On Friday, December 16, a busload of East Midwood members and at least 500 other people filled the auditorium of the 1 Police Plaza to honor our beloved Rabbi Emeritus, Dr. Rabbi Alvin Kass, the legendary Chief Chaplain of the NYPD, on his 50 years of service. The longest serving chaplain in the history of the department, Rabbi Kass is the first to become a three star chaplain and is only the third Jewish chaplain. There are Jewish, Catholic, Protestant and Muslim chaplains but each chaplain serves all the police.The job is to keep the police healthy, strong and on a even keep despite hardships and difficult situations. The NYPD chaplaincy is the model for the rest of the country.
Rabbi Kass also serves as the chaplain of the New York office of the FBI and the New York Field Region of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms. In his long career he has served 7 mayors and 16 police commissioners. The event was widely reported and elicited an editorial in the New York Daily News headlined “The soul of the NYPD: A rabbi for the ages.” Here is a collection of all of the coverage:
http://www.nydailynews.com/opinion/soul-nypd-rabbi-ages-article-1.2913560
http://nypost.com/2016/12/16/nypd-chaplain-is-now-a-three-star-chief/
http://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/nypd-chaplain-rabbi-honored-for-his-50-years-of-service/