Dear Friends,
I recently had the opportunity to attend the Dedication of the Jewish Chaplain’s memorial at Arlington National Cemetery which will honor the twelve Jewish chaplains that have died in military service to the United States of America. It was a very touching ceremony and once again reminded me of the significant sacrifice which our military personnel make for us. I was particularly inspired by the story of the Four Chaplains on the Dorchester during WWII. As we prepare for Veteran’s Day next week, I hope that you will find the information below to be interesting.
If you have the chance to visit Arlington National Cemetery, please notice the Jewish memorial which is now part of Chaplain’s Hill. I also hope you will thank someone who is serving in our military for the sacrifices they make so that we can be safe.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Bruce Aft
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Four Chaplains, also sometimes referred to as the “Immortal Chaplains,” were four United States Army chaplains who gave their lives to save other civilian and military personnel during the sinking of the troop ship USAT Dorchester during World War II. They helped other soldiers board lifeboats and gave up their own life jackets when the supply ran out. The chaplains joined arms, said prayers, and sang hymns as they went down with the ship.
The Men
The four men were relatively new chaplains, who all held the rank of lieutenant. They included Methodist minister the Reverend George L. Fox, Rabbi Alexander D. Goode, Roman Catholic priest the Reverend John P. Washington, and Reformed Church in America minister the Reverend Clark V. Poling. Their backgrounds, personalities, and faiths were different, although Goode, Poling and Washington had all served as leaders in the Boy Scouts of America.[1] They would meet at the Army Chaplains School at Harvard University, where they would prepare for assignments in the European theater, sailing on board USAT Dorchester to report to their new assignments.
Alexander D. Goode
Main article: Alexander D. GoodeRabbi Alexander D. Goode was born in Brooklyn, New York on May 10, 1911, the son of Rabbi Hyman Goodekowitz. He was raised in Washington, D.C., attending Eastern High School, eventually deciding to follow his father’s footsteps by studying for the rabbinate himself, at Hebrew Union College (HUC), where he graduated with a B.H. degree in 1937. He later received his Ph.D. from Johns Hopkins University in 1940. While studying for the rabbinate at HUC, he worked at the Washington Hebrew Congregation during summer breaks.[3]
He originally applied to become a Navy chaplain in January 1941, but was not accepted. After Pearl Harbor was attacked in 1941, he applied to the Army, receiving his appointment as a chaplain on July 21, 1942. Chaplain Goode went on active duty on August 9, 1942 and he was selected for the Chaplains School at Harvard. He had courses in map reading, first aid, law, and chemical warfare. Chaplain Goode was then assigned to the 333rd Airbase Squadron in Goldsboro, North Carolina. In October 1942, he was transferred to Camp Myles Standish in Taunton, Massachusetts and reunited with Chaplains Fox, Poling and Washington, who were classmates at Harvard.[4]