Rabbis honour fallen police
Jewish chaplains mark Blue Ribbon Day and National Police Remembrance Day
Two Melbourne rabbis who serve as police chaplains have urged the Jewish community to remember fallen officers and thank those still serving, ahead of Blue Ribbon Day and National Police Remembrance Day on Tuesday 29 September.
Rabbi Yaakov Glasman of St Kilda Shule, an honorary chaplain to the Australian Federal Police, drew a parallel between the community’s grief after the Bondi Beach terrorist attack and the loss felt when an officer dies on duty.
“As a Jewish community, we know how deeply the Bondi Beach terrorist attack affected every member of our community. It was an attack that struck at the very heart of our collective identity, leaving us united in grief and solidarity,” he said.
“Similarly, when a police officer loses their life in the line of duty, whether serving with Victoria Police or the Australian Federal Police, the loss is felt deeply throughout the entire police family.”
Rabbi Glasman said this understanding shaped his pastoral care of officers.
“Behind every uniform is a human being who deserves compassion, understanding and support.”
Rabbi Shmuel Karnowsky of Central Shule, a volunteer Victoria Police chaplain for almost ten years, said he had supported members through personal grief and through tragedies affecting the wider force.
“Through these experiences, I have come to appreciate something we can easily overlook: the person behind the uniform,” he said.
“When tragedy strikes, the grief ripples through an entire station. It is truly a blue family.”
Rabbi Karnowsky is also involved with the Victoria Police Jewish Network and the Community Security Group, work he said helps strengthen the relationship between Victoria Police and the Jewish community.
“A simple thank you can go a long way,” he said.
According to the Victoria Police Blue Ribbon Foundation, 178 Victoria Police members have died in the line of duty.
Blue Ribbon Day began after Senior Constable Rodney Miller and Sergeant Gary Silk were killed on duty on 16 August 1998. The campaign was held again on 29 September the following year to coincide with National Police Remembrance Day.
In Melbourne, a march will leave Princes Bridge at 10am and proceed along St Kilda Road to the Victoria Police Memorial in Kings Domain, followed by a commemorative service. The day will close with an End of Day Reflection service at the memorial at 4.30pm.
The Foundation is encouraging Victorians to wear a blue ribbon or badge on the day. Donations to the appeal fund medical facilities and emergency equipment in public hospitals, dedicated in memory of fallen members. The Foundation has funded more than 70 hospital projects, 44 of them in regional Victoria.
Donations can be made here.
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