Union of Othodox Jewish Congregations Urges Congress To Keep Changes To Military Chaplains’ Rules Out Of Defense Bill

Today, the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America – the nation’s largest Orthodox Jewish umbrella organization representing nearly 1,000 congregations – wrote to senior members of Congress to urge opposition to the inclusion of language concerning military chaplains in the final version of the Defense Authorization Act.

In its letter addressed to the chairmen and ranking members of the House and Senate Armed Services committees, the UOJCA noted the organization’s “long and proud record of promoting a robust view of the Free Exercise of religion in this nation and [that] we do not believe the First Amendment’s Establishment Clause requires that religion be banned from the public square or government functions.”

The UOJCA urged those leaders to “ensure that no language is included in the bill which upsets the delicate balance between the core religious liberties of either chaplains or the military personnel they serve. We believe that – given the complexities of this matter and the centuries of history and practice in which clergy have served America’s soldiers – the best course of action at this stage is to defer any legislation until your committees can have full and thorough hearings on the issues.”

The full text of the letter is as follows:

Sen. John Warner, Chairman
Sen. Carl Levin, Ranking Member
Senate Armed Services Committee

Rep. Duncan Hunter, Chairman
Rep. Ike Skelton, Ranking Member
House Armed Services. Committee

Dear Senators and Representatives,

We write on behalf of the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America – the nation’s largest Orthodox Jewish umbrella organization representing nearly 1,000 congregations – to urge you to oppose the inclusion of language from H.R. 5122 concerning military chaplains in the final version of the Defense Authorization Act. We further urge you to ensure that no language is included in the bill which upsets the delicate balance between the core religious liberties of either chaplains or the military personnel they serve. We believe that – given the complexities of this matter and the centuries of history and practice in which clergy have served America’s soldiers – the best course of action at this stage is to defer any legislation until your committees can have full and thorough hearings on the issues.

The UOJCA has a long and proud record of promoting a robust view of the Free Exercise of religion in this nation and we do not believe the First Amendment’s Establishment Clause requires that religion be banned from the public square or government functions. In general, we believe a correct balance has been struck over time in the manner in which military chaplains have served soldiers – typically of many diverse faiths – in their care.

The bill passed by the House includes Section 590 titled “Military Chaplains.” This section is at odds with these principles of religious liberty and the traditions of the military chaplaincy as it provides chaplains the “prerogative to pray according to the dictates of the chaplain’s own conscience, except as must be limited by military necessity, with any such limitation being imposed in the least restrictive manner feasible.” Section 590 is unnecessary and, we note, is opposed by the National Conference on Ministry to the Armed Forces, which represents the vast majority of military chaplains. Under current law and regulations military chaplains are already permitted to pray in a manner fitting their individual religious tradition in the worship services they lead for armed forces members. When a prayer is called for in a setting where attendance may not be voluntary however, chaplains should pray in a more inclusive manner. If a chaplain does not feel comfortable offering an inclusive prayer in such a setting, he should have the right to refuse to participate without negative consequences.

The NCAF has offered suggestions for language that might address the concerns of all parties to these discussions. We, the UOJCA, would be honored to take part in such discussions as well – but we believe such will require some time and careful deliberation.

We again urge you and your colleagues to defer action on this matter until such deliberations can occur; our men and women in uniform and the freedoms they defend – religious liberty first among them – deserve no less.

Sincerely,

Rabbi Tzvi Hersh Weinreb, Exec. Vice President
Mark Bane, Chairman – Public Policy
Nathan J. Diament, Director – Public Policy