On Monday, June 21, 2021, Saxony’s state rabbi Zsolt Balla took office as the first military rabbi in the Bundeswehr. Several hundred soldiers of the Jewish faith now have the opportunity to seek the assistance of a rabbi. And the inauguration of Muslim military chaplains is also in preparation. The Humanist Association of Germany welcomes this development in principle, as soldiers can use a special contact person for spiritual and emotional questions and problems both during their training and on deployment.
A corresponding offer for religiously affiliated soldiers is largely available. However, non-denominational members of the Bundeswehr may also have questions and concerns that they would like to discuss with experts who are close to their ideology. Around half of the 180,000 members of the Bundeswehr do not belong to any religious denomination.
In our neighboring countries Belgium and the Netherlands, humanist military chaplains are available to soldiers. “This offer should also be implemented in Germany if possible,” demands Erwin Kress, Spokesman of the Board of the Humanist Association of Germany. “Our association is ready to train appropriate humanist chaplains. With its training fields, our association also offers good conditions for the implementation of the so-called Life Skills Instruction (LKU) in the Bundeswehr, in which all soldiers must participate.”
The HVD itself is already training teachers to teach humanistic life skills, as well as in the field of social education. The association has been campaigning for years for a humanistic counseling service for soldiers. The contact person for this topic is Ralf Schöppner, Director of the Humanist Academy Germany and Federal Representative for Humanist Pastoral Care in Institutions in the HVD since 2013.
