I just wrote about the positive (or were they negative?) steps the Air Force has taken to combat the evangelical Christian atmosphere at the Air Force Academy.  I still feel that the issues at the Academy are isolated and do not represent the overall atmosphere in the military today.

It seems that there are a number of people who disagree with me.  Now there are two articles in the Washington Post about the “disharmony among chaplains”.  Both involve ongoing investigations, so I won’t comment on them specifically, other than to recommend you take the stories with a grain of salt.  There is far more to the incidents than what is presented in the articles.

• Evangelical Christianity vs. The World - A relatively in-depth article on what some consider a disharmony among religious groups in the military.
• Jewish Chaplain Goes AWOL - Rabbi Jeffrey Goldman left Fort Stewart, Ga., in January 2002 to return to his native Canada after one year as a Jewish military chaplain. He said that he believes he resigned legally from the Army and that the desertion charge was a vindictive response to his allegations of there being a hostile environment for Jews.

Tell us what you think about all this mishegas.  Leave a comment, or discuss it in the forums.

*You can use BugMeNot to bypass the Washington Post registration.

That is the question… in the military these days.

This week the Air Force issued new guidelines concerning public prayer and religious expression.  The guidelines,

caution against promoting any particular faith - or even “the idea of religion over nonreligion” - in official communications or during meetings, sports events or ceremonies.

The guidelines discourage public prayers at official Air Force events or meetings other than worship services - one of the most contentious issues for many commanders. But the guidelines allow for “a brief nonsectarian prayer” at special ceremonies such as those honoring promotions or in “extraordinary circumstances” such as “mass casualties, preparation for imminent combat, and natural disasters.”

So is this a good thing, or not?  It’s no secret that the push for these guidelines were brought about by the ultra-evangelical Christian atmosphere at the Air Force Academy. 

Mikey Weinstein, a 1977 academy graduate with two sons and a daughter-in-law who have attended the academy, said the new rules leave him with no alternative but to file a lawsuit alleging religious discrimination.  “It’s a declaration of war, as far as I’m concerned, on the Constitution,” Weinstein said.

There’s no question where Mr. Weinstein stands, but several Reform Jewish leaders applaud the guidelines.  And then there’s a bunch of politicians who disagree about the suggestions (big surprise). 

The limits on public prayer are just one aspect of the new guidelines.  Most of the concerns from opponents come from worries that troops will be restricted from practicing their faith the way they want to.  For instance, will this affect Jewish servicemembers who want to openly wear kippot or tzitzit?  What is a good Jewish boy (or girl) to do?

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After nine years of work and at a cost of almost $9 million, the U.S. Naval Academy’s Uriah P. Levy Center and Jewish Chapel will open this month.  The official opening ceremonies will take place the weekend of September 16-18.  The academy estimates that some 1.5 million visitors will tour the facility during its first year.

If you are in the VA/DC/MD area, I would highly encourage you to attend this historic event.  JIG will have our very own corespondent covering the event.  I hope to have a report of the event (including pictures) soon after.  Stay tuned for more info.

The Jerusalem Post has a fantastic article about how the chapel came into being and the additional significance of a Jewish place of worship at the Naval Academy.

One of our great Jewish assets, Rabbi Irv Elson is back at the academy as the Jewish chaplain and shared some profound words with JPost:

“This is not just a building for Jews. It’s the next step for the academy in demonstrating how important faith is, any faith,” adding, “It’s a symbol of tolerance and inclusion and for understanding how important faith is in the toolbox of our future Navy and Marines officers. I want our officers to recognize that even if they don’t have a faith themselves, that faith is important to the men and women they command.”

I think this is especially pertinent, considering the current issues with the Air Force Academy and religion in the military in general.  Religion and faith are important aspects in all our lives.  I think the direction we should take is to be more tolerant and accepting of all faiths instead of removing any and all semblance of religion from the military.  I can’t think of a more appropriate time to dedicate such an important building.

If you do attend the event, and give me your impressions.  Pictures are especially welcome!

A special thanks goes out to the many readers who brought the JPost story to my attention.

