Another Beard in Uniform

Chabad-Lubavitch Rabbi Chesky Tenenbaum, nephew to Colonel Jacob Goldstein (the Army’s bearded rabbi), will be commissioned as a captain in the Maryland Defense Force, where he will assist and most likely serve the Maryland’s National Guard.

Like Rabbi Goldstein, the service of Rabbi Tenenbaum will be indubitably distinguished for more than just facial hair. Perhaps new doors can be opened to potential rabbinical chaplains by demonstrating that the value contribution of Chasidic rabbis greatly exceeds concerns over uniformity in the modern military.

25 states have “Defense Forces” or militias aside from the National Guard, which focus on a state mission supplementary or supportive of the National Guard or state military departments. These forces are especially important today, as the Global War on Terror reduces the numbers of Guard members available for domestic missions.

Read the article on Chabad.org.