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? • ninit? °': 5 n t''R Yrit ?O'Di3 CM F117? 1Y1rim?» aZ to: ..,114 pas? .irn? -rrin toy nT - 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) D'1. 171: .7kr? 07. - better than that? But - there are troubles... rp? rIT ni'717 :1] .177 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: ;In rit?'?ip toinp ;In : inix 1., ?7? ,rkt .]in 131 x51 v'1 :,$,n -71??`? 5 7? 5?5n5 rqin 7t3 ,nr171 -1,;9tt , _ninp, rpio;.7 59x . nt. 9 rit7i1.7 5?1? .rin,rirtn nanm ttn`? Tarn n5iv5 '75p_ to ,atom nrirt inn?? D''?iVr1 21 .rripis) n3:9 - nn:,717 rit??? ,i1,1?v i3,1? -rn nri 3W1 n -rt rirn Agency offers an apartment for every new immigrant. It's not easy for a new immigrant to find "suitable livelihood," but rt7 -cr197 ni1Y t ` 771:i '7'9" at'? °'")" 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? .r.tre? I'm completely confused already. Perhaps you will speak openly 1.71 rip riy.to rqn.,? .71!7? 11)"? ,12.V? :71',137 nrin ■ n't?i17 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 .0'11 17 Tr17? 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 rrin What's wrong with that? We wanted a Jewish state! I don't understand you. What's the meaning of "very good, ,p» 713 a`?*) ]it) ?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? pi'-; :n5 .13, •••WPV.1113'B'F3 Excerpted from the book "Israel With In Beth Shean Bomb Shelter ,?t3iO -rzzi rts, :;ism n'7iv 71-11? tt 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