Mesa rabbi's work for U.S. military is out of the ordinary
RANDI BAROCAS
Staff Writer
The dearth of Jewish soldiers - in all branches of the U.S. military - is no secret. And those few who do enlist are not likely to encounter a military chaplain of the same faith any time during their service, says Rabbi Bonnie Koppell.
Koppell, who serves as a U.S. Army Reserves chaplain with the rank of major at Williams Gateway in Mesa, is one of the exceptions. She gives one weekend a month and two weeks a year to her country, while also providing religious and spiritual guidance to other reserve personnel at units in Arizona, California and Nevada.
Because of her primary responsibility as rabbi at Temple Beth Sholom in Mesa, as well as her own religious observance, Koppell's one "weekend" is actually one Sunday a month plus some miscellaneous hours. She is allowed to forego military duties on Saturday because it is the Jewish Sabbath, she says, and work on that day conflicts with her beliefs. Koppell says she makes up her missed day throughout the month, taking calls and inquiries from enlisted men and women, as well as fulfilling any requests they may have.
Last week, for example, she wrote a letter to her general requesting that a soldier be granted compassionate reassignment because of urgent family need.
Other duties, however, are quite different, she says, recalling a recent incident at Sierra Army Depot in California, where she had gone for her yearly two-week, active-duty stint. While there, she was asked to bless an Army ammunitions convoy preparing to leave the base.
"Before I did my formal prayer, I was walking up and down the line saying, 'Hi,' to all the drivers and introducing myself," Koppell says. "There was a crusty old gentleman in his mid- to late 50s, who had been in the Army for 25 years and told me he had never seen a Jewish chaplain before. That really touched me - to think that this was the first time he was having that experience - having a chaplain of his own denomination to greet him."
While Koppell acknowledges that she has had similar encounters over the years, she says some of her new responsibilities as group chaplain for the 164th Core Support Group include organizing and facilitating ecumenical services.
"When I was assistant group chaplain, there was a Protestant group chaplain who provided the Sunday morning service," she explains. "Now, as group chaplain, my responsibility is to get a Protestant chaplain here to do that service. Last month and this month, however, I found myself in the unusual situation of having to coordinate an ecumenical service."
Koppell says she doesn't mind such responsibilities, and they are part of her job.
"As a Jewish chaplain, I would officiate at Jewish services, but there has never been a critical mass of Jews in my unit," she says. "There are not enough (Jews) at any location for me to actually officiate at a service."
As a result, much of Koppell's chaplaincy is devoted to providing enlisted personnel with "pastoral services, counseling ... a shoulder to cry on and a listening ear," she says, adding that she also serves as a resource to other chaplains.
Military bases in Arizona, including the Army's Fort Huachuca in Sierra Vista and Luke Air Force Base in Glendale, appoint Jewish lay leaders (an enlisted Jewish person) to respond to the religious needs of their Jewish soldiers, according to military representatives at both bases. Sometimes, however, when a lay leader is transferred to another post before another can be brought in and trained, Jewish military personnel seeking religious services and holiday ritual items are referred to an area rabbi, they say.
Representatives at both bases were unable to say for certain whether their lay leadership positions are presently occupied.
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