The Only Messianic Jewish Chaplain in the Military: Can we keep it that way?
It’s hard enough fighting the fiery Evangelism that sometimes goes hand-in-hand with serving in the uniformed services. This story on blackanthem.com gives me pause.
Though the article touches on his duties as a chaplain, which I’m sure are exemplary if he loves soldiers, I worry that to non-Jews, his status as a military chaplain confers a sense that Messianic Judaism is legitimately Jewish.
I report, too, tongue firmly-in-cheek, that at his Messianic Seder, they had “traditional Messianic Passover dishes.”
This raises some serious questions for me. As this movement gains in appeal, will the military expect that Jewish religious needs can be met by a Messianic Jew? How should a Jewish soldier react if a Messianic Jew is their unit chaplain? I would be enormously uncomfortable.
To his credit, this particular chaplain claims not to try and convert Jew or Christian to his way. Nevertheless, many of our fellow Jews in uniform are unaware of Jewish traditions, and may not be aware that Messianic Judaism is not authentically Jewish. For soldiers with a Jewish and non-Jewish parent, I fear that the chaplain’s own personal story conveys the possibility that Messianic Judaism is an option for reconciling a mixed heritage.
I saw an article in the Hamodia about a Dr. Horowitz (stationed in Iraq) who didn’t get his Passover Seder Kit–as it went to a Jews for J chaplain. (Somehow the base had only gotten stuff for 1 person. Horowitz was transferred there a few days before Passover.)
I wonder if this is the chaplain that got his stuff.
Dee
Jewish Prime Vendor
There are a number of us concerned about the presence of this chaplain in the military. Since the process of appointing chaplains has gone from endorsing by a recognized religious authoriy (Like the JWB) to nominating – the door is wide open.
If there was a group called New Catholics, complete with churches and priests, you would have to believe that the Catholic Church would take exception to the name being used…
-Holly
In my dealings with the Military, I was under the impression that Chaplains had to be recognized by the JWB. I think that Alef was recently approved as an authorized religious authority. Could be that I’m wrong.
Dee
Jewish Prime Vendor
Dr. Horowitz wouldn’t happen to be a unit surgeon of Orthodox persuasion, would he?
Wagging tongues on other blogs indicated that there was an Orthodox surgeon in the same unit who was upset about the Messianic Seder dealio. I would be extremely upset, too, if Pesach in theater came at the expense of a bunch of fruitcake usurpers.
Exactly the kind of thing I was concerned about.
As for the ordination and acceptance into the chaplaincy, as I understand it, as long as they have an endorsing authority of their own (which they apparently do), they can operate outside of the JWB. And I’m sure there are all too many Evangelical authorities more than happy to underwritethem.
With Jay Sekulow, Jewish apostate extraordinare, speaking on the behalf of Evangelicals at the Air Force Academy, it’s hard not to see normative Jewish practice as not being crowded out or made more difficult by the current climate.
Everyone relax. The guy’s a Christian chaplain (probably Protestant denomination) and of Jewish heritage (though, with the first name Jesus, one has to wonder . . .).
Unfortunately, his endorsing organization is not a Protestant denomination, but as I understand it from an associate of his, the Union of Messianic Jewish Congregations, which is recognized as an appropriate authority.
It’s not something I’m inclined to relax about. In some units and commands, there is already a climate of at least tacit endorsement of heavy-handed evangelism. You know it’s no place you want to be when a Roman Catholic troop is saying he feels uncomfortable!
The presence of these guys would be innocuous and mean very little if we didn’t already struggle in some quarters with reconciling observant Judaism against duty. And if they’re usurping materials meant for real Jewish soldiers, then it is a matter of serious concern.
we know that he is a Christian Chaplain. The problem is that he is going around saying he is a MESIANIC JEW. His claim, not ours.
And the group as a whole refers to themselves as “completed Jews” not Christians.
No, he has not been endorsed by either the JWB or Alef/orthodox side. But he has been nominated out of his sect. And he is on AD performing variations of many of our rituals and traditions.
If he called himself a Messianic Christian, I would not care. There are enough confused soldiers out there anyway. I have already been asked several times if this is a new movement in Judiaism. My answer is no, but his faith group claims otherwise.
-Holly
Yes, the Dr. Horowitz I am referring to is an Orthodox Jew. He is part of the medical personnel–he’s a cardiologist from Washington state.
