Chaplains and lay leaders need to get their Chanukah and more importantly their Passover orders in soon.

If you have not already ordered your Chanukah supplies, download this form and submit it to the JWB ASAP.  Your best bet is to email it to directly.  The requested date is today (the 27th), but better late than never.

This year Passover begins at sundown, Monday, April 2, 2007 and concludes at nightfall on Tuesday, April 10.

It may seem early to be thinking about Passover, but with the quantity of items along with the logistics involved, leaders need to place their orders as soon as possible, especially for those deployed overseas, if you want to ensure they get there on time.

There are two different Passover Seder kits.  The Rabbi/Leader kit (NSN # 9925-01-526-3373) is for persons leading the seder.  The participant kit (NSN # 9925-01-526-3364) is for those attending the seder. Personnel unable to attend a community seder who plan to conduct their own private Seder should order the Rabbi/Leader kit.  Each kit contains all items necessary for two Passover Seders.

Chaplains in the Southwest Asia area of operations should work with Food Service personnel to ensure all Passover supply requests are sent to CW4 Peter Gaber, CFLCC C4.  CW4 Gaber is in Kuwait.  He is responsible for ensuring that SWA Passover supplies are rolled-up and ordered through DLA.  CW4 Gaber’s e-mail address is:

Chaplains in other areas should work with Food Service personnel to ensure all Passover Seder kits are ordered with Ms. Maryann Bonk at DLA.  Ms. Bonk’s e-mail address is :

Ms. Deborah Sinno is available to assist with ordering Passover MRE.  Ms. Sinno’s e-mail address is : 

For further information regarding the kits, you can download the DLA pamphlet here.

Came across this article, I think it’s great (especially when we supply the Jewish stuff!)
Dee - Jewish Prime Vendor

A “Tent of Peace” On the Korean Peninsula
SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA
By Rebecca Rosenthal
(Original Article)

North Korea’s Kim Jung II may be detonating nukes and playing war games with the international community, but Jewish U.S. troops in South Korea are not in duck-and-cover mode. With Uncle Sam’s blessing, they’re out in the sukkah Chaplain (Col.) Jacob Goldstein built on the Yongsan Military Base in Seoul.

Plans had been to construct the nylon and aluminum frame sukkah booth in the DMZ. Just before Yom Kippur, days before the North Korean dictator boasted of an underground nuclear test, plans changed. By phone with Lubavitch.com, Goldstein kept mum on the shift in location except for explaining, “We decided this base is much better, more centrally located, and people can stay overnight here.”

Sukkot guests – military personnel based at the DMZ or elsewhere in the region - are comfortably accommodated in the base’s 45-bed spiritual retreat center. Over Rosh Hashannah, 130 Jews prayed together on base. Israel’s Ambassador to South Korea Yigal Caspi and American Ambassador Alexander Vershbow joined in the prayers as did six Jewish Fulbright scholars studying in Korea, and a professor who pinch-hit as cantor. A Canadian Jewish business traveler arrived at the last minute and received military clearance to attend on base after locating Yongsan’s High Holiday services through the Jewish OnStar, more commonly known as the worldwide Chabad-Lubavitch network.

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Spending the High Holidays in Iraq is becoming a regular occurrence these days.  While the novelty of celebrating such an important Jewish holiday in an Arab land might have worn off, the level of support for those deployed there has only strengthened.  A substantial force of reserve, active duty, and volunteer rabbis will be heading to the Sandbox in order to officiate services and meet the needs of our Jewish service members in harm’s way.

Looking back to last year, Captain Perl shares his tale of his Rosh Hashanah joy:

“I took a helicopter flight with a Sergeant from Camp Taji to Baghdad, about a ten minute ride.  In Baghdad, we were met at the helipad by Rabbi Schranz, a Navy LT COL Chaplain. 

“One of the congregants made an Ark for the Torah Handmade Ark, and we had candles Candlelighting, a Kiddush cup, Machzors, challah, apples, honey, what more could we ask for?  After services Friday night, we made Kiddush and had some challah with honey, and then about 14 of us went to dinner together in the army mess hall.

“When the Rabbi said this would be a Rosh Hashanah service we would always remember, I knew he was right. Although we were not in imminent danger, we had Military Police guarding the Chapel during our services as a safety precaution.  Right in the middle of services, we heard the loud booms of some Improvised Explosive Devices (road side bombs) going off in the distance. On the second day, we heard 15 big booms from some artillery rounds being shot at the bad guys.  The Chapel shook with each artillery round that was fired - we just kept on going like it was thunder from a rain shower.

Read Captain Perl’s full story here.

This kind of experience is nothing new.  U.S. service men and women have been serving in war during the holidays since there has been a U.S. military.  The Jewish Journal of Los Angeles has an article you must read that tells the holiday stories of four service members in four different wars.

