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| Germany’s Military To Have Jewish Chaplains For First Time In A Century |
| 2019-04-04 |
| [Jpost] A treaty on the military chaplaincy will be negotiated between the Federal Republic of Germany and the Central Council of Jews, as it was for Protestants and Catholics decades ago. Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen announced this week that her ministry will appoint Jewish chaplains to the Bundeswehr based on recommendations from the Central Council of Jews in Germany, the umbrella organization that represents the approximately 100,000 members of Jewish communities nationwide. According to the Central Council, the future German military rabbi or rabbis will work both in a pastoral capacity, and in instructing soldiers of all religious backgrounds, "enriching their ethical education ... with a Jewish contribution." German soldiers are not required to identify their religion; the Defense Ministry estimates that about half have done so. According to the ministry, there are approximately 300 Jewish enlistees in addition to about 3,000 Moslems, 41,000 Catholics and 53,000 Protestants. Christian military chaplains were introduced to the Bundeswehr about 60 years ago. There reportedly also will soon be imams appointed as military chaplains, although there will be no treaty with the Federal Republic of Germany, since instead of having a single representative body for Moslems in Germany, there are several. |
| Posted by:trailing wife |