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July 26, 2002/Av 17 5762, Vol. 54, No. 45
Jewish chaplains have unique missionRABBI ROBERT KRAVITZThe world learned first-hand about chaplains after the Sept. 11 attack on America. There are police chaplains, sheriff's chaplains and chaplains to the federal departments. Father Michael Judge was a chaplain to the New York Fire Department. I have been a non-paid chaplain for more than a decade.Recently I joined nearly 800 chaplains - Protestants, Catholics, Jews and Muslims - from around the world, including several from Arizona, for study and camaraderie at the Annual Training Seminar of the International Conference of Police Chaplains (ICPC) in Anaheim, Calif., July 7-12. Each chaplain wore the badge of a single department or several. Each brought beliefs, traditions and a personal understanding of the mission of chaplaincy. We attended up to 18 classes, with subjects as diverse as: "Dealing with School Shootings," "Being an Effective First Responder," "Death Notification," "Rage and Anger Management," "Suicide" and "Major Incident Responses." A rabbinic colleague from the Chicago area wearing payot (side curls) taught the course "Understanding Different Faith Groups." An Arizona rabbi - Rabbi Ernest Michel of Scottsdale - taught "Sensitivity and Diversity" to an overflowing room. An Assembly of God minister from a small Maine town became a friend when he talked about how inclusive his congregation was. A female chaplain from northern California asked for assistance with a friend who recently relocated to the Valley. I befriended a black chaplain from Zimbabwe when I noticed that his name and my son's middle name were the same, Ephraim. He had traveled for nearly 24 hours to the ICPC to learn about the important role that police chaplains play in our various settings. We were universally devoted to helping the personnel of law enforcement. Our challenges paled when compared to this impressive aspiration. But we did have difficulties: the vocal discomfort of several Protestant ministers in hearing prayers "in the name of," a Jewish and Muslim request for kosher food and the more mundane issues of the ICPC budget and issues of international expansion. The ICPC offered us the opportunity to exchange information, share personal and institutional views and develop new relationships. Through e-mail I will now be able to share perspectives of the American Jewish Committee, the Jewish community and my own views with new friends worldwide. Having studied alongside these chaplains, I think that I am now better equipped to serve the members of law enforcement and to continue to provide them with a link to our Jewish community. Chaplains have an important mission. Jewish chaplains have a unique mission of representing a minority religion. Ours is to support law enforcement officers and their families, to understand and assist at trauma scenes and to quietly educate. As a police chaplain, this is a challenge I take very seriously. Rabbi Robert Kravitz is the executive director of the Arizona chapter of The American Jewish Committee. Contact him at 480-970-6363. |
