Jewish chaplains gather for ADF retreat

Jewish chaplains from across Australia gathered in Melbourne this week for a two-day retreat for Jewish military spiritual leaders in the Australian Defence Force.

The retreat, organised by Rabbi Ralph Genende, senior rabbi to the Australian Defence Force, brought together chaplains from Western Australia, Cairns, Sydney and Melbourne for professional development and networking.

The retreat included pastoral counselling supervision sessions and training to help chaplains address current challenges, particularly antisemitism within the military context.

“We brought in professionals to help our chaplains with the current struggle, which is the struggle of antisemitism.

“We are fortunate to be working in the ADF, which has zero tolerance of antisemitism,” Rabbi Genende said.

The ADF now has seven Jewish chaplains, representing significant growth from just a few years ago.

Among them is Rabbi Rafi Kaiserblueth, who became the Royal Australian Navy’s first Jewish chaplain in 2023 after serving 13 years in the US Navy Reserves.

Rabbi Kaiserblueth, a Masorti rabbi on the rabbinic team at Sydney’s Emanuel Synagogue, described his role as primarily counselling and providing ethical guidance to personnel of all faiths and backgrounds.

“It’s people of all faiths or no faith. We are seen as a safe place to speak because the conversation they have with us is confidential,” he said.

The chaplains serve a unique role as interfaith ministers, often becoming the first Jewish person that non-Jewish service members encounter.

This includes facilitating religious needs for personnel of other faiths.

“We have a few Muslim sailors who come into the office at HMAS Kuttabul in Sydney, the main fleet base, and they come in regularly to pray. They need a prayer mat. So the Jewish chaplain is giving them the prayer mat and telling them which direction Mecca is,” Rabbi Kaiserblueth said.

Rabbanit Judith Levitan-Sterling, the first woman to be ordained as an Orthodox rabbi in New South Wales, joined the ADF chaplaincy bringing her background in social work and domestic violence support.

“Working in the ADF, often you are the first Jewish person that people have encountered. So there is an element that you are being an ambassador for the Jewish people,” she said.

Rabbi Genende emphasised that the chaplains play a crucial advocacy role for Australia’s Jewish community while serving the broader defence strategy. “Our chaplains are for people of all faiths and no faith.

“They’re exceptional individuals in their compassion and their moral leadership,” he said.