From West Point to the Western Wall to the Westside

This Friday is Veteran’s Day. It is a day set aside in our country to thank the men and women who serve our country guaranteeing the freedoms that you and I enjoy every day that we live in this great country. At Thursday morning’s services in the day school, Captain Joshua Knobel, a veteran of our country’s armed forces in Kuwait and Afghanistan for two years, led our service and spoke to the students and parents about being Jewish and being American. He should know…he is the first person, ever, to graduate from West Point and go on to become a rabbi.

 

I have had the good fortune over the last two years to be paired with a rabbinical student as his mentor. When I read his background before our first meeting it became apparent that this student, Captain Knobel, wasn’t your typical student. The fact that the first email he sent to me began with “sir,” was just the tip of the iceberg (he also says “Ma’am” to Rabbi Geller). Politeness aside, Josh’s disciplined approach to his studies, and his obvious leadership skills, both of which can be directly tied to his life in the military, have served him well as he begins to formulate what his rabbinate will be in the future. In an article written for jta.org, Josh says, ““I’ve always viewed it as my responsibility to make sure that Jewish soldiers, wherever I could find them, had a way of observing Shabbat, rituals or services,” he said. “The purpose I’ve dedicated myself to can be served in a community congregation or in the military.”

 

Serving our country is a great source of pride to Josh, and serving the Jewish people will no doubt be a blessing to him and to the Jewish people. Certainly, his experience there was crucial to him finding his way to the Westside of Los Angeles and his studies. As he said, “By the time I was a company commander, I knew I wanted to do something other than what I was doing -- communications.”  What he wanted to do was to “help people figure out how to live their lives with purpose and intent.”

 

We salute Captain Joshua Knobel, and all those who have served the country in our armed forces. Their lives have enriched our lives, their dedication to America deserves our respect and admiration. May their lives continue to be a blessing. And…thank you.

 

Rabbi Jonathan Aaron

 

Comments

[Michael Bear]

Why don't we have a program to help support the Jewish service people? There are programs for other faiths that I hear about, but nothing geared for MOT.

If there isn't one going already then let's start one up ourselves.