Many people believe that Chabad-Lubavitch rabbis are a perfect fit for the military because they are trained by a movement dedicated to reaching Jews wherever they may be, no matter how remote.  However, a uniform regulation seems to be standing in the way of several prospective chaplains.

The Forward reports:

[Chabad-Lubavitch Rabbi] Newman had a chance to try out the military in 2002, when he served as a part-time chaplain at the army base in Fort Knox, Ky. Army life seemed a good fit; he led services and organized raucous Hanukkah and Purim parties. Things were going so well, the chief chaplain on the base encouraged Newman to enlist in the army.

Only one problem — his beard.

Army regulation 670-1 is clear: “Beards are not authorized” and “exceptions or accommodations based on religious practice will not be granted.” The other branches of the armed services have similar regulations.

The Chabadniks are pretty firm on the issue as well.  In Responsa 93, the third Lubavitcher rebbe ruled that shaving a beard is against Halacha.  The official stance of the Army is that beards prevent the effective use of standard issue gas masks, but it also seems to be an issue of standardization and uniformity.

The full article goes into great detail about what is currently in the works to resolve this issue.  It’s an interesting read. 

You’ll probably need to sign in to read the article, but you can use bugmenot to bypass registration.

UPDATE: The target mailing date has been moved back a month to September 19th.

It’s kind of short notice, but Jews in Green is starting a care package drive called “Operation Tefilah”.

The plan is to send tallit, kippot, and siddurim to Jewish troops stationed overseas.  We already have a number of volunteers, but we can always use more.  If you have any used or new tallit, kippot, or prayer books that you would like to donate, and I will give you all the information you will need to send your items.  Right now, the goal is to have the packages mailed out by August 18th September 19th.

In addition to these donated items, one of our readers has volunteered to create and print special Shabbat prayer booklets (with Hebrew, English, and transliteration) tailored for the troops.

If you want to promote this program at your synagogue or in your community, you can download a flyer here (Word or PDF).

If you are a deployed service member and would like to receive such items, you can too and I will add you to our mailing list.

While religious items like these are available to chaplains and layleaders through military supply, the main idea behind this program is to get the items to individual troops so they can observe mitzvot wherever they are.

No Time for Torah Study?  Now You Can Multi-Task Your Torah Study Time…

Imagine that!  You can listen to a Torah discussion, print the Torah portion, and surf a variety of outstanding Jewish learning sites all at the same time.  You can even learn to chant the torah portion - FREE! 

Are you deployed and miss accessing your Synagogue library resources whenever you want?  Now you can access your very own Jewish Library Resources Online to include a Jewish encyclopedia, history articles, the Soncino Talmud, the Zohar and much more.

All this is available at www.thejewishsoldier.com : A learning and teaching resource site for anyone who leads worship services and/or Torah study or discussion.  It is also a wonderful site for anyone simply wishing to brush up on their own Jewish learning.  Also includes official Jewish Welfare Board Lay Leader documents and report forms.  Come visit one of the most comprehensive Lay Leader resrouce sites available for Jewish Soldiers!  Barchu-aaaaaaah! Shalom!

Lieutenant Commander Rabbi Seth Phillips of the U.S. Navy recently returned from Iraq, where he administered to and represented Jewish sailors and Marines fighting hard over there. This April he led a Pesach seder for about 50 Jewish Marines, soldiers and civilian contractors, as well as another for Christians - requested by a chaplain who “wanted his soldiers to experience a Jewish seder.”

As most of us know, the military stores kosher food rations, and Iraq is not an exception. However, this past Pesach no one seemed to realize that “kosher” did not necessarily mean “kosher for pesach.” No one that is, except Chaplain Phillips. By correcting the SNAFU in time he saved the military some embarrassment and he saved some Marines their dinners.

He’ll tell you that in his 13 years in the military, he’s never experienced anti-Semitism. Most problems that arise come from the military not knowing or understanding the Jewish servicemen’s needs. This is where Chaplain Phillips steps in - to be a voice of reasoning and explanation. That way, this Pesach, some Marines could go on eating so the military could go on fighting. 