Ralph Goodman recited those words in a hillside tent in southeastern Belgium. Warren Zundell’s “shul” was a patch of no-man’s-land somewhere in North Korea. For Robert Cirkus, it was a jungle clearing in the bug-infested Central Highlands of Viet Nam. And for Lee Mish, it was Saddam Hussein’s former palace.

The four men have never met, but they share an uncommon bond. They represent four generations of Jewish servicemen for whom the High Holidays—and their signature Unetanah Tokef prayer—took on new meaning.

Read the full article here.

The Navy has recently joined the other services in encouraging observance of non-Christian holidays.  I can’t imagine this is something drastically new, but it merited an article in Stars & Stripes.

“The purpose of the message was to increase commanders’ awareness about the need for religious accommodation,” Chaplain (Lt. Cmdr.) John Kalantzis, an action officer in the Navy Chaplain’s policy office, told Stars and Stripes on Thursday.

Something I found particularly interesting about the article is that they provide numbers for the different faith groups, which I have found hard to come by.

“The vast majority” of servicemembers report that they are Christian, although within that category there are dozens of different groups, Dolinger said.

About 30 percent of servicemembers report that they are Catholic, he said.

Non-Christian servicemembers include Buddhists (served by a single monk in the entire military chaplain corps), about 4,000 Jews (served by 22 Rabbis), about 3,730 Muslims (served by 11 Imams), 1,383 Wiccans, and 353 Hindus, according to statistics provided by Dolinger.

An ironic tidbit in the article is in the sidebar where they list examples of some of the holidays.  One listing reads: “Shavuot (Pentacost): Begins at sunset, June 1 and ends at nightfall, June 3”.

Isn’t that like saying “Passover (Easter):”?  So much for sensitivity training.

The Jewish Community of Okinawa celebrated a wonderful Passover Seder on Wednesday night, the 12th of April at the Camp Butler Officer’s Club. This was the kickoff to an exciting week of events celebrating the departure of the Jewish People from bondage in Egypt.  The Seder went extremely well with a grand turnout of approximately 70 people. Rabbi Jessica Oleon led the services in her progressive fashion which involved community participation and explanation of many of the things we do during the service.

We had a rest from the events on Thursday, though many of the families in the congregation had their own family Seders. On Friday night we had a guided discussion with the Rabbi about Judaism and homosexuality. This is a hot topic in the Jewish world right now as the Conservative movement continues to wrestle with it. The discussion was lively and insightful especially with the input and points of view from those in the military as homosexuality has also been an issue in the military community for many years.

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This week’s Torah portion, Tetzaveh, deals with G-d giving specific instsructions on how the High Priest’s clothing is to be made. Given the nature and criticality of this work, God wanted the clothing to be made by: “...the wise-hearted people whom I have invested with… wisdom.” (Exodus 28:3)

Wisdom is a gift from Hashem and a privilege.  To those of us who have been privileged as military leaders, whether at the squad or military-wide level, this means using our “wisdom” to the fullest extent to safeguard our Soldiers, families and country.  What a very special role we play in accomplishing “Tikun Olam” (improvement of the world).

Additionally, using our “wisdom” to create the “clothing” or outer garments is a heavy responsibility.  As leaders, whether military or religious, we are imbued with the job of ensuring that we create an outer persona or clothing (appearance and behavior) among our troops or congregants that is consistent with that which is on the inside (belief, faith, value system).  In other words, let’s ensure that we are actualizing Military values and Mitzvot in our every day actions.  Certainly as leaders we must strive to always exemplify that which we espouse.  And, of course, we must hold others accountable for behavior founded on military values and Mitzvot.

How? Through one-on-one counseling; by always making on-the-spot corrections; through retraining/re-teaching just to name a few ways.

This need for consistency of inner self and outer self is brought to light especially now during the week in which we celebrate Purim.  This is the week in which we contemplate the “hidden” and the “revealed.” The inner self and the outer self.

It’s important to remember that were it not for Queen Esther having revealed her inner self to the outer world, we would not be celebrating as Jews.  The attempt by Haman to annihilate Jews off the face of the earth was once again thwarted.  This time, by a woman who rather than continue to hide her true self – her Jewish self – publicly conveyed that she was Jewish.  In doing so, she started a process that saved the community. 

How do we as Jews do this on a daily basis?  Do we hide our true selves and reveal ourselves only on special occasions and among certain people?  If the answer is “yes,” then, why? 
In the world today, It’s no wonder that Judaism is dwindling and that other world religions are flourishing.  They are “out there!” Vocal, visible, actively engaged with an undeniable pride and presence. 

This Purim, consider your Jewish presence in the world.  Consider removing your mask.  Reveal the beauty of Judaism to any and all.  Only in this way will we fulfill our role as Priests unto the nations of the world. 

