There are certain questions we get asked a lot on Jews in the military. Here is a collection of the most common with our best attempt at some answers. Click on any of the questions below to view the response.<\/p>\n
Yes. The Jewish Welfare Board (JWB) has a program specifically designed to do just that. This program is not directly associated with Jews in Green, so visit their website<\/a> for more information.<\/p>\n Connecting with our Jewish troops through JWB Jewish Chaplains Council is a perfect mitzvah project for your bar or bat mitzvah! As you celebrate this important life passage together with your family, friends and community, you can help raise funds that bring the Jewish community to Jewish men and women serving our country. The funds you raise can be earmarked for:<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Holiday packages<\/strong>\u00a0for Rosh Hashanah, Hanukkah, Purim, Passover and Shavuot that contain kosher foods, inspirational literature and Jewish ritual items for deployed military personnel: $18 per package per holiday<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/li>\n Essential-needs packages<\/strong>\u00a0that include phone cards to call home, toiletries, anti-microbial socks and hand warmers: $36 per package<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/li>\n Special packages<\/strong>\u00a0for Shabbat at the most remote military facilities, which include kosher wine, challah, Shabbat candles and kosher snacks: $18 per package to serve five individuals<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n To participate in the JWB Bar and Bat Mitzvah Project for our Jewish Troops, or for more information, please contact Ziva Davidovich by email atzivad@jcca.org<\/a>\u00a0or by telephone at 212.786.5099.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t We do not track Jewish service members, nor do we keep any list of mailing addresses. However, here are a few options that you may want to try:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t We have deferred all of our care package & letter writing missions to the folks over at\u00a0koshertroops.com<\/a>. They have up to date mailing lists and regular shipments that go out.\u00a0Their contact information is available here:\u00a0koshertroops.com<\/a><\/p>\n The JWB also has a program geared towards Bar\/Bat Mitzvah projects. You can find that info on \u00a0their website<\/a>.<\/p>\n We no longer keep any sort of mailing list, so we can’t provide you with address information.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div> There are two distinct periods of military life: before graduation from basic training (or officer candidate school), and after. As a recruit or candidate you have very little say over what happens to you on a daily basis. You are told when to wake, when to eat, when to work, and when to go to the bathroom. I think it is fair to say that remaining completely observant is impossible. However, if you are willing to\u00a0compromise\u00a0for that initial time period, you can go back to far more strict observance when you are done. Some issues are more\u00a0manageable\u00a0than others. Here are the big ones:<\/p>\n With all of that said, once you finish with initial training, you will be able to shop for your own food and cook it in the barracks. You will have most weekends off (when not deployed), so Shabbat observance should be mostly a non-issue. Most jobs in the military have standard hours and you will have access to most things you enjoy in civillian life. There are always exceptions, and deployments complicate things, but if you are willing to make the effort few people will stand in your way. Sometimes you will have to pay out of pocket for food, and you might have to work a little harder than your peers, but if you are determined to observe you can make it happen.<\/p>\n There is a plethora of support out there for Jewish service members, including free ritual items, kosher rations, Passover rations, and more. Often times you will have to be the one to initiate the request, but I\u2019ve always found the religious organizations more than willing to accomodate Jewish needs.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t Today\u2019s military has little room\u00a0or<\/strong>\u00a0tolerance for discrimination and bigotry. While there have certainly been low points in our military\u2019s history with regards to anti-Semitism,\u00a0incidents\u00a0are extremely rare now and when they do occur they are almost always dealt with swiftly and severely. It is probably fair to say that incidents are more rare\u00a0in<\/strong>\u00a0the military than\u00a0out<\/strong>\u00a0of the military.<\/p>\n The majority of problems that come up now are simply due to ignorance on the part of people who have had little or no contact with Jews and have zero understanding of our culture and tradition. Sometimes this comes across as anti-Semitism, like when your platoon sergeant doesn\u2019t understand why you should have Yom Kippur off from work, but with some tactful explanation most of these issues are resolved quickly. If that doesn\u2019t work, a call (or visit) to your chaplain (of any faith) will fix it in no time.\u00a0Blatant\u00a0anti-Semitic\u00a0or racist remarks by anyone, especially a leader, is often a career-ending mistake and there are specific channels for dealing with those kind of people in your chain of command.<\/p>\n So, while I can\u2019t say that there are no anti-Semites in the military, I feel confident saying that there are no \u201copenly\u201d anti-Semitic\u00a0personnel. We have all had our run-ins with the \u201cignorant\u201d type, but I imagine so has any Jew who lives outside of a dominantly Jewish community.\u00a0Bottom line: it\u2019s not an issue<\/span>\u00a0that should keep anyone from joining. If anything, the greater representation we have, the less ignorant people will be of our culture.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t Many military members homeschool their children for their secular education (for a number of reasons), and do an excellent job of it. There is no reason this wouldn\u2019t work well for your children\u2019s Jewish education as well. If it is that important to you (and it should be!) then you should be willing to invest the time and effort to serve as an educator. There are a number of\u00a0curricula available online and\u00a0as of recently, there is an excellent online school run by Chabad<\/em>\u00a0<\/strong>(it\u2019s how those Chabad\u00a0emissaries around the world educate their children in far off locations), that is now available to military families. See\u00a0this post<\/a>\u00a0for more info.<\/p>\n Something to remember too, is that you won\u2019t spend your entire career at \u201cFort Podunk\u201d. We all have to suck-up a bad duty station from time to time, but as you progress you\u2019ll have a say in where you are stationed and with proper research you can find a location with quality religious (and secular) education for your family.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div> That\u2019s a difficult one to answer due to a few reasons:<\/p>\n With that said, there are several estimates floating around based on surveys and general experience. The current estimates vary anywhere from 3,000 to 10,000 active duty service members in all branches out of a total force of\u00a0approximately\u00a01.5 million. That equates to 0.2 to 0.7%. Most of that variance can be explained by the 3 reasons above.<\/p>\n This is a significantly lower representation than our general\u00a0presence\u00a0in the United States, which is roughly 2% of the population. This was not always the case though. During WWII, Jews served in numbers significantly higher than our representation in the general population. For more insight into\u00a0why<\/em>\u00a0this is, see\u00a0this story here<\/a>\u00a0(and be sure to browse through the comments).<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\n
I’d like to write to Jewish troops overseas. Can you provide me with addresses?<\/a><\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t
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How can I send a letter or care package to Jewish troops stationed overseas?<\/a><\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t
Life in the Military (3)<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t
I\u2019m thinking of joining the military, but I keep kosher, observe Shabbat, etc. Will I be able to observe during boot camp? What about afterwards?<\/a><\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t
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Is there a lot of anti-Semitism in the military?<\/a><\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t
How can my kids get a Jewish education if I\u2019m stationed 100 miles from the nearest synagogue?<\/a><\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t
General (2)<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t
How many Jews are in the military?<\/a><\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t
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