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Ever since my first year in Air Force ROTC I’ve been trying to figure out how many other Jews there are in the military.  I guess it was probably so I could have an idea of the likelihood of me actually meeting other Jews, and being at bases with viable Jewish communities.  When I was a freshman, I was able to find out the Air Force component on the Air Force Personnel Center website, but looking back at the site in subsequent years, I have no idea where I found it.

Within the last month (after Googling for years) I found 4 websites with some relevant information.  The Jewish War Veterans (my late grandfather was a member, fought in WWII) website recently put out a ”350th Year, Commemoration of Jews in the (Colonial/American) Military Guide,” which is a great read if you’re looking for a half-hour to kill at work and want to read something to make you proud to be a Jewish serviceman.  The guide tells that “Jews have always had a higher percentage in the military than their percentage of the total population."(p.35).

This was pretty inspiring, and I kept researching. What I found out on the other 3 sites was not as motivational.  I’m not sure when the trend began, but for at the least the last few years, we’ve been well under being equal on a per capita basis. 

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According to a recent article in The Forward (bypass registration) all branches are in need of Jewish chaplains.

Conversations with chaplain recruiters make it clear that the military is struggling to find Jewish chaplains. Right now, in the three branches of the United States military, there are only 29 active duty Jewish chaplains — roughly 1% of the 2,850 chaplains from all religions. The numbers are becoming a serious concern for chaplain recruiters.

The problem seems to be a combination of an aging chaplain corps and a lack of new interest in the field.  According to the Forward article, money is the biggest stumbling block.  Chaplain pay doesn’t quite compare to the starting salary of most civillian rabbi gigs.  What the recruiters try to get across is that the rewards of being a military chaplain far outweigh any monetary compensation.  Some organizations have started their own scholarships for interested rabinical students.

One way the Reform movement is trying to increase their numbers is to open the role of chaplain up to cantors.  A recent DOD directive (PDF) widened the criteria for who can become a chaplain.  As with most changes, the idea of cantors serving as chaplains has met with some controversy.

From my brief personal experience, I feel we have some fantastic Jewish chaplains serving us now.  However, it always seems like there are never enough to go around.  What do you think about it?  Leave a comment below.

By Daniel Eric Minkow, 1st Lt USAF

Can a Jew wear a Kippah while in military uniform?

I came upon this very important question and its answer, this article, when USAF Capt Rebecca Minkow, my sister, posed the question to me.  As the Jewish Lay leader for Travis Air Force Base, I felt it was important for me to find the answer to this question so I contacted the wing Chaplain, who forwarded me the DoD Directive Number 1300.17 (Accommodation of Religious Practices Within the Military Services) which includes guidance on the wear of religious headgear in uniform.  The Directive is very brief (6 pages) and signed by the Deputy Secretary of Defense.  I found the directive very empowering because of its strong support for a wide range of religious observances. I had originally felt that the military frowned upon certain types of religious observances that were outside the “norm” or standard. However, the directive starts out with the following statement.

“3.1 A basic principle of our nation is the free exercise of religion. The Department of Defense places a high value on rights of member of the Armed Forces to observe the tenets of their respective religions. It is DoD policy that request for accommodation of religious practices should be approved by commanders when accommodation will not have adverse impact on military readiness, unit cohesion, standards or discipline”

From here you can see that the military actually encourages commanders to go out of their way to accommodate different religious obligations and practices.  The Directive addresses worship services, holy days as well as the wear of other religious articles (including items like Tzitzit (talit katan)). For it states:

“3.2.6. Religious items or articles not visible or otherwise apparent may be warn with the uniform, provided they shall not interfere with the performance of the members military duties…”

I like to consider the talit katan (small four cornered garment with fringes worn underneath the shirt) as part of a “Jewish Uniform” namely as the all important Jewish spiritual Kevlar, protecting the wearer from a wide range of day to day hazards.

This is, of course all good news, but what does this directive say about wearing a Kippah while in uniform? The directive continues on to explain that any “visible items of religious apparel while in uniform must be neat and conservative”.  So what does that mean?

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