Jewish-Muslim Chapel Opens at Ramstein AB
As of 20 Sep 05, Ramstein AB, Germany, has something that no other Air Force Base has: a joint Jewish-Muslim Chapel. The chapel isn’t 1 big hall where different faiths alternate nights – it’s 2 identically-shaped adjacent halls, one side designed for Jewish services and the other for Muslim prayer.
It’s called the Kaiserslautern Military Community Interfaith Chapel and it is a project that is the fruit of seven months of work and collaboration by an unlikely pair. The pair is (Capt. Reserve) Hamza Al-Mubarak, a Muslim imam who is reserved and contemplative and the outgoing, ever-smiling Chaplain (Capt.) Donald Levy, a Jewish rabbi. The new facility provides a permanent home for worshipppers of both faiths. Until now, the 80-90 Jews from Ramstein and surrounding facilities met in a social hall. The 70 or so Muslims held prayers at Army barracks.
The chapel will get its first big run as a joint, simultaneous facility during the High Holy Days this year, since Rosh Hashannah and the beginning of Ramadan coincide.
Air Force Chaplain Service chief Maj. Gen. Charles C. Baldwin, a Southern Baptist chaplain, flew in from D.C. for the dedication. We built this building for freedom’s sake. We want to thank people of all faiths and traditions for serving our country he said.
Rabbi David Lapp, executive director of the Jewish Welfare Board’s Jewish Chaplains Council, said he hopes the center will send its message of unity and understanding beyond Ramstein Air Base and into the civilian world. If the civilian community could just take a little advice from what we’re doing here, what a different world it would be.
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This is fine news. But we, here in the civilian sector, ‘beat them to it’. 🙂
Our chief flight nurse (former Ranger combat medic, present Naval Reserve Lt. Flight Nurse)converted to Islam about four years ago. I (former Senior Combat Medic, Israel Defense Force; present civilian flight medic among other things) am an observant Jew and teach Torah in the community. We’ve shared living space at our crew quarters, he’s benefitted from my kosher food, and we generally keep each other encouraged concerning our religious obligations and the challenges of our work and environment.
Seriously, the new facility is something to be proud of. We need to pray that others will take heed. Great Story!
(Rabbi) Mordechai Y. Scher
Jacky Miller
ABQ Med Flight Air Ambulance
I’m glad to hear this is happening elsewhere as well. Nothing but good things can come from things like this.
Wow! You know, us poor cousins in the British Army do not have a single synagogue? As far as i know there is no mosque either. Im based in Hohne near Hannover, which ironically is the former Bergen Belsen concentration camp and there is no synagogue locally either!
I did like the point that Medic09 made though… Sapper Gilani, Sgt Mahood, and SSgt Indur, all muslims, prefer to eat with me in the field because they dont trust the food otherwise!
Great story!
Good point Bob. We did have a number of Army and RAF synagogues which were all made redundant at the end of conscription in the early 1960s.
We do now have an active and revitalised (small but perfectly formed) Armed Forces Jewish Community which is working closely with the newly appointed Muslim chaplain.
As far a a synagogue at Bergen Hohne is concerned, you will find one just down the road at Celle. I’m sure you will want to visit it before your return to UK.