone can feel welcome and not as though they are prevented from davening in the manner they choose.  We have transliterations and are always willing to help as well as adjust to different preferences; there have been a lot of changes and there will be many more.  There are things that I choose not to participate in, and others that I add to my own davening, but that does not mean that I am disenfranchised from the community.  That is life, and life at a military chapel is different than in the civilian community in that you are more likely to daven in the old way-all Jews together without regard to who is “more religious” than whom. 

The congregation is not at West Ft. Hood Chapel to accommodate any specific members.  The congregation was moved when the old chapel was condemned and razed.  West Ft. Hood was the only chapel that had room, and the army has been generous with time and funds, even creating a kosher kitchen for the community.  Ft. Hood is a major installation; we have visitors from around the world and it is our responsibility to meet the needs of those visitors.  A quiet room with comfortable linen, plenty of light, and, yes, many of them require kosher food. Our location has been praised for the peace and quiet that is enjoyed during these trips.  As for the charge that the military is discriminating against Jews since we do not have a chapel for each “group”, let me point out that there are many very large differences (just to name a few Christian denominations) between Methodist, Catholic, Lutheran, and Greek Orthodox tenets of faith, while for us it is just a matter of how strictly we follow the same tenets.  Let’s take this a step further and accept that there are tens of thousands more Christians than Jews in both the civilian and military communities, so there will be a need for more Christian chapels. At the best of times, maintaining chapels is a large expense; right now we are in a two front war and the money is needed elsewhere. Perhaps the writer’s desire to be on main post will be met if and when the proposed mega-chapel, a pre-9/11 proposal, is built.
I do not know what needs you have that are not being met, so we cannot try to help with those needs.  If there are prayers you do not want to say, don’t say them.  I have been known to go to the annex to wait when I have needed to leave the chapel. 

post too long-so will be two-what can I say, I am pedantic.

What a shame that the person who felt slighted at west fort hood services didn,t air their concerns to someone at the chapel at the time of the incident! We, the congregation do all we can to be welcoming, right now we have a young Lt. in Iraq that we e mail on a regular basis. We are ALWAYS there to help the people in the service! We provide food and transport too. We try to maintain the chapel for the soldier and family. We have people who give of their free time to shop and cook and clean at the chapel, do we have to do this? NO! but we do because we CARE!!!

I’m going to close this thread now, as the individual in question has been mollified and the situation is resolved (see forums).

This post prompted exactly what I had hoped it would: a conversation that demonstrates that the Jewish military community inhabits a remarkable class of its own, one that transcends the differences of our respective movements.

Fort Hood is *very* fortunate to have such a proactive lay leader in the form of Larry Cohen.