Jolon, CA – Col. Jacob Goldstein, Army Reserve chaplain, is a man worth noticing when he wears his military uniform.
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An Orthodox Jewish rabbi assigned to Fort Buchanan, Puerto Rico, Goldstein made a sudden impression on Reserve troops when he visited Fort Hunter Liggett during the Combat Support Training Exercise – a large scale logistics sustainment exercise held June 16-24, which recreated a deployment environment for over 2,000 Army Reserve Soldiers.
Sporting an epic white beard, the 63-year old Brooklyn, N.Y., native’s facial hair caused quite a stir in an environment where clean-shaven faces and finely trimmed haircuts are standing orders.
“My first thought was, ‘Wow! He has a lot of hair,’ said Spc. James Bridges, a cook with the 352nd Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, Macon, Ga. “We just had an Army birthday and I thought the beard was part of a joke.”
Pfc. Cortez Peters, a cook with the 442nd Quartermaster Company, Bellefonte, Pa., was also surprised by the chaplain’s appearance, giving Goldstein a once-over before approaching.
“I’ve never seen a person in the military with a beard before,” said Peters, a Trenton, New Jersey native.
Goldstein, who wears a matching Army-issued yarmulke with his Army Combat Uniform, said the purpose of the visit was to get acquainted with the forward operating bases and conduct Jewish services in the field. Goldstein recognizes the importance for Soldiers to become familiar with his position and his role in providing pastoral support, regardless of religious denomination. He also appreciates being among the troops because he understands their purpose.
“I love Soldiers,” Goldstein said. “I love their heart . . . I know what a Soldier does each day, what they experience.”
Goldstein has made visits around the world on behalf of the military for more than 33 years. Serving since 1977, he has deployed to Bosnia, South Korea, Afghanistan and Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Goldstein was also instrumental in stateside affairs. After the Sept. 11, 2001 attack on the World Trade Center, he served for five months as the senior chaplain for all military branches at Ground Zero.
Goldstein is one of only seven Orthodox Jewish chaplains serving in the Army. In 2009, he helped military officials at Fort Benning establish weekly Jewish and High Holiday services on base, where they previously didn’t offer any, and helped the base to start serving kosher meals.
Goldstein said the military’s continuous effort to foster religious freedom within its ranks is a trait he deeply respects.
“The military gives great deference to religion,” said Goldstein, “You ask any commander – any Soldier that is spiritual and has some religion makes for a good Soldier. The fact the Soldier has some kind of comfort and has some faith – regardless of that faith – if you believe in something, that’s important.”
Goldstein’s religious practice of keeping an unshaven beard almost kept him from remaining in the Army. Jewish law forbids a rabbi to shave his beard, but Army regulations forbid Soldiers from having beards while in uniform. An exception to policy was granted to Goldstein because of his date of entry into service. With a shortage of chaplains available, Goldstein applied for an extension of service (reservists usually resign their position at age 60). He has two years remaining on the extension, but is more than comfortable continuing to reach out to troops.
“I love Soldiers,” said Goldstein, “and that’s why I’m in the Army.”
is he chabad?
I know him well, he lives next to me in CH. He even comes to shule in the mornings wearing the dress uniform or fatigues, on occasion.
as a bochur i remember when captain goldstien went in to the rebbe for a brocho before leaving to ” iraq” during dessert storm & the rebbe said take your tefilin but leave your megila ,.. see you back for purim
Yes he is chabad.
Yes, he is Chabad, he lives in Crown Heights. Kol Hakavod!
His license plate is national guard 770
The law against beards in the US Armed forces is arbitrary and should be abolished for those whose beard is a religious matter. including the Seikh , Jewish and Islamic persons and anyone else. Duties should be exacted to the service that one can perform. The idea that we all need to be wearing gas masks is asinine and clearly one can judge the risk of his inablitly to perfectly fit a gas mask when he joins the armed forces. There were beards permitted in civil war times. why not now? Fitness is everything!
He has visited the Ben Ish Chai Kever in Baghdad with the security of the US Army.
He is only one of many frum people that serve in the Armed Forces. Rabbi Joey Messinger, Rabbi Rafael Berdugo (USAF), are 2 more. How many can we name and be proud of?
There is no place in halacha written that a jewish rav may not shave his beard he he is allowed to shave by the chassidim no one shaves and by the litvaks everyone shaves and trims even rabbonim
I hope Colonel Goldstein remembered the inyan of not having 2 people dressing another at the same time (take turns.) That includes afixing details to clothing (like bars, oak leaves, medals etc.) It was the first thing I thought of when I saw the picture.
Colonel Jake (as he is often referred to in Crown Heights) has served his country well & ALWAYS makes a Kiddush Hashem. He happens to be a nice guy as well! The kids get a real charge from him & he enjoys the kids too.
“Goldstein, who wears a matching Army-issued yarmulke with his Army Combat Uniform” Army issued? Because it says Tzivos Hashem? And those are BDUs not a “combat uniform”.
When he received his order to go to Iraq (Saudi Arabia) in Gulf War I, the Rebbe told him to take a sefer Torah but he wouldn’t need a megilla. At the last moment he was transfered to the go with troops manning the patriot missle batteries in Eretz Yisroel. On purim there were enough megillas to go around but the base would not have had a sefer Torah to Lain Zachor and Purim if he hadn’t brought it.
Don’t he look like Yankl Miller (Yarmer Roov)?
How sad that there are so few frum chaplains – with all the boys who are learning this would be a great opportunity for kiddush hashem to be mekarev Jewish soldiers
I remember when Colonel Goldstein was in EY during the First Gulf War (with the Patriot Missile unit), his presence caused quite a stir in the Israeli media, as Israelis never saw an Orthodox American Jewish soldier before, especially an Officer. I remember when Goldstein met with the Rebbe, who told him not to worry, that he would not be sent to Saudi Arabia; he was eventually sent to Eretz Yisrael in 1991. There was an article about him in the Jewish Press at the time.
It more be really cool to have more orthodox Yidden in the army
Rbbi Bruce Bublick from my home town of Passaic, NJ is a Chaplain and a Major in the Air Force
The first Jewish chaplain in the U.S. Army was Michael M. Allen, of Philadelphia, a frum Yid who taught at a Jewish school and davvened at Mikveh Israel. Google “Michael M. Allen diary”
Kol Hakovod to Rabbi Goldstein, it shouldn’t matter to anyone that he’s a Lubavither. Keep up your Great work and continue to make a Kiddush Hashem!
בס’ד
I was stationed at Ft Devens, Massachutes, in 1954. Rabbi, then Major, Hersh Livazer was our Chaplin. He was a Lomszer Yeshiva talmud, in pre war Poland; and later a Rebbe at Torah VaDas. He was with Gen Paton’s 3d Army during the war, WWII. He spent 20 years in the army, retiring a Colonel. He lived his final years in Eretz Israel with his Sabra wife and daughters. He was a great man!
At the same time, there was a Chicagoan (?) also a career chaplin, if I recall the name, I will try to notify you.
There were several observant chaplins, short timers, a few years, at various troubled times. Not trying to denigrate Yaakov Goldstein or ? Oxman, but they were not the first orthodox chaplains.
A mushel, Moishe Rabeinu was not the first Jew, but he was an OK Jew.