He notes in a later article (he writes a weekly article titled From Brooklyn to Iraq in the Hamodia-an orthodox jewish newspaper) that he ended up getting some seder kits–although not the leader one–and with the help of Jewish politicians in NYC, he got other Kosher for Passover food to tide him over.
Dee
Jewish Prime Vendor
This is interesting news indeed. I thought that I was one of the only Messianic Jews in the Army. I must investigate. Hooray!
Chaplain Perez in addition to being a fraud, does not do his job. As a chaplain, it is his job to take care of the Religous needs of ALL soldiers in his unit/FOB, etc. He not only didn’t assist me, he actively blocked me and went to my command to complain about me (what chutzbah.)
If one looks at the army brochures on KFP items, it states that Rabbi leader kits are to go to certified jewish chaplains or jewish lay leader. I was a jewish lay leader and Chap Perez was neither, yet this man who regularly ate tarfas at the DFAC tried to deny me a rabbi/leader kit.
The story doesn’t end there. The chap[el is supposed to be welcoming to all religions, yet it has multiple paintings of the passion of j, etc on the outside wall of the chapel.
This man is a disgrace to the army and to the chaplains corp. One needs to take a shower (or go to a mikvah) after being in the same room with him.
Edward C Horwitz,DO,FACC,LTC,MC,USA
MAMC, Tacoma Washington
formerly battalion surgeon 5-20 IN
PS-yes, I am an Orthodox Jew and after my treatment I can’t wait to leave the army!
Sir,
I think it’s entirely appropriate to take these concerns to the JWB and/or whoever else it is appropriate. If the Department of Defense is going to allow these folks to be chaplains, then they need to establish clear consequences for policy violations that infringe on authentic Jewish observance, if we are to avoid the mishegas you had to deal with overseas.
Personally, if I were a battalion commander, I’d be more inclined to appease my surgeon than some fringe chaplain. The whole situation smacks of the kind of organizational anti-Semitism that the MJs inadvertently run cover for.
It’s never easy. At a recent brigade change of command, the brigade chaplain, a Baptist, started off the invocation with “in accordance with everyone’s faith tradition,” leading me to believe it would be egalitarian, but concluded with “in Jesus name.” And I’m about to personally go through the whole thing again, having to hear the whole shpiel about “sometimes we miss Christmas” nonsense as I try to get out of training two days early to accommodate the High Holidays. Resources such as this site make it easier than it ever has been, of course…
Sir,
As a reader to your weekly column in the Hamodia I forwarded a copy of your article detailing your predicament to the ‘higher up’ Chaplains that I deal with. Needless to say, they were quite upset.
I am glad, that after all that, you got some KFP stuff. I know that our company had sent some Seder kits (via DLA) to the bases you mentioned in the article and was hoping something would trickle down to you.
Dee
Jewish Prime Vendor
Three points by way of correction:
1) Chaplain Perez’s covering organization is the same as mine (for civilian ministry), the Coalition of Torah Observant Messianic Congregations – http://ctomc.info – not the Union of Messianic Jewish Congregations, whose views on Torah Observance are questionable.
2) Chaplain Perez is Torah Observant, so I strongly doubt he eats treyf, and thus Dr. Horwitz’s claims are not only blatant lashon hara (as is much of what is put out on this article and comments), but probably outright untruths.
3) “Jesus” in this case is not the Anglecized name of the Messiah, it is a typical Hispanic name, meaning “Joshua.” In fact, the name of the Messiah, properly transliterated into English, would be “Yeshua” or “Joshua,” not “Jesus,” which was the result of centuries of transliteration by people who didn’t know Hebrew.
One other point:
I don’t know what Passover kit you mean, but I know my congregation sent Chaplain Jesus a Passover kit, a rather large one. If that’s what you’re referring to, then it was sent directly to him, and therefore Dr. Horwitz had no claim to it.
Although we process private orders, the one I am referring to was via the DLA. I understand that Dr. Horowitz placed an order through the supply command for Passover products. Unfortunately, it was diverted and never arrived to him.
Three or four points in response (and sort of a “C Your Way Out of Here”):
1) All of your views on Torah observance are questionable. But that’s neither here nor there.
