A bearded Chabad rabbi has won his battle to join the Army without shaving his beard.
Rabbi Menachem Stern, whose approval to serve as an Army Reserve chaplain in 2009 was rescinded because he refused to shave his beard, will be allowed to serve after settling a lawsuit against the military, Chabad news agencies reported. Stern expects to be sworn into service next week and begin chaplain training in January.
Though Army policy does allow religious waivers for beards on a case-by-case basis, the waivers previously had been granted only after the men entered the service clean-shaven.
According to the Aleph Institute, a Chabad organization that assists Jewish military personnel, there are 37 Jewish chaplains in the military, including nine rabbis on active duty. — jta