Irving Elson Profiled by Hadassah

When you are a superstar in your career field, people generally take notice. Rabbi Irv Elson is no exception. He’s not only a regular topic on JIG, but has been the subject of multiple articles in various publications. The latest of which is Hadassah Magazine.

The chaplaincy’s unique role in the military continues to draw Elson in, regardless of the challenges of the historical moment. “The greatest success we have as chaplains is to prove that a spiritually or religiously centered young person makes a better sailor or marine,” he says. One particular benefit of a tenure as lengthy as Elson’s is that he has learned the most effective ways to promote progress. When he first arrived at the Naval Academy, for example, Jewish worship services during “plebe summer” (the period in which new recruits learn Navy ways) were held on Sunday mornings—simply because that had always been the traditional time for worship. It took him most of that year to change the time to Saturday morning, so that Jewish undergraduates could worship during Shabbat.

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“It takes a while to learn how to change the institution from within,” he acknowledges. “But the Navy has been very open to hearing about diversity.” Jewish troops have to be equally open to finding compromise in their service. In his counseling—which has included questions about keeping Shabbat, maintaining kashrut and wearing a kippa, three mitzvot that Elson observes—he challenges them to demand of the institution, but also urges them to realize what the institution requires of them. “My role is to facilitate both,” he believes. “We can then create an awareness that there are Jews who serve honorably, and with hard work you can have a meaningful Jewish life in the military.”