The first Mitzvah you are supposed to do after Yom Kippur is build a Sukkah.
With
the leadership of the facilities manager, and help from the RPs, we got the Sukkah up the morning after Yom Kippur, but it did not stop my allergy to grass from making
itself known.
Note
to self for next time: wear long-sleeves.
And so I arrived at the Naval Academy, safe and sound.
This will be my home for the next three years.
No deployments, no unexpected underways, no broken RO and shower hours, no off-site training for two weeks at a stretch.
My name is already on the wall.
A friend recommended a nice, quiet park to run in, while I had some free times on my hands.
It lived up to its name, and I am grateful for this very serene place where I came to run and be surrounded by such natural beauty.
I am a Bills fan.
I
watched them lose 4 Super Bowls in a row, and still I rooted for them.
From
Jim Kelley, to Doug Flutie to Tyrod Taylor to Josh Allen.
And
they are playing the Ravens on the Sunday in between Rosh HaShannah and Yom
Kippur.
I
just can’t add one more thing to my plate, and get a ticket to the game.
But, when someone gifted me two tickets and a parking pass, I couldn't say no. I stumbled to find the words, and thanked the donor with as much grace as I could muster. I even promised to keep my cheering for the Bills to a minimum.
Thank you, Audrey for letting me borrow your husband while you were away, so I could have a buddy to go to the game with.
And thank you, Bills Mafia, for showing up, and cheering our Bills on as they won by a field goal with no time left on the clock!!!!
1 SEPT – company comes to pack up my house
6
SEPT – company takes my stuff
7
SEPT – return apartment key
7
SEPT – out-brief with CO and SMEO
8
SEPT – teach final Escalation Workshop Training course
9
SEPT – hail and farewell for me and my replacement
12
SEPT – begin my drive to the East Coast
15
SEPT – arrive at my parents
18
SEPT – arrive in Annapolis
21
SEPT – check in
23
SEPT – Lead Shabbat services
25
SEPT – Erev Rosh HaShannah services … Yom Kippur services ... build sukkah
Total
days of leave taken during my PCS = 1
Average
leave taken during PCS = 30
Next
time, don’t PCS right before High Holidays.
It
was my honor to bring together some sailors, officers and Marine to speak to
over 270 Macabi middle school and high school students from all over the US.
1) I had verbal orders almost 2 years ago that I was going to the United States Naval Academy.
2)
Verbal orders #2 - I was leaving in November, go to school, and report to the
USNA in December.
3)
Hard copy orders (#3) – detach in October, report in November.
Request
to detach in September to get to Academy in time to lead High Holidays.
4)
Hard copy orders (#4) – detach in September and report No Later Than October.
Yeah... I'll detach and get there to lead High Holidays. Can't wait until October.
I have been patient, and the day finally arrived when the NWSL came to San Diego!
And
they won!!!!
I haven’t been to a “hometown, USA” July 4th celebration in forever.
Julien was exactly that!
Between
the pie, the knitting circle, the used bookstore and the parade, it was
wonderful!!!!!
I made a Challah for July 4th Shabbat
Billy (Corinna’s husband), Micah (their third child) and I went for a little bike ride.
That's how Billy defines "little".
Corinna has a thing that when you say, “That’s not fair!”, she responds with “where’s the ferris wheel? Where’s my funnel cake? That’s a fair.”
Ferris
Wheel – check. Funnel cake – check!
I refuse to treat Memorial Day in such a casual manner, like it's just another day off.
This is the day where we make sure that those who fought in defense of our country are not lost to time.
We remember their names, their stories, their heroism, or they will be lost forever.
And for those of us who serve now, that will be our fate, when time takes us, UNLESS we reinforce the understanding that this is not just a day off from work or school. It is a day to remember those who died in service of this country.
pictures from the U.S.S. Midway Memorial Day event
My sister’s friend went to the Naval Academy and is currently an O5. As she just came off her CO tour, she was in SD for some training. I was happy to FINALLY catch up with her.
