Sad Jewish Ch a plaincy Situation
By RABBI DAVID EICHHORN
(Editor's Note: Rabbi Eichhorn was.
for 23 years (1945-1968), director of
field operations of the commission on
Jewish chaplaincy of the Jewish Wel-
fare Board. He is a past president of
the Association of Jewish Chaplains of
the Armed Forces and is currently
chairman of its 25th anniversary com-
mittee. He holds the rank of chaplain—
lieutenant colonel in the retired re-
serve of the army.)
Rabbi Isaac Mayer Wise, founder
of American Reform Judaism, was
opposed in principle to the Amer-
ican Civil War. He believed that
the Southern states had the consti-
tutional right to secede from the
Union. Yet he organized a vigor-
ous and successful campaign to
persuade President Lincoln to ap-
toint a number of rabbis as chap-
the Union forces. Until
* lains
then, only Christian clergymen had
been permitted to serve as chap-
lains in the American army.
For many years, the Reform
movement played the dominant
role in providing rabbis for Jews
in the military. Of the 23 rabbis
who were in the chaplaincy in
World War I, 15 were Reform. Of
the 311 who were in the chaplaincy
in World War II, 46 per cent were
Conservative and 18 per cent were
Orthodox.
These facts and figures contrast
strikingly with the situation that
now prevails with regard to the
American Jewish military chap-
laincy. There are about 100,000
Jewish service personnel and de-
pendents stationed in the United
States and overseas. To minister
to them adequately, about 75 Jew-
ish chaplains are required; 60 is
regarded as the lowest number
that could furnish even minimal
coverage. During the year that
began on July 1, 1970, only 52
Jewish chaplains have been on
active duty. In the year that began
on July 1, 1971, there will be only
44 Jewish chaplains serving in the
entire American armed forces. Of
these, 23 are career chaplains, 11
are Orthodox, two Conservative, 10
Reform. The other 21 Jewish chap-
lains will be short-termers, in for
only two or three years. Of these,
10 will be Orthodox, six Conserva-
tive and five Reform. So, beginning
July 1, on duty is a total of 21
Orthodox, eight Conservative and
15 Reform chaplains.
The Orthodox rabbinate is pres-
ently the only one that is furnish-
ing its full one-third of the chap-
lains and the only group that seems
to have a genuine determination to
fill at least the minimal spiritual
needs of the Jewish servicemen and
their dependents. The Reform rec-
ord of numerical superiority and
marked dedication in this area of
service has been shattered. The
Conservative rabbinate has fallen
so far behind the other two groups
in its percentage of chaplains that
it has assumed the posture of an
"also ran."
In 1969, the seminarians, using
their opposition to the Vietnam
conflict and to the rabbinical draft
system as excuses, insisted that
the system be discontinued.
Student representatives from the
Reform seminaries appeared be-
fore the CCAR convention in Hous-
ton in 1969 and declared that, once
the draft system was abolished,
self-motivation, determination to
fulfill the spiritual needs of the
rabbinate would bring forth the
number of student volunteers need-
ed to fill chaplaincy vacancies.
Hebrew Union College-Jewish
Institute of Religion has just or-
dained 35 new rabbis. This 1971
class was asked to furnish six men
for the chaplaincy. How many vol-
unteered? One. Six are going to
pursue further post-graduate stud-
ies; 28 have accepted quite well-
paying congregational and Hillel
positions.
How much merit is there or was
there ever or will there ever be in
the argument that rabbis should
not serve their coreligionists in
uniform because of their opposition
to the Vietnam war or any other
war of the past or future? Rabbi
Wise answered that one back in
1861. His answer was and the
answer still is: None.
What is to be done? Rabbi Aryeh
Lev, director of the commission on
Jewish chaplaincy, recently sug-
gested that the chaplaincy gap be
filled, temporarily at least, through
the use of retired civilian rabbis.
He knows, as do the overwhelming
majority of rabbis who have been
military chaplains, that this is no
real answer to the problem. The
only realistic solution is for the
key lay leaders of American Jewry,
together with the heads of the
rabbinical . organizations, the con-
gregational organizations, and the
seminaries, to get together as
speedily as possible and to work
out a plan that will guarantee not
only adequate coverage of the re-
ligious needs of the Jews in our
armed forces but also the con-
A Conversation Series
Released by:
James Michener has written
another very long novel-750 pages
—and in . spite of the length for
which he is primarily criticized,
its a mighty good book and it
offers much food for thought.
