Saluting Our Military Chaplains

On Wednesday of this week, in Philadelphia, I was saddened but honored to be a co-officiant at the funeral service for Rabbi Aaron Landes, a prominent rabbi in Elkins Park, Pennsylvania for many years. Both as President of the Rabbinical Assembly and as a long-time friend of the family – his in-laws had been members of my congregation for over fifty […]

Read more

Rabbi Aaron Landes, RADM (Ret) Z”L

Rabbi Aaron Landes, a retired Rear Admiral and former chairman of the Jewish Welfare Board, passed away last week at his home in Elkins Park, PA after a long battle with leukemia. Rabbi Landes had a long and distinguished career devoted to Jewish service both in and out of the military. He was involved in the creation of the Jewish […]

Read more

Replace the Clergy? Think Again.

Back in November Captain Timothy Riemann, a student at the Marine Corps’ Expeditionary Warfare School, wrote an article in the Marine Corps Gazette titled Replace the Clergy that argues for disbanding the active duty chaplain corps. For years, the Navy Chaplain Corps has undergone little scrutiny or evaluation of its capabilities or effectiveness. Once examined, it becomes clear that the […]

Read more

Lieutenant Frank Freeland, USN

It was more than 70 years ago, but Jerry Hoenig clearly remembers the days he spent as a teenager with his best friend Frank Freeland. The two Brooklyn boys would go into Manhattan together to see the old boats at South Ferry and visit the aquarium. “We used to pal around,” Hoenig recalled, sitting in his dining room on Long […]

Read more

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 […]

Read more

Jewish Navy SEAL Wins Humanitarian Award

Eric Greitens, the founder of an organization challenging veterans to build lives of purpose, strengthening individuals and communities while changing the national conversation about returning service members, is the 2012 recipient of The Charles Bronfman Prize. The prize recognizes “young innovators whose Jewish values infuse their humanitarian accomplishments, providing inspiration for generations to come.” It’s hard not to be thoroughly impressed […]

Read more
1 2 3