Not everything in the Navy is peachy, and after enough time and enough incidents, I submitted an EO complaint on a superior.
I
feel better that I did it, because this should not be happening in my Navy.
I
do not know what will come if it, but at least I did something, rather than
continue to keep quiet and let the abuse continue.
------------------------------------
P.S. The investigation is concluded, and my complaint was unfounded.
(There
is more, but I am not permitted to discuss it.)
I
stand by what I said, and wrote.
I
will not wait so long, should there be a next time.
I
hope to God I never have to work with this person again.
One
of my favorite COs of all time is also the first female CO in NSW.
I
will miss her humor, her faith, and guidance.
And of course, her cookies!!!
In 2021, I was selected for promotion to the rank of LCDR.
For
some unknown reason, I assumed I would be promoting in September of 2022.
I
then promptly forgot about it.
I
was meeting with my mentor, when he let me know that I should be promoting
soon.
He
checked his list, and, as he said, I should promote 1 APR.
I
thought he was kidding.
Nope.
In
72 hours, I will promote to LCDR.
April
1, 2022.
“Perhaps
you should contact Admin to get the paperwork going, so you can sign it and
promote on time, Chaplain Creditor?”
“A
wise suggestion, sir.”
One of the best things I got to do this year, was bring a Holocaust survivor to speak to sailors who had no connection to, and no understanding of the Holocaust.
I worked with the non-Orthodox Jewish community in UAE (virtually), and one of the members of the community passed away suddenly. But here I am in the US, using technology to help the spouse work through Jewish law and tradition, and guiding them as the struggle with this tragedy.
Post
Script: I must have done it right. I would have honored her decisions no matter
what, but if felt good that she thought everything through, and came to her own
conclusions to align her actions with the traditions of Judaism.
I met this family while working at Ramah in California (Ojai), and reconnected when I moved here. We became even closer when I joined their synagogue.
It
was then my great honor, to see their middle child graduate from “A” school,
the second of three schools he attends before hitting the fleet.
Mazal
Tov STGSN (soon to be STG3) on graduating from one of the harder school in the
Navy.
Reintegration is a strange thing.
It
feels like I just left, while simultaneously it feels like I have been gone
forever.
Everything has changed, but nothing is any different.
You've changed, and so has everyone else, but their hugs and love are just as you remembered it.
I get the airport in plenty of time.
But
wait, my bag is too heavy.
I
buy a piece of luggage in the airport store and pray to God that both pieces
will meet me in San Diego.
arrive to gate sweaty, tired, and hungry
land in San diego.
Pray for both pieces of luggage meet me.
Sister-from-another-mister and her son meet me at baggage claim
welcomed home with hugs and kisses. surprisingly, no tears.
baggage x2 picked up.
Fell asleep in my own bed!
17th COVID test is done. Came back negative. I am on my way home!!!!
Third
deployment in three years is in the books!!!!!
It’s my first full day of quarantine, so I planned on sleeping in.
My
mom sent an email because she did not want to wake me up.
My
brother woke me up at 2:30 AM local.
My
grandmother, one month shy of her 98th birthday, and about three
weeks before I was supposed to come home from deployment, passed away.
Since
I am in quarantine, I cannot test for COVID to leave deployment and get to the
funeral. I won’t even get there in time for Shiva.
I
get to watch the funeral over zoom, alone.
This
is one of the hardest parts of deployment, and serving in the military in general. We do
not have the freedom of movement like civilians. The mission comes first –
always.
This is not the first time I have had to deal with this.
When my great-aunt, my grandmother's sister died at 100 1/2, I could not get home from Okinawa in time for the funeral, and most of Shiva as well.
I am not the first, nor the last to experience this.
It hurts just the same.
My
RP1 got COVID, and I drove him to work, so I am quarantined for five days.
This
is the second close-contact trace that puts me in quarantine while on
deployment.
Oh
well.
Post deployment: The SCPO who wanted to submit the IG complaint, came and apologized to me. We spent about 90 minutes, where he shared, and I listened. I advised him as best I could, we shook hands and parted on good terms.
