{"id":91815,"date":"2026-03-06T15:18:05","date_gmt":"2026-03-06T20:18:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/?p=91815"},"modified":"2026-07-15T09:19:19","modified_gmt":"2026-07-15T14:19:19","slug":"jewish-groups-ask-pentagon-to-stop-messianic-chaplains-from-wearing-jewish-insignia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/jewish-groups-ask-pentagon-to-stop-messianic-chaplains-from-wearing-jewish-insignia\/","title":{"rendered":"Jewish groups ask Pentagon to stop Messianic chaplains from wearing Jewish insignia"},"content":{"rendered":"

By ASAF ELIA-SHALEV<\/p>\n

(JTA) \u2014 For more than a century, U.S. military chaplains have worn insignia identifying their faith \u2014 a cross for Christians and tablets with a Star of David  for Jews. Now Jewish chaplaincy groups are asking the Pentagon to intervene after chaplains from Messianic Judaism, a Christian movement that blends Jewish practices with belief in Jesus, began wearing the Jewish symbol.<\/p>\n

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Jewish military chaplain wearing Jewish insignia and tefillin at the Aleph Institute’s Military Symposium in February. 2026 (Yisroel Teitelbaum\/Aleph Institute)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

The effort is being led by the Aleph Institute, a Chabad-affiliated organization that endorses Jewish chaplains for the U.S. military.<\/p>\n

Aleph asked the military to investigate the Union of Messianic Jewish Congregations, which endorses Messianic chaplains, and to revoke its endorsement authority if it continues allowing clergy to wear Jewish insignia traditionally reserved for Jewish chaplains.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is clear that [the Union of Messianic Jewish Congregation] is acting in a manner incompatible with the interfaith cooperation and respect that has defined 150 years of U.S. military chaplaincy,\u201d Aleph wrote in a letter to the Armed Forces Chaplains Board.<\/p>\n

In a view shared by many Jews, Aleph suspects that the Messianic movement is a facade \u2014 a deceitful tactic aimed at proselytization.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey have engaged in heavily deceptive behavior, all for the purpose of trapping unsuspecting Jews into the belief that Jesus is part of Jewish theology,\u201d Aleph\u2019s letter said. \u201cDue to persecution, forced conversion, and extreme tactics employed by many Christian countries over the millennia proselytization of Jews is considered an antisemitic tactic.\u201d<\/p>\n

Military chaplains serve as clergy and counselors for members of the armed forces, providing worship services, pastoral counseling and religious accommodations for troops and their families. Because chaplains may be the only clergy available in combat zones or remote postings, their insignia \u2014 patches and small metal pins worn on their uniforms \u2014 function as a quick signal of religious identity.<\/p>\n

Aleph and other Jewish chaplaincy groups say the chaplaincy system is being undermined by the Messianic movement, whose adherents may identify as Jews but are not recognized as such by any denomination of Judaism.<\/p>\n

Rabbi Sanford Dresin, Aleph\u2019s vice president of military programs and a retired Army chaplain, warned in a separate letter that using Jewish symbols could mislead Jewish troops about who represents Judaism.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe entire spectrum of American Jewry unequivocally opposes any insignia to be designed for wear by Messianic chaplains other than the cross,\u201d Dresin wrote. \u201cAny insignia containing a traditional Jewish symbol would be misleading to Jewish service members, and would be deceptive in nature.\u201d<\/p>\n

Other Jewish chaplaincy organizations have joined Aleph\u2019s effort.<\/p>\n

Rabbi Laurence Bazer, who endorses Reform, Conservative and Orthodox rabbis and cantors as military chaplains through the Jewish Chaplains Council, said Jewish groups are working together on the issue.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn dealing with the Messianic chaplains and insignias, we stand with our partners, Aleph Institute, and others in our position,\u201d Bazer said. \u201cWe\u2019re in partnership, and we\u2019re working toward resolving this so they are not using any sort of Jewish symbol.\u201d<\/p>\n

Modern Orthodox leaders have also raised concerns.<\/p>\n

In a January letter to the Armed Forces Chaplains Board, the Rabbinical Council of America warned that the use of Jewish symbols by non-Jewish clergy could create confusion in the military chaplaincy system.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn the military setting, insignia are not private expressions of belief,\u201d RCA leaders wrote. \u201cThey are government-authorized identifiers that communicate a chaplain\u2019s religious endorsement and pastoral role. The use of Jewish symbols by chaplains not endorsed by recognized Jewish bodies creates a serious risk of confusion and misrepresentation and conveys an appearance of official Jewish authenticity that does not exist.\u201d<\/p>\n

