Not every rabbi uses his pastoral skills to counsel highway accident victims or prevent suicides. Fewer still are called upon to perform CPR or fire a weapon. But for Chabad-Lubavitch rabbis who serve their communities as volunteer police chaplains, such activities are a part of the job.
Police Chaplains View “Ministry of Presence” as a Supreme Responsibility
Not every rabbi uses his pastoral skills to counsel highway accident victims or prevent suicides. Fewer still are called upon to perform CPR or fire a weapon. But for Chabad-Lubavitch rabbis who serve their communities as volunteer police chaplains, such activities are a part of the job.
Affectionately called “Rabbi Cops” by officers and citizens alike, they have the primary responsibility of counseling and assisting both police officers and citizens in times of need.
“When something bad happens, people tend to look to an authoritative figure,” says Rabbi Elie Estrin, co-director of the Rohr Chabad Jewish Student Center at the University of Washington and a new inductee to his local police force’s chaplaincy staff.
“Jews look to other Jews,” he explains, “so it’s very important that I’m there for them.”
The conversations chaplains have with victims of a crime – or even the perpetrators – can touch on life and death issues. Sometimes, when a call comes, they must stop whatever they’re doing that moment.