Perhaps it sermonizes a bit too
much, but it is a timely discussion
of current issues, and the critics
are either too severe or refuse to
accept lecturing. Nevertheless,
Michener, placing emphasis on
youth problems of our time, touch-
es on issues of great concern.
He deals candidly with the
Negro-Jewish problem which can
not be ignored if truth is to be
faced frankly.
"The Drifters," the Michener
novel published by Random
House, concerns itself primarily
with six youths who are running
away from the current crises.
One is a Californian, another an
Israeli, a third a black militant
from Philadelphia. There is a
girl from Norway, another is
from a British family that had
prospered in a British African
colony, 'and the sixth is a Bos-
ton girl who had a sad experi-
ence during the Chicago out-
bursts in 1968.
Told in the main in the first
person by a representative of a
Geneva investment firm, Mister
Fairbanks, who knew all of the
characters in the book and who
had been active in all of the areas
described, it is believed that the
narrator really is Michener. Which
is to the author's credit: he is con-
cerned about youth and he presents
their problems. But he also ana-
lyzes them and certainly presents
the facts that should diffuse both
extremism and defections.
-
Joe from California, with whom
the story begins, runs to Spain to
avoid the draft. Cato, the black
militant, gets into trouble and seeks
haven, but does not abandon his
extremism. Gretchen from Boston
is an interesting gal who is hurt
tinuation of the measure of respect
and equality that the American
Jew has gained from the dedicated
efforts of nearly 1,000 American
rabbis in uniform and the honest,
self-sacrificing devotion to duty of
hundreds of thousands of Ameri-
can Jewish soldiers, sailors and
airmen.
Tina isninvt
ISRAEVISMILE
e.
Michener's 'Drifters' Reflects Contemporary
•
y
outttitudes,
Negro-Jewish
Controversy
h A "
By Shlomo Kodesh
TARBUTH FOUNDATION
FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF HEBREW CULTURE
Cast: A tourist and a new immigrant.
And how are you getting along in Israel? How's life? Are
with Israel. They're all crying, they're all grumbling, they're„
I don't understand. If the situation is good and they are all
getting along, why are they crying? Why are they grumbling?
•
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with Jews. The state of Israel is a Jewish state, and Jews are
a unique people.
n'??P.P
71- !;r1 7.1
accepts them. The Israeli Society absorbs them. What can be
,nit)
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07. -
better than that? But - there are troubles...
rp?
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thing good.
flavor than they have abroad.
Tourist:
housing. Apartments in Israel are expensive. But the Jewish
thank God, they're all working. Most immigrants arrive in
Israel without knowing a word of Hebrew - and now, wonder
of wonders, they speak ilebrew . more or less.
Tourist:
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Agency offers an apartment for every new immigrant. It's not
easy for a new immigrant to find "suitable livelihood," but
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and not "in hidden meanings."
Immigrant: Heaven forbid, I don't mean to confuse you. I'll explain the
situation and you will understand. There are troubles with
1!1t Inv?
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I'm completely confused already. Perhaps you will speak openly
1.71 rip
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immigrate into the land of Israel. The sovereign state. of Israel
Immigrant: You're right, but "Jewish troubles - in Israel have a different
7I]it) n7xvi
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Immigrant: I did not say that its bad. It's good, even very good. Jews
but there arc troubles." "Troubles" are bad business, not some-
71]ltli11
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What's wrong with that? We wanted a Jewish state!
I don't understand you. What's the meaning of "very good,
,p» 713
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?71'7t37,11- ii3yipri`??nn'?ttrittry?
Immigrant: A good question, but it has its answer. You arc dealing. sir,
Tourist:
•
In short, troubles - and miracles.
Immigrant: Exactly! You've caught on. As we Israelis say, our country is
a land of miracles - and taxes.
T-1:5R71.1.3rt3: tyt?x,yrq, enTr: 7?
'712
noon :1?
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Excerpted from the book "Israel
With
In Beth Shean Bomb Shelter
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Why all these complaints?
Tourist:
Among the more interesting per-
sonalities in "The Drifters" is
Fairbanks' friend Harvey Holt, who
merits a complete chapter, who
joins the drifters and has interest-
ing experiences with them. An ex-
Marine, he resents the un-Ameri-
can attitudes and that introduces
the controversial current gaps be-
tween generations. At one point
Holt advises Cato to "join the
human race . . . you're one of us,"
and he tells the drifters:
"You arrogant young punks go
around as if you'd discovered sex.