Some Suggestions:

1. Wear a Kippah while in uniform (supported by DODD 1300.17)
2. Schedule Cultural Diversity classes through your EO rep and provide information about upcoming commemorative events or holidays
3. Get involved in Holocaust Remembrance activities/committees
4. Become an active member of your local Synagogue or Jewish Education program
5. Become a Lay Leader
6. Volunteer to speak or read at religious events or college courses

Friendly Safety Reminder: Don’t Drink and Drive this Purim. Have a Safe and Happy Celebration!

Here are some additional military Chanukah stories from around the globe:

A Hanukkah Hope: Chabad Lubavitch of the Pacific Northwest helps Jews on the USS Ford light a 9-foot menorah on the deck of the ship.

The USS Ford, a guided-missile frigate, may be a high-tech “total warfare system,” but for the past few days, it has been host to a symbol more than 2,000 years old: a menorah.

The Special Hanukkah Lights That Glow Still: This is a general article about Chanukah celebrations, but it starts off with the focus on LTC Susan Meisner.  (You can use bugmenot to bypass registration or download the newspaper article in PDF format HERE)

How different this Hanukkah will be from a year ago for Susan Meisner. As it begins tonight, she, her husband and 5-year-old child will be at home in Alexandria to light the first candle on their menorah. A year ago, Meisner was half a world away, dressed in fatigues in the crowded quarters of the U.S. military’s Kabul compound and saying a prayer with uniformed and civilian strangers.

Chanukah Chabad Style at Camp Victory: This is a little more in-depth description of the Chanukah celebration at Camp Victory that Rabbi Schranz wrote about below.

...there’s still something surreal about the idea of a grand Chanukah celebration at Saddam Hussein’s palace. Yet that’s precisely what happened on the first night of Chanukah, when 70 troops celebrated around a 12-foot menorah in the palace. “We are celebrating the Festival of Lights in a place once occupied by a man who chose to extinguish light, Lt. JG Laurie Zimmet told her comrades as she spoke to them about the meaning of the Jewish holiday.

Jewish community gathers to light Mildenhall menorah: Yet another giant menorah in Mildenhall, England.

Set amid a series of Christmas decorations on an open lawn on the base, the ceremony was somewhat indicative of the Jewish community’s activities at Air Force bases in the United Kingdom and, for the most part, among U.S. forces overseas. It was small and intimate, and cobbled together from the mix of food and donated traditional items associated with the faith.

Editors Note: The following is an excerpt from Rabbi (Cdr) Mitchell Schranz’s account of Chanukah celebrations he participated in all across Iraq.  You can see the accompanying photos in the Photo Gallery.  Be sure to click on “read more” to see the entire letter.

There is only one word to describe this year’s Chanukah in Iraq: INCREDIBLE!  Services & Menorah lightings took place at many bases and FOBs.  Rabbi Mordechai Schwab and I traveled throughout Iraq where we were able to spend some time with many of [the troops], at least for one or two days.  At Al Faw Palace a huge Menorah was lit (a la Chabad!) in the lobby of Saddam Hussein’s one-time seat of power (and who knows what else!) Since Saddam had no shortage of palaces, there was another Menorah lighting in the International Zone Palace under the able leadership and coordination of Lay Leaders Col Nelson Mellitz and Maj Adam Torem.  In fact, last Thursday we had a second candle lighting in one of the conference rooms where more than likely that wicked man held court.  Nes gadol haya sham--a great miracle happened there! 

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Happy Chanukah from Jews in Green.

I’m sure there are going to be some memorable celebrations around the globe this year.  Since this is one of the few holidays where we can take pictures just about every day of it, please snap away and to us so we can add them to our photo gallery.

You can also share some of your Chanukah experiences on the forums.

Some of you might have seen this in an email or on a message board, but I really wanted to share this story with all of our readers (even though it’s a little dated).  So with his permission, I gladly give you Captain Howard J. Perl’s account of his very moving trip to Baghdad for Rosh Hashanah services.  You can click on the links to view pictures from the event.  Please read through to the end, it’s a fantastic story!

I think it is very impressive that the Army will give Jewish soldiers the time off required to celebrate the holidays.  In fact, the 3rd Infantry Division’s head Chaplain (not Jewish) sent out a memo strongly suggesting that all Jews who requested time off be given the time to celebrate Rosh Hashanah whenever possible.  My Commander (a Marine LT COL) had no problem giving me two days off to celebrate.

Monday afternoon, I took a helicopter flight with a Sergeant from Camp Taji to Baghdad, about a ten minute ride.  In Baghdad, we were met at the helipad by Rabbi Schranz, a Navy [Cdr] Chaplain.  Rabbi Schranz took us over to billeting, where we checked in and were assigned a cot in a large air conditioned tent within walking distance of the mess hall, Post Exchange and internet cafe, about 3/4 of a mile from where the services were held, in one of the base chapels.

One of the congregants made a handmade Ark for the Torah, and we had candles, a Kiddush cup, Machzors, challah, apples, and honey.  What more could we ask for?  After services Friday night, we made Kiddush and had some challah with honey, and then about 14 of us went to dinner together in the army mess hall.

Read more...