Commodore Levy Chapel
Encyclopedia
The Commodore Levy Chapel, established in 1942 and renamed in 1959 in honor of Uriah P. Levy
, is the United States Navy's oldest Jewish chapel, located at Naval Station Norfolk
, in Norfolk, Virginia
. It is part of a chapel complex in the Naval Station's Frazier Hall that also includes Catholic, Protestant, and Muslim Chapels.
Commodore Levy Chapel is one of two Navy chapels named for the same person, the other located being the Commodore Uriah P. Levy Center and Chapel
, at the United States Naval Academy
in Annapolis, Maryland
.
Although not renamed until 1959 for Levy, the chapel was created in 1942 during World War II
(in a space formerly used as a chapel complex auditorium) as the Navy's first chapel dedicated to worship and religious events for Jewish military personnel and their families. Therefore, although it is recognized as the Navy's oldest land-based Jewish Chapel, the first Navy Jewish Chapel created as a free-standing building from the ground up is the Aloha Jewish Chapel
, Naval Station Pearl Harbor, in Hawaii
.
The Protestant and Catholic chapels in the Frazier Hall (then part of Naval Operating Base Norfolk--NOB Norfolk) were opened two weeks after the December 7, 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor
, and they were officially named and dedicated on February 21, 1942.
Jewish chaplain Selwyn Ruslander was assigned to Norfolk August 1942, and began conducting Jewish services in Frazier Hall, in the second floor auditorium area. That area was formally dedicated as a Jewish chapel the following year, during a conference of Jewish chaplains February 20-21, 1943. Present at the dedication was the Navy Chief of Chaplains, Chaplain Robert D. Workman; the senior chaplain for the Norfolk Operating Base and Officer-in-Charge of the Navy's Chaplain School, Cinton A. Neyman; and "other dignataries." The Jewish community of Norfolk presented a Torah ark, constructed by Lester Sherrick, a civilian member of the community, as part of the dedication ceremony.
When Rabbi Julius Nodel was assigned to the NOB in the mid-40s, he not only led services in the Levy Chapel, but also led services for Jewish personnel at other bases, including two in North Carolina: the Patrol Plane Base and Coast Guard Air Station, Elizabeth City, N.C. and the Naval Air Station, Weeksville, N.C.
In 1959, in honor of Levy's "dedication to his religion and his country," the chapel was renamed the "Commodore Levy Chapel." Jewish Chaplain Samuel Sobel was instrumental in the renaming initiative."
On December 13, 2009, special ceremonies were conducted to "rededicate" the Chapel on the occasion of its 50th anniversary. The ceremony honored the memory of Rabbi Samuel Sobel, the only Navy Jewish Chaplain who served twice at the Levy Chapel, and the chaplain who was "instrumental in the design and dedication of the chapel in 1959. Sobel was the author of "Intrepid Sailor," a 1980 biography of Uriah P. Levy. The keynote speaker was Rabbi Jonathan Panitz, who—while on active duty as a Jewish chaplain at the Naval Academy—was part of the original effort to raise funds in order to establish the Academy's Jewish chapel, also named for Levy.
initiated a quarterly "Commodore Levy Sabbath" program. Because many military personnel participated in civilian synagogue services and programs closer to the areas in which they lived, this new program encouraged them to attend services at the Levy Chapel every three months, to have "the opportunity to renew acquaintances, and to allow the area 'old timers' to meet new arrivals."
That same year, a "blue ribbon panel" composed of Navy Jewish chaplains met at Frazier Hall to consider the "beneficial suggestion" made to the Navy to change the Jewish chaplain uniform insignia. The insignia, the two tablets of the ten commandments, topped by a six-pointed Star of David, had included Roman numerals to represent the ten commandments—but the recommendation was to replace those numerals with the first ten letters of the Hebrew alphabet. Based on the unanimous recommendation of the panel, the change was made in 1981.
On September 12, 1982, the Chapel sponsored a "Jewish Pride in the Navy Day," that included the dedication of an 11 by 7 foot cloth-on-cloth wall hanging for the chapel, designed by local Norfolk artist Leonette Adler, and cut and sewn by Jewish officers, sailors, and their spouses. The celebration included music on the Frazier Hall lawn by members of the Navy band, and tours of local Navy ships. As described by the Navy News, "the hanging features a backdrop of silver moon and roaring waves of blue and white and words from the prophet Isaiah."
Uriah P. Levy
Uriah Phillips Levy was the first Jewish Commodore of the United States Navy, a veteran of the War of 1812 and a major philanthropist. At the time, Commodore was the highest rank obtainable in the U.S. Navy and would be roughly equivalent to the modern-day rank of Admiral...
, is the United States Navy's oldest Jewish chapel, located at Naval Station Norfolk
Naval Station Norfolk
Naval Station Norfolk, in Norfolk, Virginia, is a base of the United States Navy, supporting naval forces in the United States Fleet Forces Command, those operating in the Atlantic Ocean, Mediterranean Sea, and Indian Ocean...
, in Norfolk, Virginia
Norfolk, Virginia
Norfolk is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. With a population of 242,803 as of the 2010 Census, it is Virginia's second-largest city behind neighboring Virginia Beach....
. It is part of a chapel complex in the Naval Station's Frazier Hall that also includes Catholic, Protestant, and Muslim Chapels.
