I commend my colleague, Rabbi Gil-Ezer Lerer of Temple Menorah, for his service to local law enforcement as Wisconsin’s only Jewish police chaplain, as reported in the March 20 Chronicle.
I am chaplain emeritus of Shomrim of Philadelphia and the Delaware Valley, that area’s chapter of the Shomrim Society, the national fraternity of Jewish law enforcement officers; and I am a former chaplain of the Philadelphia Police Department.
I know how vitally important it is to provide spiritual support to the brave men and women of law enforcement who put their lives at risk each and every day to “protect and serve” their communities.
This especially holds true for the many Jewish police officers, parole officers, FBI agents, and other law enforcement agents who find themselves relying on non-Jewish chaplains because there is no Jewish chaplain to whom they can turn in times of need.
I hope my rabbinic colleagues will respond to Lerer’s call to join this effort. If they do, they will find, as I did, that serving as a police chaplain can be one of the most rewarding experiences of their rabbinate.
Rabbi Jacob Herber
Congregation Beth Israel
Glendale
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