I
know that we are told that when we throw a rock into the water, we do not see
all the ripples.
This
time I got to.
This afternoon, after the debacle with the SCPO, I got a phone call from a prior Marine who wanted me to know that I saved her life, by counseling her when she was at her lowest.
She
thanked me for my advice, and how it changed everything. She is out of the
Corps now, but still serving in a different capacity, and wanted my advice.
That
conversation definitely balanced my day.
I had a deployment low today.
I
corrected a Second Class Petty Officer for his failure to adhere to proper
customs and curtseys – which is my right.
He
in turn, blew it up, and told the Command Master Chief that he wanted to submit
an IG complaint against me.
This
is the SECOND time that should have gone to his leadership and not directly to
him. Let them make the correction.
My
RP told me to NOT talk to the sailor, but, stubborn me, I thought I had learned
from my last failure in this category and wanted to show myself that I had
grown by speaking calmly, and professionally to the sailor… and NOT loose my
cool.
I
thought I followed my game plan.
It
backfired.
And
yes, I got called into the CO’s office.
I
should have trusted my RP, and not let my emotions or ego run the play.
I know Rabbinical School gave me many skills to be a successful rabbi – many of which I use today.
During
this third deployment, in the right space and place in my life, I took a class
for chaplains on-line.
During
the class, questions about spirituality were asked through a totally Christian
lens. Regardless of that (and yes, I made noise about lack of inclusive
language and curriculum), some of the questions – once reframed – got me
thinking about my own spirituality, and spiritual care.
This
is NOT a new topic, but at 2200 local time (the class was on EST), I go to
pondering what it means to me to be spiritually “fit.”
I
pray, and study, but where else can I shore up my spiritual self, to help me be
more resilient.
I
have no answers right now, but I love this moment of wrestling with how I
become a more spiritual me.
Of
course, the next step will be, how do I include that in my rabbinate and
chaplaincy.
I had the honor and privilege of being the guest speaker for the pre-Shabbat service led by the AGJC.
I
talked about what it means to be an Ohr Lagoyim, a light unto the nations in my
position as rabbi in the American military.
I
think this goes into the category of “never would have thought to put that on
my bucket list.”
When I deployed the first time, my sister sent a huge butcher block paper with drawings from Ya’ara, my at-the-time 3 year old niece.
It meant so much to me to have something to look at that connected me to my sister, and to my niece.
This time around, my now nearly 5-year-old niece sent me some artwork.
This time, I prominently displayed them on my wall... because I had a wall to display them upon.
An aspect of deployment that no-one likes, is watching from Afar when:
1)
two of your mentees promote to LTJG and not be able to be there. At least there
is facebook live.
Congrats
Alex and Stefanie!!!
2)
Your favorite MSgt retires.
Mazal
Tov, Jen!!!
I generally don’t celebrate my birthday, no matter where I am, but it was a HUGE surprise, when my cousin sent me a Lego-type Destroyer!!!!
I
find it funny it was not an AWACS, since she was in the Air Force.
And
still the Best birthday present I have ever received on deployment.
I love running into friends I served with previously.
John Jones and I served at 2nd Intel Bn 2016-2018.
Ben and I were in chaplain school together in 2012.
RP1 and just finished our 14th COVID tests.
Yup,
14. And we still have another chunk of deployment to go.
I
assume we will be at 20 by the end.
We'll see who gets the Golden Q-Tip at the end.
At least we were escorted by a pretty sunset.
I cannot thank the amazing communities that came together to send care packages to my people. Some donors have known me since high school, and others only recently. And so many organizations ready and willing to support my people, who are scattered all over the place, and other commands in need of some holiday cheer!
I cannot thank enough Alex and his wife Deena, who sent me a salami, and some Chanukkah decorations. They are still up.
It is the only Kosher meat I got on deployment, outside of the Kosher beef jerky that Rabbi Esther Reed sent along with some other goodies. I am so blessed.
I promise, Alex. When you are deployed, I will return the favor!!!!
