Over the last three years, I have encountered numerous situations (at least a dozen) in which Soldiers have reported being denied their right to religious accommodation either through a lack of provision of information about Jewish services or a lack of support for transportion, etc.

While this is a most serious problem, just as serious is the system under whose watchful eye these Soldiers are living and working under seems to be more concerned with minimizing any/all allegations of the apparent lack of support.  The Soldiers’ allegations are often dismissed with “contextual” stories about how they “often misundertand” the communication or the whole situation itself. 

In every case I was privileged to be notified about, it was always made to seem like the Soldier in question was lying or embellishing in an effort to receive “special” treatment or attempting to “weenie” out of the Army altogether.  As a result of these problems, two fine young men felt forced to decide to exit the Army because of their perceived lack of support.  Another, who was medically discharged stated, while weeping, “I have never seen such insensitivity and cruelty toward soldiers.” This young man had been dubbed by those appointed over him with the nickname, “Terrorist.” By the way, he was a former Israeli Defense Force Soldier.  What of the others?  They endured.

Did you ever have a similar experience any time in your career (directly or indirectly) or have you heard of someone with a similar experience?

Please post your answer either here or at www.thejewishsoldier.com through the “contact us” button.

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Are you a newly appointed Jewish Lay Leader?  Are you thinking about becoming the Lay Leader for your military installation?  How often have you felt that you were all alone in trying to figure out how to lead a service or carry out a Dvar Torah?  Well don’t sweat it: you aren’t alone anymore.  You can now visit a newly created website where you can access:

* Guitar chords to your favorite Shabbat and Holiday tunes
* Jewish worship service outlines with page numbers using the “Prayer Book For Jewish Personnel in the Armed Forces of the United States” - Thanks to LTC Karen Fitzgerald, Lay Leader at Ft. Lewis, Washington.
* Dvar Torah helper sites and discussion notes
* Links to other Jewish military Lay Leader colleagues and friends (like here at Jews in Green!)
* A Jewish Art Gallery with military themed art
* Another opportunity to post and share pertinent Jewish Lay Leader information

In addition to all this, you can submit your questions and concerns for assistance or dissemination to other Lay Leaders throughout the globe who are only as distant as your email account.  Please drop in at www.thejewishsoldier.com and browse around.  New postings and “Coffee Talk” weekly.  Keep your eyes and ears open for another marvelous site to launch soon with even more outstanding information and support services for the military Jewish Lay Leader.  No need to fear any longer.  Baaaaarrrchuah!

There was a big uproar the last time I wrote about conversions in Iraq, but this time there is a bit of good news on the subject.

The Chicago Tribune ran a story recently about how troops tend to find religion in times of war.  Go figure!

For many servicemen and women, duty in Iraq stirs intense spiritual experiences, often drawing them toward a deeper faith but sometimes challenging strongly held religious beliefs.

The part that got my attention, was this little tidbit about a recent convert to Judaism:

Lance Cpl. Jordan Parlier, 21, of Kenosha, Wis., said that during the 2003 push into Baghdad, he began seeking religion amid the devastation of war. He found answers from a Jewish friend a few months later in Najaf.  Raised as a Christian, Parlier has converted to the Jewish faith.

Now at the massive Al Asad air base near the end of his second deployment to Iraq, Parlier has become the lay Jewish leader for his battalion. Though he has yet to have his bar mitzvah, his tours in Iraq have deepened his religious convictions, and he treasures his religious bond with other Jews.

“You kind of look within and you look for a higher authority that’s going to help you get through,” he said. “It almost feels like an emancipation.”

I don’t know the details of his conversion or his formal status as a lay leader, but I hope to find out more and report about it here.

Even though we have lost some, it’s reassuring to know that we’ve gained a few too!

The Courier News recently published a story about Rabbi Mordechai Schwab, a former senior Jewish chaplain in the Iraq theater.

It’s an interesting read.  Instead of concentrating on the usual “issues” of Jewish service members serving in Muslim countries, the author focuses on the challenges faced in dealing with non-Jewish soldiers.