Messianic leaders reject the criticism and say their chaplains are simply following existing military policy.<\/p>\n

Barney Kasdan, a leader of the Union of Messianic Jewish Congregations who oversees the group\u2019s military chaplaincy endorsements, said Messianic chaplains identify as Jews and therefore wear the same insignia as other Jewish chaplains.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe tablets \u2014 the Ten Commandments \u2014 is the traditional Jewish insignia,\u201d Kasdan said. \u201cWe identify as Jews, and as far as the Department of Defense is concerned, if you\u2019re a Jewish denomination you wear the Jewish insignia.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kasdan said the organization currently has five Messianic chaplains serving in the military and three candidates in training. The group became an officially recognized chaplaincy endorser with the Department of Defense in 2017, he said.<\/p>\n

Kasdan said Messianic leaders would be open to adopting a separate insignia if the Pentagon created a policy allowing one.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe would be happy with our own distinctive insignia design that is different from the tablets,\u201d he said. \u201cBut right now we\u2019re just following the current policy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Messianic chaplains also say the Christian cross does not reflect their religious identity.<\/p>\n

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Jewish service members hold a torah scroll while wearing tefillin at the Aleph Institute’s Military Symposium in February. 2026 (Yisroel Teitelbaum\/Aleph Institute)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\u201cA cross does not reflect who we are culturally,\u201d Kasdan said. \u201cIf a chaplain wearing a cross is leading a Jewish-style service \u2014 reciting the Shema, using a siddur \u2014 Christians would say that\u2019s misleading.\u201d<\/p>\n

The dispute comes at a moment when the military chaplaincy is under heightened scrutiny amid broader political debates about religious expression in the armed forces. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has signaled support for expanding religious expression protections for service members and chaplains, though the Pentagon has not announced any policy changes related to chaplain insignia.<\/p>\n

Asked about the Jewish groups\u2019 concerns, a Pentagon spokesperson said the department had received the correspondence but declined to comment further.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs with all correspondence, the Department will respond directly to the authors as appropriate,\u201d the spokesperson wrote in an email. \u201cAt this time, we don\u2019t have anything to provide on this.\u201d<\/p>\n

One of the chaplains cited in Aleph\u2019s complaint is James Burling, who serves with a Marine combat training battalion at in North Carolina. His religious training comes from Christian institutions, including a master of divinity from Azusa Pacific University, an evangelical Christian university, and graduate studies in pastoral counseling at Southern California Seminary.<\/p>\n

Burling said in an interview that he wears the insignia his endorsing organization directs him to wear.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wear the insignia I am directed to by my endorser,\u201d he said. \u201cHe directed me to wear the stone tablets with the Star of David on top.\u201d<\/p>\n

Burling describes himself as Jewish but says his religious practice takes place in Messianic congregations.<\/p>\n

\u201cI identify as Jewish,\u201d he said. \u201cBut as far as what I practice, I attend a Messianic synagogue.\u201d<\/p>\n

He said he does not attempt to convert Jewish service members and instead focuses on pastoral care.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf I meet Jewish Marines, I make sure they have what they need,\u201d he said. \u201cI give them Tanakhs. I make sure they have their scriptures. I don\u2019t push anything on them.\u201d<\/p>\n

Burling pointed to a San Diego rabbi, Yoram Dahan, as someone familiar with his Jewish learning and involvement in the community.<\/p>\n

But Dahan said that while Burling had studied Torah with him, he never understood Burling to be Jewish.<\/p>\n

\u201cJames studied Torah with us and he was very serious about it. He loves Israel. But of course he is Christian,\u201d Dahan said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf he says he is Jewish, it is not true and it\u2019s not good,\u201d Dahan added. \u201cThe Messianics are a very dangerous group.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kasdan said Messianic chaplains hope the issue can be resolved cooperatively.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe want to work in the spirit of cooperation and peace,\u201d he said. \u201cWe\u2019re just trying to serve the military and their families.\u201d<\/p>\n

But Aleph and other Jewish chaplaincy groups say the stakes go beyond theology.<\/p>\n

Because Jewish service members may rely on insignia to identify clergy who represent their faith, particularly in remote or high-stress military settings, they argue that Jewish symbols should remain reserved for chaplains representing Judaism.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is not a theological dispute or an effort to exclude any individual from service,\u201d the RCA letter says. \u201cIt is a matter of accuracy in government speech and the protection of religious freedom for a minority faith community that depends on clear institutional signals.\u201d<\/p>\n

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