Founded in 1917 as the Chaplains' Committee of the Jewish Welfare Board and retitled during re-organization on several occasions since, this agency of the JCC Association serves as endorsing body for Jewish military chaplains who serve in the Armed Forces and VA chaplaincy services.
The JWB Jewish Chaplains Council consists of sixteen rabbis, four each from the Rabbinical Assembly (Conservative), the Rabbinical Council of America (Orthodox), and the Central Conference of American Rabbis (Reform), plus four active duty Jewish chaplains representing the Chaplains Advisory Group (CAG). The Council serves approximately 37 full-time military and Veterans Administration chaplains, 55 chaplain reservists, more than 88 military lay leaders, and thousands of Jews at more than 500 military installations and VA medical centers.
What We Do
* Recruit rabbis for full-time active duty, for the Reserves and the National Guard; also part-time civilian rabbis to serve as auxiliary chaplains.
* Endorse seminary students for the pre-Chaplain Seminarian program.
* Certify and train Jewish lay leaders to conduct Jewish activities in the absence of a Jewish chaplain.
* Act as liaison between the Armed Forces Chaplains Board, the Department of Defense, and the Chiefs of Chaplains offices.
* Enable Jews in the military to celebrate life-cycle and festival occasions, especially at locations not served by a Jewish chaplain.
* Provide multi-dimensional educational and support services including:
-Chaplain training workshops
-Lay Leader training programs
-Pamphlet literature for Chapel racks
-Monitor for the Unified Jewish Religious Education Curriculum
-Passover kosher food and Solo-Seder kits.
-Audio-visual media library
-Hanukkah, Purim, and Passover materials to enhance celebrations on military installations.
-Volunteer programs at Veterans Affairs hospitals and military installations through a network of JCC Association Armed Forces and Veterans Services committees.
-A quarterly newsletter, CHAPLINES, the official JWB Jewish Chaplains Council newsletter.
OUR STAFF
The JWB Jewish Chaplains Council is directed by Rabbi David Lapp, who retired from the US Army after 25 years of Chaplaincy service. The Deputy Director, Rabbi Nathan M. Landman, retired from the U.S. Air Force Chaplaincy with 20 years active and five years Reserve service. Both bring a wealth of experience and professional "know-how" to their tasks.
IN SUPPORT OF JEWISH PLURALISM
The JWB Jewish Chaplains Council is a living example of the richness and vitality of Jewish pluralism. It brings together the various streams of religious Jewry, while respecting their diversity. The overall record of co-operation between all Jewish Chaplains in strengthening the identity of all Jews they serve, regardless of orientation, is one of the Council's proudest achievements.
THE MILITARY CHAPLAINCY--
A CHALLENGE TO SERVE
The military Jewish chaplaincy offers a unique challenge to the young rabbi who aspires to serve "K'lal Yisrael" in a special environment: the Armed Forces of the United States. Jews who volunteer for the military represent the entire spectrum of Jewish identity, from the most assimilated to the most traditionally observant. Since they often find themselves isolated from contact with Jewish communities because of the global mission of the service of which they are a part, the presence of a rabbi in uniform can make all the difference between their developing patterns of personal Jewish commitment or the abandonment of their heritage.
RECRUITMENT OF RABBIS
The Council energetically recruits rabbis through visits to various seminaries, attendance at rabbinical conferences, and notices in professional newsletters. Follow-up support is provided through a continuing pastoral relationship with rabbis in the field.
ENHANCING JEWISH LIFE
IN THE MILITARY
Since the advent of the all-volunteer military force, career officers with families have become the dominant group in the Jewish military community. Jewish needs parallel those of small congregations with emphasis on education, life-cycle and festival celebrations. The JCC Association Women's Organizations' Services and the various active Armed Forces and Veterans Services Committees serving local installations and VA Medical Centers have provided constant support for the enrichment of Jewish life for Jewish servicemen and women and their families.
SERVING AS AN EFFECTIVE LIAISON
WITH THE DEFENSE ESTABLISHMENT
The Chiefs of Chaplains have expressed an on-going concern for the needs of Jews in the Armed Forces and VA Medical Centers. Accordingly, the Council regularly acts as an advisor to them, the Armed Forces Chaplains Board, and the Department of Defense to assure that Jewish personnel are properly and effectively supported.
Periodic revising of the Prayerbook for Jewish personnel in the Armed Forces, a steady flow of recommended resource materials for the Unified Jewish Religious Education Curriculum Guide, and guidance on dealing with unforeseen situations, has made the JWB Jewish Chaplains Council an indispensable problem-solving body on which American defense agencies rely.
AN OVERVIEW OF
SUPPORT SERVICES
Chaplain Training Workshops: Training conferences for Jewish chaplains, organized by the JWB Jewish Chaplains Council, supported by all service branches, are held regularly. Chaplains spend several days together in study, worship, and workshop sessions for professional growth and enrichment. The Association of Jewish Chaplains underwrites the cost of providing outstanding scholars-in-residence.
Lay Leader Training Programs: Regional training workshops for Jewish Lay Leaders sponsored by each separate branch of service are held at various dates throughout the year. The Council provides a training manual and resource material. Regional Jewish chaplains act as supervisors and mentors to Jewish lay leaders who serve in the absence of a Jewish chaplain in developing Jewish programs at bases throughout the world.
Chapel Rack Literature: The JWB Jewish Chaplains Council provides informative and inspirational pamphlets, recently revised, on the festivals of the Jewish calendar, the life cycle, and foundations of Jewish faith and life. These pamphlets are included as curricular material in the Unified Curriculum Resource Guide and may be purchased by appropriated and non-appropriated Government funds on a continuing basis for Chapel racks.
Monitoring the Unified Jewish Religious Education Curriculum Guide: The JWB Jewish Chaplains Council enlists the expertise of outstanding Jewish educators to review curricular materials and make available the most current effective educational resources.
Media Library: The Association of Jewish Chaplains of the Armed Forces maintains an extensive audio-visual library of over 60 video-cassettes and close to 500 audio-tapes on Jewish religious, educational, historical, and cultural themes. Chaplains and lay leaders may access these materials without charge through the JWB Jewish Chaplains Council Office.
Holiday Supplies: Support provided by the Women's Organizations Services of the JCC Association enables the Council to distribute Hanukkah and Passover supplementary items to military personnel and VA Medical Center patients.
Volunteer Programs: Local VA Voluntary Services Committees and Armed Forces and Veterans Services Committees perform personal services at VA Medical Centers and military bases across the country. The JWB Jewish Chaplains Council provides counsel and recognition to these volunteers.
CHAPLINES Newsletter: A professional newsletter--CHAPLINES--is disseminated quarterly as an important information vehicle for all chaplains. It also provides a bridge between Jewish chaplains and lay leaders, who often experience a sense of distance from other Jewish chaplains and Jewish programs.