...Schwab was waiting for an airport bus in Kuwait—a much safer place than Iraq—after coming back from leave. A major in charge of a group of Army Rangers came over to him and very politely and professionally asked him if he could remove his yarmulke; several of his men feared it would put them in danger.

It’s a positive piece though.  Rabbi Schwab talks about how he has a duty to educate his fellow troops about some of the Jewish practices that they are so unfamiliar with.

A few of the stories made me smile.  We have all probably had a strange question asked by a non-Jew at one time or another.

Via Stars & Stripes:

Ramstein Air Base is expected to break ground on a $535,000 addition to the base chapel that will give Jewish and Muslim worshippers their own space to pray and learn.

The 4,000-square-foot addition will include two rooms for worship — one for Jews and one for Muslims — that will allow worshippers to face southeast toward Jerusalem and Mecca. Those rooms will be connected by a classroom that can be used by either group as overflow space.

The current spaces used for services are considered “less than ideal”.  Captain Donald Levy (the base’s Jewish chaplain) says the new annex will create a “happy coincidence” each Friday, as Jewish and Muslim worshippers meet at the same building for prayer.

I hate to start back on a sour note, but this story just really bugged me.

The Baptist Press (for what it’s worth), recently reported on Army Captain Andy Taylor, a Baptist chaplain currently serving in Operation Iraqi Freedom.  The contents of the article disturbed me quite a bit.

It proudly talks about how CPT Taylor converted a Jewish soldier:

“One evening shortly after Perez’s death, a young Jewish soldier came into my tent and said he wanted to talk about Jesus,” Taylor said. “I used Old Testament Scriptures to show him how he needed a relationship with Jesus, and that night he kneeled down and gave his life to Christ.”

In reference to his “unbiased” nature as a military chaplain:

Taylor said many people think that when he puts on a military uniform, he’s not a Southern Baptist anymore… “I preach Southern Baptist doctrine,” he emphasized. “I let fly that there is only one way to be saved. You can cut me, and I bleed Southern Baptist doctrine.”

Let me say that I have personally dealt with far more Christian chaplains than Jewish chaplains during my service (a matter of statistics rather than preference), and every one of them has treated me fairly and with respect.  Proselytizing is highly discouraged (if not forbidden) and I have never run across it myself.  By no means am I damning the non-Jewish chaplain corps.  99.9% of them do a fantastic job for people of all faiths, but that doesn’t mean there’s not a bad apple that slips through now and again.

I realize that the Baptist Press is going to put a little spin on a story like this, but there are an awful lot of bothersome quotes in there.  I’m curious what any Jewish chaplains or lay leaders that are reading this think about it.  You can leave a comment below.

I have to add this last quote, if only for comic relief:

As an officer, I’m the only one who doesn’t wear rank, but I wear the cross on my helmet. A young Muslim boy pointed at the cross and said, ‘God.’ It struck me that even a Muslim child knows that Jesus is the Messiah.”

UPDATE: A more detailed look at this story appeared in the Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles

The News Tribune reports on the efforts of Army Chaplain LTC Avi Weiss to assist Jewish troops stationed at Fort Lewis.

Rabbi Weiss has been on and off active duty and even spent some time in Jerusalem in-between his tours.  Evidently a Jewish chaplain is a very welcome sight for the Jewish community on and off base.  This will be the first time in three years that they will have a rabbi to lead services.

LTC Weiss also leads weekly Shabbat services and is putting a great deal of work into the construction of a brand new $8 million chapel for North Fort Lewis.  Read the the full story for more info.

Haaretz has an new article on Rabbi Irv Elson (LCdr, USN).  While it is poorly labeled, “It’s hard to get kosher food in the U.S. Marines” it really focuses on what an amazing blessing this man is to the Marines he serves.