You think that because you can slip
into bed so easily with a beautiful
girl that you can slip out just as
easily when it's all over . . . with-
out being touched by the experi-
ence. I got news for you, bub. You
bleed exactly like the rest of us.
Good men begin to grow up on the
morning they find that some girl
has thrown them over. Then, by
God, they've got to face up to
themselves. You're not the super-
man you visualized. Sex is not so
simple as you thought. It's the:
terrible, mixed-up, complex thing
it's always been."
And so we have in "The Drifters"
a contemporary work, well done,
perhaps elongated, but providing
much food for thought—and enter-
taining reading. It can't miss the
best seller list.
r11:197 Try,- - -
mrirt m7_1)7 1.15
tri
all as "full of complaints as a pomegranate has seeds."
Tourist:
The black-white issue is realis-
tically presented. Michener cannot
be accused of prejudice. In "The
Drifters" he definitely outlines a
new struggle with its demerit in
the historic sense.
In the course of their travels the
young people cover a lot of ground,
seeking the escape they need from
the mental anguish over what is
happening in the world. It is toward
the end of the long tale, when Yigal
is challenged as to where he was
to make his home and when he
said it would be his birthplace—
America — that Cato tells him:
"Things aren't going to be easy
for the Jew in America." To
Yigal's question of what he had in
mind, Cato replied.
"The blacks will have to drive
the Jews out of American life.
There has got to be open warfare."
Thereupon there ensues this dia-
logue:
" 'What are you saying?' Yigal's
small, tight face had hardened, and
Earlier in the story there was
a reminder to blacks about the
traditional friendship between them
and the Jews.
:o:TrTappri
.ary, ,-t u1
you pleased?
Immigrant: I can't say that I am pleastd. No new immigrant is pleased
It is in Grosse Pointe that Yigal
gets a part of his education, then
runs off to become a hero—even
though unenlisted in the army—in
the Six-Day War.
He, too, joins the group in Spain,
travels with them, gets involved
in their protesting moods.
But while in Grosse Pointe he
already knows about the black-
white conflict, about the anti-
Jewish attitudes, and he gets an
idea about anti-Semitism.
There, are no prejudices among
the young people who had a joint
defection from their native lands
and their families. It is toward
the end that Cato unburdens his
hatred for Jews and whites.
It came at a point when Yigal
had just about made up his mind
to become an American that Cato
did his anti-Jewish stunt. Then
Yigal made his final decision: it
was to be Israel where he was to
make his home.
he leaned forward so as to confront
the Negro directly.
" 'I'm saying what I learned.
That the American blacks are go-
ing to reject Christianity.'
" 'The Jsews did that 2,000 years
ago.'
" 'But the blacks are converting
to Islam. And that'll make them
part of a great confederation —
Arabs in Egypt against the Jews
of Israel . . . blacks in the United
States against the Jews of Amer-
ica.'
" 'Are you out of your mind?'
Yigal asked.
" 'You saw the beginnings in
Detroit,' Cato said quietly. `It'l
happen across America.'
"Yigal moved closer and said,
Tor a black man to talk like that
to a Jew is insanity. You better
go home and sort your ideas out,
because if you can't make an alli-
ance with me—and with Jews like
me—you are finished, Brother Cato.
You are dead.' "
!.7n a'?
NOT BAD! BUT THERE ARE TROUBLES....
Tourist:
by abuse from policem e n in an
experience in which she Was totally
innocent.
The story revolves around them
and the Israeli, Yigal Zmora, whose
parents settled in Haifa, whose
American grandparents brought
their daughter to Grosse Pointe,
Mich., to give birth to the lad (to
make him an American), naming
him Bruce Clifton. The British
grandparents also have an eye on
him to assume British citizenship.
(Later in the story Yigal tells how
he hates to be called Bruce).
A Smile", published by Tarbuth Foundation, 515 Park Ave., N. Y. C.
10022
Scores of youngsters like these, who have spent most of the
nights of their lives underground in the frequently-shelled religious
settlements of the Beth Shean Valley in Israel, will have rest and
rehabilitation vacations this summer at Kfar Batya, a children's
village operated by the Mizrachi Women's Organization of Ame-ica,
near Raanana, in the Sharon plain.
44—Friday, July 23, 1971
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS