Chaplain Reaches Out to Jews in Japan

Stars and Stripes has an interesting article about Rabbi Brett C. Oxman’s (LTC, USAF) recent travels to Sasebo, Japan.

It shouldn’t come as too big of a surprise that Sasebo has a very small Jewish military community. Lt. Howard Polanski, a dentist at the base’s Navy Branch Dental Clinic, and his wife Nina, helped to organize chaplain Oxman’s visit. Lt. Polanski volunteered to serve as the Jewish lay leader in Sasebo and requested some help from Rabbi Oxman on how to engage the other Jews on base.

So far they have established regular kiddush meetings with a few of the Jews on base. Nothing works quite like food to bring people in.