Standing in the Shadow of the IDF

Tablet Magazine published a discussion with Jewish historian Derek Penslar back in October that really struck a chord with me. The focus of the conversation is how the valor of Diaspora Jews who fought in the U.S. military is sometimes overshadowed by Israel’s military success. The anecdote that really drives the point home is one that Penslar shares from his […]

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Cantors Begin To Serve as Chaplains

Back in 2005, the DOD relaxed it’s ordination requirements for Jewish chaplains that would allow for cantors to begin serving in those positions. Well, nearly seven years later, we are finally hearing about the first candidate for this expanded prorgam. 1LT David Frommer, now a chaplain of four years, is the U.S. Army’s first-ever cantor. Frommer was recently featured in […]

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Veterans Visit Israel

For the past couple of years, an organization called Heroes to Heroes has sent groups of eight to fifteen American veterans will on a ten day journey to Israel where they are joined by up to five of Israeli peers from the IDF. The group travels, learns, and explores as a unit. The trip is designed to educate, motivate and […]

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A Zimmun at Grafenwöhr

Earlier this month, I received this great report from Chaplain Shlomo Shulman, who is currently stationed in Grafenwöhr, Germany. Yesterday in the PX, I ran into a couple of senior Israeli officers attending a planning conference at Grafenwöhr. There are 27 of them altogether, but 5 of them keep kosher, so they’d been eating army rations in their hotel room […]

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