(Deutsche Welle) Since he became the first rabbi to complete an internship with the German military chaplaincy in 2004, Konstantin Pal has fought to make the Bundeswehr more open to different religions.
Back then he accompanied a Catholic priest who was assigned to the marines. “It was no adventure — more like a steep learning curve,” Pal, who considers himself liberal, told DW. “Being on board a warship is certainly nothing like being in a university seminar room. But you still learn how to support people spiritually.”
At the beginning of April, Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen announced that she intended to recruit Jewish military chaplains. She also said she was trying to overcome legal hurdles to provide Islamic ones, too.
