Jewish groups in the US have called on the Pentagon to stop military chaplains affiliated with the Messianic Jewish movement from wearing the insignia reserved for Jewish chaplains.
Military chaplains wear insignias identifying their faith – which for Jews is a tablet with Star of David, and for Christians is the cross – because in the field, where chaplains may be the only available religious leader, those symbols serve as a quick visual cue for troops seeking spiritual guidance.
Messianic Judaism – which blends Jewish ritual with the that Jesus was the Messiah – is widely regarded by mainstream Jewish denominations as a form of Christianity, not a branch of Judaism.
The groups demanding the Messianic chaplains stop wearing the Jewish insignia claim that the Messianic movement, known for Christian proselytisation, is deliberately misusing the symbol, and potentially misleading Jewish service members.
The campaign is being led by the Aleph Institute, a Chabad-linked organisation that endorses Jewish rabbis for military chaplaincy roles. In a letter to the Armed Forces Chaplains Board, Aleph asked the Defence Department to review the status of the Union of Messianic Jewish Congregations (UMJC), the body that endorses Messianic chaplains, and consider revoking its authority if the practice continues.
“It is clear that [the UMJC] is acting in a manner incompatible with the interfaith cooperation and respect that has defined 150 years of US military chaplaincy,” the letter read.
“They have engaged in heavily deceptive behaviour, all for the purpose of trapping unsuspecting Jews into the belief that Jesus is part of Jewish theology.”
Rabbi Sanford Drsin, Aleph’s vice president of military programmes, warned in a separate letter: “The entire spectrum of American Jewry unequivocally opposes any insignia to be designed for wear by Messianic chaplains other than the cross. Any insignia containing a traditional Jewish symbol would be misleading to Jewish service members and would be deceptive in nature.”
In a previous letter to the Armed Forces Chaplains Board in January, the Rabbinical Council of America wrote: “The use of Jewish symbols by chaplains not endorsed by recognised Jewish bodies creates a serious risk of confusion and misrepresentation and conveys an appearance of official Jewish authenticity that does not exist.”
Messianic leaders have rejected the criticism and argue they are simply following existing military policy, according to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency.
Barney Kasdan, a senior figure in the Union of Messianic Jewish Congregations who oversees the group’s military chaplaincy endorsements, said Messianic chaplains consider themselves Jewish and therefore use the same insignia worn by Jewish clergy in the armed forces.
Messianic leaders also argue that the Christian cross would not accurately represent their religious identity.
“A cross does not reflect who we are culturally,” Kasdan said.
“If a chaplain wearing a cross were leading a Jewish-style service – reciting the Shema or using a siddur – many Christians would find that just as misleading.”
Five Messianic chaplains are currently serving in the US military, with three additional candidates preparing to enter the chaplaincy, according to Kasdan.
The Defence Department – also referred to in recent months as the Department for War – recognised the UMJC as an official endorsing body for military chaplains in 2017.
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