Hi everybody.  I am starting law school and am considering a career in the Coast Guard in the Direct Commission Lawyer Program. 

I am wondering if this is possible as a religious (charedi) Jew.  I wear a yarmulke, tzitzit, keep strict kosher, daven 3 times a day, etc. 

I was looking at the coast guard, because all of their legal offices are within America and most are in major cities.  It’s very important to me to be living in a religious Jewish community, mainly because I will be sending my children to yeshivas.

Once you join the coast guard, do you have any say at all at where you will be living?  Most of the possible cities would be fine for me, there are just a few that would be bad.  Is it possible to request not to be stationed in those particular cities or would it be totally out of my hands?

Also how often are you forced to move?  And after 10 years of service do you gain any more control over where you live, or does it remain totally in the military’s hands?  Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated!  :)

Jeff

Yes, it is possible to be a religious Jew. 

I have a friend who is still active and his name is LT Barry Roffman, he works out of Alameda, CA (Pacific Area).  He and I were two Orthodox Jews in the Military, before I retired in February of 2007. 

I don’t have his number, but if you have a SWSIII account he is in the Global address book. 

If not, I will look up his e-mail address and get back to you.

Also, the CG recently changed its uniform regs to allow the wearing of Kippahs (yarmulkes)
in uniform. It has to be black or similar to the color of your hair and not prevent the wearing of headgear.  There are other proscriptions.  But for the most part it is permitted to be worn in uniform.  This is sparked a small outcry from non-Jewish and even Jewish Coast Guardsmen and women, because they are afraid that it discriminates against those who want to wear other religious devices in uniform, but cant.

Tzitzis may be worn if the tzitzis are tucked and don’t affect your look in uniform.

Beards are not allowed, unless you have a medical reason for wearing one.

Most legal offices are located in cities where a synagogue or minyan is not too far away, but it depends on where the need is.  There are some remote or urban locations where there are few or no Orthodox (including Chabad) congregations nearby. 

Mazel Tov and Kol Hakavod on Joining the Greatest Service in the Armed Forces
Moishe Lewack, in Frederick, MD

I’m in a similar boat, and I’d like to thank Jeff for reminding me of this option. I’m more concerned about training, though. How difficult is it there? I.E. Do you have to train on Shabbos? What about meals, etc.?

As far as yarmulkes go, as the Jewish Prime Vendor, we manufacture camouflage uniforms (Camo, Marines and Airforce) that are lined in black.  This allows you to wear it both ways--we have had great reviews about it.  Within the next few weeks, kosher camo tallit (full size and shawl size) will be available.

The DLA has gone out of its way to provide many Jewish items such as Seder Kits, Menorahs and candles, Bibles, Siddurim, Machzorim, Kedem Wines, Yarmulkes, Tallits, Sukkahs, Arba Minim, Mezuzahs and Klafs, Shabbat and Havdalah Candles, Yartzeit Candles, Jewish books and more.

Their new site will be part of Emall, though it’s not finished yet, you can go to:https://emall6.prod.dodonline.net/main/welcome_to_DOD_EMALL.jsp and shop by guest.  Then you can search by item. 

Their older website does feature many of the items on one page:http://warfighter.dla.mil/special/mig49/items/jewish_items1.jsp

If you have any questions about any item, feel free to email me.

Dee
Jewish Prime Vendor

That’s great, but are they allowed?

As far as I know, yes, they are allowed.  This is a military item, made out of the same cloth as your uniform.  It’s not available anywhere else--we are the only ones making them.

Dee
Jewish Prime Vendor

I know the Air Force authorized them, but I’m not sure about the other branches. How about tzitzis?

You can’t wear them out, in any service. If you wear them tucked in and they can’t be seen then it’s ok. In my uniform the ‘racing stripe’ shows through the shirt, so I had to get an all white beged.

The same holds true in the Army.  As an FYI, this is one I know a lot of LORs give dispensation for, just for areas where a frum community is truly in the minority, especially some Central Pennsylvania communities.  Around here, so long as they have been visible to the wearer at some point during daylight hours, we can tuck them in.  Or as I once was told jokingly, pretend to be Sephardi...and I asked if I could similarly adopt a Sephardi mesorah on Pesach…

I had the racing stripe issue on “pay day activities” in the Army, typically in class B uniforms.  The newer shirt fabric is a little more forgiving.

I wear mine with no issue, except for when doing heavy work in the field.  The chances for them to shake loose on a range or while doing infantry business is high, and a coating of mud or sand on my tzitzit seems worse than not wearing them when duty would tear them up.

Now and then, the white collar peeks out from my ACUs, and someone comments, but then, the National Guard is nowhere near as stringent about enforcing AR 670-1 as folks on active duty were.

Again, not so much a concern when ship-side or in garrison duty.

Does anyone know if the Coast Guard rides a little easier than the four military branches, because of falling outside Department of Defense?  I’ve heard more “observant Jew success stories” from the Coast Guard than most other branches of the American military.

There are some t-shirt type tzitzit in solid earth-tone colors such as brown and olive.

Dee

I just spoke with a Lt. Col. at an AFROTC Det. and he was extremely accommodating as far as classes on Shabbos, yarmulke, tzitzis, etc. I can’t imagine the Coast Guard would be less so.