2) Interestingly, Chaplain Perez indicates that his parents are Catholic, but regardless of questions of the legitimacy of Jewish heritage, apostasy takes him outside the fold, so the prohibition against being a “tale bearer amongst your people” most surely does not apply. The Messianic definition of Torah observant could still have him eating treyf by normative definition, since much of kashrus is fleshed (no pun intended) out by Oral Law, which on the site you so kindly provided you deem to be mere commentary, so not binding. At any rate, DFAC treyfa consumption would be very easy to confirm with other soldiers in theater, but your understanding of military protocol is as limited as your understanding of the Law, since as a Lieutenant Colonel in the US Army, Dr. Horowitz has the credibility of his rank as well.
3) We understand the preponderance of the name Jesus in Latin culture. However, in the absence of Aramaic or Hebrew proof-texts specifically referencing Jesus, your little trivia bit on the transliteration of Jesus is based solely in supposition. There is no single proof text that refers to Jesus by that name, and even if you trace through the Greek transliterations, it could still well be another form of Yehoshua.
4) LTC Horowitz had claim to items designated for Jewish chaplains and Jewish lay leaders as approved by the JWB. Kudos to you and your congregation for supporting troops deployed abroad, but it’s a matter of fact that the JWB had to intercede on the behalf of legitimate Jewish interests in regard to DLA seder kits. I can promise you that LTC Horowitz would want nothing to do with materials you kindly sent your co-religionist.
Apparently, you guys just throw smikha at anyone. As I emphasized in the original article, I have no fundamental problem with a chaplain serving soldiers, even the small number of MJs on active or reserve duty. My concern was exactly what the facts of this situation reveal; that your fringe, identifying itself as Jewish, preys upon the lack of understanding that you guys are really Christians with Jewish accouterments, and sow confusion in order to advance your wacky movement’s legitimacy.
Deliberate or otherwise, Chaplain Perez demonstrably made it harder for a Jewish Soldier to serve his country and observe his faith. That’s the sticking point, now, poof, take your apologetics and begone.
I won’t go into an in-depth reply to your comments, since you seem unable to discuss with an open mind, but I would point out that Chaplain Kronenberg of “Chaplines” doesn’t know what it’s talking about, if on the page one article, he’s speaking of Chaplain Perez, who is NOT “endorsed by a Protestant
denomination.” He is endorsed by a Messianic organization. That is not the same thing, and I think Chaplain Kronenberg probably knows that.
Well, if it walks like a duck, even if it wears a kippah…
For the chaplaincy, if he’s not of Reform, Reconstructionist, Conservative, Orthodox smikha, it doesn’t matter if his endorsing authority to the military would be the Archdiocese of Boston, he still falls outside the scope of the JWB. No matter how you term observance or juggle your doctrine, he’s not a Jewish chaplain.
I would also add this: much of the structure of the Seder is defined by rabbinic Judaism. If you call yourself Torah observant but do not have any more than an analytical interest in Oral traditions, then reading the account in Exodus and eating some matzah should be enough. All of the practices, the recounting of the plagues, the afikomen, the four questions, etc., are all elements of rabbinic Judaism. Chaplain Perez intercepted then, a Seder kit, that by your own dogma you should not need for your observance.
It’s why I have such a fundamental problem with your movement. It’s innocuous enough when it doesn’t cross paths or interfere with the religious life of real Jews. But let’s be honest with ourselves… we both know there’s no long-standing movement of Messianic Jews with Messianic practice and scholarship dating into antiquity, no matter how you parse the history. Ironically then, to identify as Jewish, you’ve had to appropriate traditions preserved and defined by rabbinic Judaism, from the kippah on your head, to the knots on your tzitzit, to the order of the Seder and even the mandate to have one.
It’s so very disingenuous, and as you indicated in a comment to my personal blog, you have a vested interest in identifying yourselves as a Jewish movement, when you indicated that Chaplain Perez is a JEWISH chaplain, and therefore entitled to the use of Seder kits. You can’t have it both ways. If you draw customs from rabbinic tradition that’s not binding, then Chaplain Perez, by all accounts should have demurred on the Seder kit so it could go to a troop who has an actual mandate to observe it by rabbinic tradition.
Perhaps I’m taking the wrong tack, but it seems appropriate that your group, whomever the underlying endorsing authority is, correctly identify itself to commands as being a movement unto itself, and NOT affiliated with normative streams of Judaism. If you won’t do that, and actions in this case have spoken louder than words, then you have no right to snivel when the Jewish component in the military takes exception.
You are very misinformed about us. Simply because we do not accept the mandates of tradition as being binding in the sense of Torah doesn’t mean we do not believe that much of it is wise and thoughtful interpretation of Torah. In this way, we are no different than Reform or some parts of Conservatism.
