Leading Scholar
on ‘Just War’ Theory to Address Jewish Chaplains
Group at Fort Dix, NJ
NEW YORK, NY, November 9, 2006 – What
exactly is a just war? And does it make a difference to military
chaplains whether the war is just or not? According to Dr.
Michael Walzer, a world renowned expert on what is known as
‘just war’ theory, it does. “Chaplains need
to have a sense both of the justice of the war and the justice
of the conduct of those engaged in battle, ready to respond
to questions from combat soldiers,” said Walzer. The
JWB Jewish Chaplains Council will welcome Walzer to a professional-lay
leadership conference at Fort Dix in Wrightstown, New Jersey
on Monday, November 13th at 7:00 p.m.
Dr. Walzer is on the faculty of the School of Social Science
at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton. He plans
to give the audience an overview of all forms of just warfare–theory
grounded in medieval Catholic moral theology–before
moving on to discuss pre-emptive and preventive strikes. Time
permitting, Dr. Walzer will address the distinctions between
classic just war theory and the Jewish perspective on commanded
versus optional war.
This will be the first time that Walzer, a political theorist
and writer who lectures widely, will be speaking to a group
of military chaplains. His work is no stranger to the military,
however. His book, Just and Unjust Wars (Basic Books, 1977,
second edition, 1992) has been required reading for cadets
at West Point, he noted.
Rabbi Chaplain Harold Robinson, director of the JWB Jewish
Chaplains Council, invited Walzer to speak at the conference.
“Rabbis in the armed services help mediate between Jewish
values and the values of the wider society. Often chaplains
are moral and ethical advisors to the personnel and to the
command itself of the branches of the armed services in which
they serve. It is our hope that Prof. Walzer will deepen our
understanding of the language used by the larger society so
that we may better convey the teachings of our great ethical
monotheistic traditions.”
Robinson continued, “There is no scholar in the United
States as widely respected as Michael Walzer in this field.
His agreement to speak to us is a testament to the importance
of the role of Jewish chaplains in American society.”
Reporters/Editors/Producers: To arrange to
interview Dr. Walzer in connection with his appearance at
Fort Dix or to cover the event, please contact Miriam Rinn,
communications manager at JCC Association, at (212) 786-5092
or e-mail Miriam@jcca.org.
Fort Dix is a non-public news gathering forum
and as such, all civilian media must have approval and escort
prior to entering the installation. The Public Affairs Office
typically makes arrangements to meet civilian media prior
to their arrival at Fort Dix. This also applies to all tenant
organizations. Media interested in covering Fort Dix activities
should call the Public Affairs Office at (609) 562-4034 to
discuss upcoming media opportunities.
Dr. Michael Walzer – Biography
Political theorist and writer on society,
politics, and ethics, Dr. Michael Walzer has been a permanent
member of the faculty at the Institute for Advanced Study
in Princeton, New Jersey since 1980. He joined the institute
after teaching for 14 years at Harvard University, which followed
four years, beginning in 1962, on the faculty of Princeton
University. A regular contributor to scholarly journals as
well as to general circulation magazines, he has written on
a wide range of topics, including just and unjust wars, nationalism,
ethnicity, economic justice, criticism, radicalism, tolerance,
and political obligation. Outside of his academic work he
acts as editor-in-chief of Dissent, and is a contributing
editor to The New Republic. He is also on the editorial board
of the academic journal Philosophy & Public Affairs. To
date he has written 27 books and has published more than 300
articles, essays, and book reviews. He is a member of several
philosophical organizations including the American Philosophical
Society and also serves on the Board of Governors of The Hebrew
University in Jerusalem. He was a member of the Board of Trustees
of Brandeis University from 1983-88. Dr. Walzer received his
bachelor’s degree from Brandeis in 1956 and spent the
following year at Cambridge University on a Fulbright Fellowship.
He earned a Ph.D. from Harvard in 1961.
###
JCC Association
is the leadership network of, and central agency for the Jewish
Community Center Movement, which is comprised of 350 JCC,
YM-YWHA and camp sites in the U. S. and Canada. JCC Association
offers a wide range of services and resources to strengthen
the capacity of its affiliates to provide educational, cultural,
social, Jewish identity-building, and recreational programs
to enhance the lives of North American Jews of all ages and
backgrounds. Additionally, the movement fosters and strengthens
connections between North American Jews and Israel as well
as with world Jewry. JCC Association is also the U.S. government
accredited agency for serving the religious and social needs
of Jewish military personnel, their families, and patients
in VA hospitals through JWB Jewish Chaplains Council.
Miriam
Rinn
Communications Manager
JCC Association
15 E. 26 St., NY, NY 10010
212-786-5092
fax: 212-481-4174
send an e-mail
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