For first time in 100 years, rabbis will join German army
The German Defence Ministry is also planning to expand pastoral care for the approximately 3,000 Muslims in the armed forces
Berlin — Germany’s armed forces will have rabbis in their ranks for the first time in about 100 years, as the Bundeswehr looks to expand pastoral services for Jews serving in the military amid signs of a resurgence of anti-Semitism. Germany’s Jewish Council will propose candidates for consideration and those selected could serve in military missions outside Germany, the defence ministry said on Tuesday. A low single-digit number of rabbis will be recruited for an initial trial phase. “This is an important signal at a time when anti-Semitism, religious polarisation and narrow-mindedness are on the march in many places,” defence minister Ursula von der Leyen said in a statement. Servicemen and women are not obliged to reveal their faith, but the ministry estimates there are about 300 Jews serving in the Bundeswehr. Germany’s Jewish Council warned in January that there was a significant level of ignorance about the Holocaust and a lack of sympathy for the millions of victims — especial...
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