The insistence by mainstream Judaism that we are not a Judaism do not hold up under scrutiny. Any objection made to it is either inaccurate (based on assuming our doctrines and that of Christianity are identical, usually) or would invalidate entire branches and/or sects of “mainstream Judaism.”
As a military man, you should know the term “rearguard action.” That’s precisely what the anti-Messianics in “mainstream Judaism” are fighting, because they can see that their every argument has a logical rebuttal, and that branches and sects of mainstream Judaism are more and more using the same arguments we are to defend their differences with Orthodoxy.
That’s a fairly fallacious argument. I see misdirection, dare I say deceit, is something you’re comfortable with.
For one, by your own website, you hold doctrines that were established not by a Jewish scholarly tradition, but by early Christians, i.e. virgin birth, son of G-d. And call it “compound unity” all you want, its still just an obfuscation of trinitarian dogma, defined at the First Council of Nicea by a non-Jewish Christianity. Additionally, the collection of apostolic writings you cite in your creed were determined by non-Jewish Christians at the same and later councils. So you’ve tweaked it with a Hebrew lexicon, but strip that out, and you would be indistinguishable from Christians.
So, trying to lump yourselves in with non-Orthodox Judaism just doesn’t work. While various forms of Judaism place different levels of importance on our traditions, they still derive their practice from those traditions, not those developed elsewhere. Good try.
The crux of the original article, again, was what ramifications does a Messianic chaplain hold for Jewish service members?
I think it’s been clearly illustrated:
1) We need policy guidance articulated through both the military chaplaincy and command that items procured for Jewish use through the Defense Logistics Agency go to their intended audience.
2) That maybe Messianic service members, chaplains, and their endorsing agencies should pursue their own vendors so they may obtain separate and more appropriate materials for their own observance.
3) Since it’s clear that at least one MJ is not interested in delineating themselves from normative Judaism, Jewish agencies and Jews must continue to educate itself and our non-Jewish peers about those differences, to try and prevent mishaps like this Pesach situation in the future. The Army will probably lose a great surgeon in part because of this situation. We can see illustrated that there are serious problems that need addressed.
This is a site about Jews in the military, not a platform for debate or apologetics. Would anyone else object if we close off comment to this issue and move on?
You took the words out of my mouth. I posted a comment on your other blog. If the esteemed “Rabbi” wants to respond to it and continue an interfaith dialouge (hee hee) there, that’s great. Otherwise, he should get off this forum since it’s not relevant to the topic. OTOH, if Chaplain Perez wants to comment, I think he should be invited to reply and explain himself.
I 100% agree with you. Chaplain Perez’s comments would be most welcome. Perhaps this all stems from some form of misunderstanding, because we’ll get nowhere if the erroneous sense of entitlement or Jewish identity conveyed by Mr. Bernay prevails.
I wholeheartedly, given the elation of Josh in his comment above, respect their right to be represented in the service. We all know what it’s like not to have clergy represented in the ranks. Perhaps Chaplain Perez would be open to working with the JWB and his endorsing group, not by faith but as a Soldier, to ensure neither of our respective groups place stumbling blocks, accidentally or otherwise, before the others’ practice.
That’s a good idea. I hope he does, and the next chance I get to speak to him, I’ll recommend it.
BTW, as for the compound unity issue, I can show you that in the Zohar. As for the virgin birth, that gets down to the whole almah argument, which I won’t go into here.
I will respect the wishes of the people here and not debate theology anymore. I will also ask, as someone concerned with Jews in the military – Jews of all stripes, including my own brother (who is not currently a practicing Messianic but is coming more and more back towards Torah) – if you mind terribly my sticking around. I am greatly concerned that all Jews be well-treated everywhere.
I appreciate that, but then…
If in the Zohar, you’re referring to the ein sof and ten sefirot and Adam Kadmon as a model for Christ, there’s still no “father/son/holy ghost” in there anywhere. Besides, references to Zohar or Lurianic Kabbalah are conspicuously absent in synoptic gospels and deterministic councils of the early Church. You know the Zohar is not the origin of this particular part of your doctrine; citing it as evidence is incredibly specious, when comparing both concepts reveals striking disparities.
If you have positive contributions for Jews in the military, great, but Jews in Green must not be a platform from which you can expect to spread, unfiltered, things that bolster your movement’s positions. You have enumerable avenues to that end.