Commodore Levy Chapel is one of two Navy chapels named for the same person, the other located being the Commodore Uriah P. Levy Center and Chapel
Naval Academy Jewish Chapel
The Commodore Uriah P. Levy Center and Jewish Chapel is the Jewish chapel at the United States Naval Academy, in Annapolis, Maryland. The center is named in honor of Commodore Uriah P. Levy , the first Jewish commodore in the United States Navy, who is famous for refusing to flog his sailors...
, at the United States Naval Academy
United States Naval Academy
The United States Naval Academy is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located in Annapolis, Maryland, United States...
in Annapolis, Maryland
Annapolis, Maryland
Annapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Maryland, as well as the county seat of Anne Arundel County. It had a population of 38,394 at the 2010 census and is situated on the Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of the Severn River, south of Baltimore and about east of Washington, D.C. Annapolis is...
.
History
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
(in a space formerly used as a chapel complex auditorium) as the Navy's first chapel dedicated to worship and religious events for Jewish military personnel and their families. Therefore, although it is recognized as the Navy's oldest land-based Jewish Chapel, the first Navy Jewish Chapel created as a free-standing building from the ground up is the Aloha Jewish Chapel
Aloha Jewish Chapel
Aloha Jewish Chapel was built in 1975 on the grounds of Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam. It was designed by Vladimir Ossipoff as the first free-standing Jewish chapel built by the United States government exclusively for Jewish worship...
, Naval Station Pearl Harbor, in Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
.
The Protestant and Catholic chapels in the Frazier Hall (then part of Naval Operating Base Norfolk--NOB Norfolk) were opened two weeks after the December 7, 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor
Attack on Pearl Harbor
The attack on Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike conducted by the Imperial Japanese Navy against the United States naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on the morning of December 7, 1941...
, and they were officially named and dedicated on February 21, 1942.
Jewish chaplain Selwyn Ruslander was assigned to Norfolk August 1942, and began conducting Jewish services in Frazier Hall, in the second floor auditorium area. That area was formally dedicated as a Jewish chapel the following year, during a conference of Jewish chaplains February 20-21, 1943. Present at the dedication was the Navy Chief of Chaplains, Chaplain Robert D. Workman; the senior chaplain for the Norfolk Operating Base and Officer-in-Charge of the Navy's Chaplain School, Cinton A. Neyman; and "other dignataries." The Jewish community of Norfolk presented a Torah ark, constructed by Lester Sherrick, a civilian member of the community, as part of the dedication ceremony.
When Rabbi Julius Nodel was assigned to the NOB in the mid-40s, he not only led services in the Levy Chapel, but also led services for Jewish personnel at other bases, including two in North Carolina: the Patrol Plane Base and Coast Guard Air Station, Elizabeth City, N.C. and the Naval Air Station, Weeksville, N.C.
In 1959, in honor of Levy's "dedication to his religion and his country," the chapel was renamed the "Commodore Levy Chapel." Jewish Chaplain Samuel Sobel was instrumental in the renaming initiative."
On December 13, 2009, special ceremonies were conducted to "rededicate" the Chapel on the occasion of its 50th anniversary. The ceremony honored the memory of Rabbi Samuel Sobel, the only Navy Jewish Chaplain who served twice at the Levy Chapel, and the chaplain who was "instrumental in the design and dedication of the chapel in 1959. Sobel was the author of "Intrepid Sailor," a 1980 biography of Uriah P. Levy. The keynote speaker was Rabbi Jonathan Panitz, who—while on active duty as a Jewish chaplain at the Naval Academy—was part of the original effort to raise funds in order to establish the Academy's Jewish chapel, also named for Levy.
Special events
Over the years, The Chapel has been the site of many special programs and events. In 1980, Jewish chaplain Arnold ResnicoffArnold Resnicoff
Arnold E. Resnicoff is an American Conservative rabbi, a decorated retired military officer and military chaplain, and a consultant on leadership, values, and interreligious affairs to military and civilian leaders...
initiated a quarterly "Commodore Levy Sabbath" program. Because many military personnel participated in civilian synagogue services and programs closer to the areas in which they lived, this new program encouraged them to attend services at the Levy Chapel every three months, to have "the opportunity to renew acquaintances, and to allow the area 'old timers' to meet new arrivals."
That same year, a "blue ribbon panel" composed of Navy Jewish chaplains met at Frazier Hall to consider the "beneficial suggestion" made to the Navy to change the Jewish chaplain uniform insignia. The insignia, the two tablets of the ten commandments, topped by a six-pointed Star of David, had included Roman numerals to represent the ten commandments—but the recommendation was to replace those numerals with the first ten letters of the Hebrew alphabet. Based on the unanimous recommendation of the panel, the change was made in 1981.
On September 12, 1982, the Chapel sponsored a "Jewish Pride in the Navy Day," that included the dedication of an 11 by 7 foot cloth-on-cloth wall hanging for the chapel, designed by local Norfolk artist Leonette Adler, and cut and sewn by Jewish officers, sailors, and their spouses. The celebration included music on the Frazier Hall lawn by members of the Navy band, and tours of local Navy ships. As described by the Navy News, "the hanging features a backdrop of silver moon and roaring waves of blue and white and words from the prophet Isaiah."