By: Kyle Rempfer | Military Times |Army Times
Date: April 27, 2018

Chaplains in the 101st Airborne Division have fired the longstanding Jewish lay leaders at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, allegedly without providing any reason, effectively ending Friday night Shabbat services for Jewish soldiers and their families.

The two ranking chaplains also refused to support the Jews' attempts to celebrate Passover on March 30, the first night of the eight-day long religious celebration, allegedly because it conflicted with Christians' Good Friday observances and would save money during the installation's four-day holiday.

Jeanette Mize, her husband, Curt, and son, Lawrence, served as lay leaders for Jewish worship on the installation for nearly two decades. On Feb. 28, the three were allegedly fired without cause under the direction of the division chaplain, Col. John Murphy, and his deputy chaplain, Lt. Col. Sean Wead.

"There was no explanation why I was fired," Jeanette Mize told Army Times.

[...]

"This is the first time in at least 34 years that the Jewish soldiers and their families have been denied weekly Shabbat worship at Fort Campbell," she said.

[...]

Mize added that one chaplain in particular, whom she characterized as a fundamentalist Christian, bullied and threatened to take over the religious decisions for Jewish worship after he was assigned to be the Jewish lay leaders' chaplain sponsor in the summer of 2017.

[...]

By: Holly Meyer | Tennessean
Date: April 27, 2018

A Clarksville woman who has provided holy day and weekly Jewish services at Fort Campbell for years says 101st Airborne Division chaplains terminated her from that volunteer role without explanation. 

Jeanette Mize, the Jewish lay leader at the post, said her dismissal in March has effectively stopped the longstanding Friday evening Shabbat services at Fort Campbell. She thinks it is indicative of a larger problem among the division's top chaplains, and she reached out to the Military Religious Freedom Foundation for help. 

"I really feel like there is religious persecution for the Jewish soldiers and their families at Fort Campbell," Mize said. 

As a result, an investigation is underway, (Very Senior Army Official), director of public affairs at Fort Campbell, said in a statement. He would not comment on why Mize was dismissed as a volunteer. 

[...]

In recent days, Mize and Mikey Weinstein, the president of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation, have been in contact with Fort Campbell leadership over the termination, the top chaplains and concerns for Jewish soldiers and their families. 

Weinstein, who founded the civil rights organization dedicated to ensuring religious freedom for those in the military, considers the investigation a start. 

"We commend the Army for moving very swiftly," Weinstein said. "We are very hopeful and we urge the Army to extensively investigate this and to punish those people very aggressively and very visibly." 

From: (Very Senior Army Official)
Subject: Re: [Non-DoD Source] Fwd: Fort Campbell (UNCLASSIFIED)
Date: April 25, 2018
To: Mikey Weinstein

CLASSIFICATION: UNCLASSIFIED

Mr. Weinstein,

(Very Senior Army Official) contacted me about an issue you raised with him.  I am currently deployed to Afghanistan but can give you a call.  Are you available to talk?

Regards,
(Very Senior Army Official)

-----

From: Mikey Weinstein
Subject: Re: Fort Campbell (UNCLASSIFIED)
Date: April 25, 2018
To: (Very Senior Army Official)

 
(Very Senior Army Official), thank you  for the phone call we had just a few minutes ago, sir. I especially appreciate it because I know you and much of the division is currently deployed down range. Thank you for supporting and defending the Constitution of the United States and the national interests of our wonderful country. In that call we two just had, Colonel, I related the wretchedly horrible situation that our clients, the former Jewish lay leaders at Fort Campbell, have been put through by the 101st Airborne Division Chaplain and his staff. I understand that, heretofore, you had not been aware of the serious matters of Jewish religious persecution perpetrated by your Division Chaplain, Colonel John Murphy, and his staff. To treat ANYone this way, let alone the long-time serving and very honorable Jewish lay leaders at Fort Campbell, is an absolute travesty and a mean-spirited act of base, evil and vile arrogance, religious superiority/dominance/exclusivism and just downright inhumanity.  Again, given the fact that this outrage has been directed against the Jewish lay leaders at Fort Campbell, it is also a classic example of Anti-Semitism in complete violation of the United States Constitution’s No Establishment Clause in the First Amendment-as construed by Federal & State case law-as well as the No Religious Test prohibition of Clause 3 Article 6 of the Constitution as well as many many many Department of Defense and US Army directives instructions & regulations. I want to thank you for confirming that you will call one of our clients, Ms. Jeanette Mize, and talk to her personally about this sordid matter. We have so informed our client and she is standing by for your kindly promised call., sir. The Military Religious Freedom Foundation specifically requests that you open an immediate and official investigation into the actions of the Division Chaplain and his staff in terminating our clients from their Jewish lay leadership positions and, further, destroying totally what had been a 34 year tremendous program supporting Jewish soldiers and their families at Fort Campbell. We understand that other minority faith groups and even non-evangelical Christians have faced similar actions of unwarranted strife tyrannically imposed by your Division Chaplain and his staff.  On behalf of its clients at Fort Campbell, the Military Religious Freedom Foundation thanks you for expeditiously engaging directly with our MRFF clients to hear their grievances and to conduct a thorough investigation of all these matters and, ultimately, provide punishment for those who,  in the discretion of your command chain, deserve to be so disciplined. Please keep me closely apprised of your progress to the extent you are able to do so, (Very Senior Army Official). Thank you again for reaching out to our clients and investigating the humiliating and denigrating hardships that have been so unjustly imposed upon them by your Division Chaplain.... Michael L “Mikey” Weinstein, Esquire... Founder and President, Military Religious Freedom Foundation...

