U.K.’s Colonel Newman Corrects My Post About Jewish Chaplains in Her Majesty’s Forces

ByPhyllis Zimbler Miller

U.K. Jewish Military PersonnelOn Tuesday I got a Facebook message from Colonel Martin Newman DL, vice chairman – Jewish Committee for Her Majesty’s Forces:

You’ve probably seen from my comment on your site [hadn’t seen it yet] that the info in the Jewish Chronicle was factually incorrect and misleading but it did bring in a great response to the ad for the new padre.

We have had full and part time Jewish chaplains since 1892! For the past 15 years we have had a volunteer part time retired RAF chaplain who stayed on with the support of the Chief Rabbi – without consultation with the troops or the endorsing authority. Not the fault of the services or the Ministry of Defence.

In 35 years in uniform I have never encountered any anti-Semitism! The main reason for people not identifying was because they were not affiliated in the first place – we have given them their first real taste of Judaism – and because the mainstream orthodox community here has in the past regarded the service as “not for a yiddisher boy or girl.” Consequently there has been a stigma attached.

If you can let me have an email address I will be have to let you have copies of Menorah (our Armed Forces Jewish Community magazine) which I’m sure will give you a different outlook.

I’m glad to see that our news is reaching over the Pond. Unfortunately the Jewish Chronicle article was factually incorrect and misleading. We’ve had commissioned Jewish Chaplains since 1892, the longest serving other than Anglican.

American veterans will know that there were a large number of British Jewish chaplains serving in the Army and RAF during both world wars and until the end of conscription.

For the past 15 years this job has been done by a retired Royal Air Force Chaplain as a volunteer, at his own request and funded by the endorsing authority. We were offered a full time replacement by the Ministry of Defence [MoD} but the offer was turned down by our Chief Rabbi’s office, I believe, without consultation with the serving personnel. We, as the endorsing authority, decided it was time to regularise the situation and MoD retained the funding and has now released this to appoint a new fulltime padre. We have also just commissioned a Territorial Army (same as National Guard) Rabbi.

While our numbers are in the low hundreds our military Jewish community is vibrant, very active and steadily growing.

Being relatively small (remember our armed forces are smaller than those of the USA) it’s easier for us to keep in touch on a regular basis. Irrespective of rank (and we have a disproportionate number of senior officers) we treat the group as an extended family who are proud of their British and Jewish identities.

Any inference that we do not identify with our Jewishness or do not receive the support of the MoD or the single services is totally incorrect. And if you don’t believe me you just have to ask my American wife – now a real British colonel’s lady!!

Please don’t worry about Jews in Her Majesty’s Forces. We’re thriving.

Colonel Martin Newman DL
Vice Chairman – Jewish Committee for HM Forces

There you have the story straight from the horse’s mouth, so to speak. Yet if you read the above carefully, there are some interesting points, such as the Chief Rabbi’s office turning down the initial request by the Ministry of Defence [British spelling] for a full-time Jewish chaplain. I hope Colonel Newman will give us an update when the new U.K. chaplain for Her Majesty’s Forces has come on board.

(The photo above is of U.K. Jewish military personnel attending a weekend conference this winter.)

4 Comments

  1. It would be good if there was a phone number given in case chaplains of other faiths had to contact Rabbi. Repatriation of a dead soldier being a good example.

  2. New Jewish Chaplain for the Armed Forces

    Manchester Rabbi, Arnold Saunders, is to become the new Jewish Civilian Chaplain to her Majesty’s Forces.

    Rabbi Saunders, a graduate of Jews’ College, will take over from The Rev’d Malcolm Weisman on 1st September and will be the first full time Jewish chaplain for decades. Based at Fulwood Barracks in Preston, he will be responsible for the pastoral care of all Jewish personnel of all three services throughout the UK and on duty overseas. He said: “I know that the role will be challenging with a small but vibrant and steadily growing Jewish military community. Our members represent all shades of Judaism but have a strong sense of Jewish identity, pride and belonging and deserve the very best support we can give them.

    “I will be working closely with our faith endorsing authority, The Jewish Committee for HM Forces (JCHMF), to ensure that our troops receive whatever religious, cultural and welfare resources they need. We will also be looking at Jewish educational opportunities for those living far from mainstream communities. I am looking forward to undertaking my new duties and I’m proud to serve alongside our brave servicemen and women.”

    In addition to his civilian appointment Rabbi Saunders has been appointed to a Territorial Army commission in the Royal Army Chaplains’ Department and will serve in a muti-faith role with Greater Manchester Army Cadet Force.

    JCHMF chairman, Colonel Martin Newman, welcomed the new appointment. He said: “Padre Saunders will be a great asset to our community. He has already made himself known to many of our members and has shown a great understanding of the pastoral needs of young servicemen and women often operating far from home and increasingly under very dangerous circumstances.

    Padre Saunders will have the distinction of wearing the very rare Jewish cap badge of the Royal Army Chaplains’ Department, a scarce collectors’ item which has not been worn by a serving padre for some 40 years.

  3. UK Jewish Chaplain to HM Forces can be contacted through the endorsing authority until a new office has been established (tel +44 (0) 17717 717981. New direct contact details to follow.

Comments are closed.