Recruiting Rabbis (and Cantors)
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.
As a 2d Lt, I haven’t been AD very long, but long enough to have been wondering where the Jewish chaplains are. 29 chaplains over 3 services, so about 10 per service on average, means my chances seem slim of ever meeting one. I agree it’s a huge problem.
However nice it may be to have a Jewish chaplain though, I would think their 2 main responsibilites, leading services and offering spiritual counseling, usually have easy fixes to them. Great lay leaders, like Lt Minkow at Beale AFB, and like I’d like to be some day, can lead services. Local rabbis can offer spiritual counseling. I know not every base has 1 or both of those, but I believe most do.
I’m saddened there’s so few Jewish chaplains, but not religiously debilitated by it. My wife (and in 2.5 months my baby daughter) will always be my spiritual inspiration.
While increasing the ratio of Jewish Chaplains is definately an important goal, one must be cautious that standards are not ‘watered down’ just to fill the numbers. One can not compare the knowledge of Jewish Laws and Rituals between a Rabbi and a Cantor.
Dee
Speaking as a still serving veteran of Viet Nam, Desert Shield/Storm and Enduring Freedom, and having had the honor and pleasure to serve as a lay leader in all my deployments, I certainly can support the fact that Jewish Chaplains are few and far between. I think that allowing Cantors to become Chaplains is a great idea and I am disappointed that there is any reluctance from anywhere to providing additional support to our women and men in uniform.
If these organizations support (or at least tolerate) lay leaders, or even those folks who work on their own to develop and provide a slice of Jewish life in the furthest corners of the world, why oppose Cantors? The pertinent point here is to support the troops, period. We ALL should accept the responsibility of supporting our troops and their families by any means possible, from simply talking to each other to sending care packages to identified POCs.
I can tell you that sitting in the middle of the desert or jungle and being able to hold a service or just being with anywhere from 2 to 20 fellow Jews afforded me some of the most meaningful experiences of my life. Celebrating Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur and Pesach in the Arabian deserts were experiences that are nearly indescribably wonderful. My message is that we need to continue supporting our troops by any and all means possible. Just one persons opinion.