We hope our children will grow up to enjoy families and meaningful, rewarding careers. The classic Jewish mother stereotype wishes her child will be a doctor, lawyer or CPA.
Some don’t succeed.
Some Jewish children grow up and go to prison.
Quite a few years ago now, a chaplain from the Federal Corrections Institute in Dublin called and asked if I could come in to spend some time with the Jewish inmates who requested a rabbi’s visit. Yes, we have a federal prison right here in Dublin, and, yes, there are Jews incarcerated therein. I get in for a visit every couple months and visit inmates both in the medium security Corrections Institute as well as the minimum security Camp. The image that gets me every time I visit the camp is the yellow line painted on the ground. That’s the boundary. No fence.
I have not yet visited the men’s facility. So far, it’s only been the women’s
facilities that have wanted a rabbi’s visit. That's where I was yesterday, and I'll probably get back for a Chanukah visit.
There’s a bit of training involved. Any volunteer going into the prison for any reason has to be trained in the rules and regulations as well as the risks.
I consider it one of those mitzvah opportunities that comes
along with the job. All the people
I’ve met there seem to deserve the support of the Jewish community. It doesn’t take a rabbi. It does take some basic training and I
would be happy to work with anyone who would like to give of him or herself in
this service.
If you want an example of how powerful our tradition can be,
come in to help out at Passover as we read the words, “This year we are slaves,
next year we will be free.”
There are many fascinating things a rabbi is called upon to
do. This is certainly one of
them. The key, of course, is to
remember that all of us are made in God’s image. Good people can be found in not so good places.
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