I’ve corresponded with Rabbi Elson before, but have yet to have the honor of actually meeting him.  With the way he gets around the Marine Corps, I’m sure it is only a matter of time.  I highly encourage you to read the full article, but here are some excerpts that should explain why I respect him so much:

[Rabbi Elson] tried to persuade the rabbinical students to join the Marines after their ordination. He believes that “every young Jewish man and woman ordained to be rabbis should aspire to serve in the U.S. Marines.”

“Believe me, the challenge to serve in the armed forces in a spiritual capacity, administering to the religious needs of Jewish soldiers, is greater and much more fascinating than the role of a rabbi in a synagogue,” he says.

Wow, that’s quite a statement!  I’m not sure many rabbinical schools would agree with him, but you have to admire his complete dedication to his Marines.  If Chesty Puller was Jewish, Rabbi Elson would be his reincarnate.

Rabbi Elson doesn’t shy away from the action either.  He was attached to a Marine artillery brigade that was part of the initial push into Iraq.

“I decided to enlist as a rabbi to the army instead of looking for a synagogue, because in the army, religion is devoid of politics,” he says. “Among the Jewish soldiers, there is no distinction between Reform, Conservative and Orthodox. I never ask a soldier which stream he belongs to. Every Jew gets equal treatment in the army.”

I couldn’t agree with him more on this point.  When you are putting your life on the line for others (Jewish, Christian, Muslim, or anyone), it seems so petty to argue with a fellow Jew over what movement is real Judaism.  That’s something Rabbi Elson’s civilian counterparts could learn a lot from.

Read the full article HERE.  No really, go read it!

UPDATE: As I had mentioned before, the Haaretz article seems to have misrepresented Rabbi Elson a bit.  Arutz Sheva reports that there is not a kosher food shortage for deployed troops:

Commander Elson told Kosher Today that the only shortage he could remember was short-lived during the initial phases of Operation Freedom. He charged Ha’aretz with grossly misrepresenting the facts, including his rank. “Most soldiers eat in mess halls and easily put together a kosher meal. But for those who are in the arena, like in Fallujah, kosher rations are available,” Elson said. He repeated his praise for the defense establishment for “their sensitivity in meeting the needs of Jewish servicemen.”

I should also mention that there is another great article about Rabbi Elson on The Jewish Week entitled Rabbi Of The Sunni Triangle

CDR Warren Tanninbaum, USNR wrote an article in the latest issue of The Navy Chaplain about the challenges of maintaining your Jewish identiry while stationed overseas.  CDR Tanninbaum’s perspective is particularly interesting because he served in a location particularly void of Jews.  Here are some exerpts from the article.  You can read it in its entirety by downloading the full issue here: (PDF File)

Practicing Judaism in America is a relatively simple endeavor. If you want to join a synagogue, there are probably several in the local area to choose from. If you need cultural identity, there are plenty of Jews with whom to socialize. We practice our religion with little fear. But in Spain—being a Jew in a place where there have been almost none for 500 years—I did indeed start feeling different about myself.

I discovered that if I wanted to practice my Judaism, I would have to work for it. There were no Jewish chaplains or organized Jewish communities on the military base. There were no synagogues within 100 miles.

I don’t think you have to be stationed in Spain to associate with that statement.  A lot of stateside bases are just as isolated from Jewish communities.

It is strange that I feel closer to my religion and cultural identity having been in a country almost devoid of Jews…

…I now understand that that the struggle of my ancestors has brought me to this time and place. I will never take my faith for granted again.

Rabbi James Rudin (a former U.S. Air Force chaplain) recently wrote a piece in the Staten Island Advance about Jewish views on various issues in war.

The Hebrew Bible and the Jewish religious tradition offer keen insights and teachings about combat and warfare. Because nothing ever came easy to the ancient Israelites—famine, Egyptian slavery, the Exodus, 40 years in the wilderness, endless battles among themselves and with others—the Bible describes the fierce battles and armed conflicts they faced.

I didn’t find anything groundbreaking here but, as Rabbi Rudin points out, war is something that is on our minds a lot these days and certainly deserves some discussion.