-----

From: Mikey Weinstein
Sent: Friday, April 27, 2018
To: (Very Senior Army Official)
Subject: [Non-DoD Source] Fwd: Fort Campbell (UNCLASSIFIED)

.........(Very Senior Army Official), is there any sort of status update you can kindly provide us yet for our MRFF clients at Fort Campbell?....if so, please do so soonest....with gratitude, Mikey Weinstein/MRFF .....standing by......

------

From: (Very Senior Army Official)
Subject: Re: [Non-DoD Source] Fwd: Fort Campbell (UNCLASSIFIED)
Date: April 26, 2018
To: Mikey Weinstein

CLASSIFICATION: UNCLASSIFIED
 
Mikey – I turned it over to the team at Fort Campbell.  My understanding is that they are transitioning from a commander’s inquiry to a 15-6 Investigation.
 
I have passed along your contact information to the team there.
 
Thanks for the note,
(Very Senior Army Official)

----

From: Mikey Weinstein
Subject: Re: [Non-DoD Source] Fwd: Fort Campbell (UNCLASSIFIED)
Date: April 27, 2018
To: (Very Senior Army Official)
 
copy and roger that, (Very Senior Army Official)....thank you.....who should our POC be now there at Fort Campbell plz?......best, Mikey

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From: Mikey Weinstein
Sent: Friday, April 27, 2018
To: (Very Senior Army Official)
Subject: Re: [Non-DoD Source] Fort Campbell (UNCLASSIFIED)
 
..FYI, (withheld)....thank you, again...Mikey

----

From: (Very Senior Army Official)
Subject: RE: [Non-DoD Source] Fort Campbell (UNCLASSIFIED)
Date: April 27, 2018
To: Mikey Weinstein
Mikey, Wow.  15-6 is serious.  Great to see that.  After I read Mrs. Mize’s letter, you could not help but ask what in the world is going on?  Why would anyone want to disrupt the services they have so graciously provided over so many years?  But glad this is moving forward.  And glad to help. 

----

From: (Very Senior Army Official)
Subject: Re: [Non-DoD Source] Fort Campbell (UNCLASSIFIED)
Date: April 27, 2018
To: Mikey Weinstein

Mr. Weinstein,

We have received two media inquiries regarding allegations of "Jewish religious persecution at Fort Campbell. The reporters making the inquires indicate you are a point of contact for them on this subject. As such, I want to inform you of the response provided to both. This is what they were told:

"We are investigating allegations surrounding changes in religious support to the Fort Campbell Jewish community. Fort Campbell is committed to maintaining and improving the exceptional support we strive to offer all of our chapel communities. We make every effort to ensure all Soldiers, Family members and civilians have the opportunity to exercise their religious rights. Further comment as this is examined is not appropriate."

One of the reporters followed up with additional questions, and this is the response provided:

"Due to the allegations being looked into, further comment at this time is inappropriate."

Again, we simply want you to know this matter is not taken lightly and is being investigated.

Thank you.

(Very Senior Army Official)

----

From: Mikey Weinstein
Subject: Re: [Non-DoD Source] Fort Campbell (UNCLASSIFIED)
Date: April 27, 2018
To: (Very Senior Army Official)

OK, [withheld]... We appreciate the fact that you are taking this very
seriously on behalf of our clients... This matter is one of the worst
ones we’ve ever seen in our many many years of fighting for religious
freedom in the US military... If you would kindly keep me very much in
the loop that would be also deeply appreciated ... If you need to
contact me my phone number available at all times for
voice communications... If you need to text me you can text me at (withheld)
... Thank you... We are standing by to see what will happen
here as we demand justice for our persecuted clients...

By: Benny Huang
Date: April 27, 2018

Army chaplain Major Scott Squires brought the wrath of homosexuals and anti-theists upon himself when he recently opted himself out of a marriage retreat he was supposed to lead because a lesbian couple signed up. Squires, an ordained Southern Baptist minister stationed at Fort Bragg, believed that he was doing right by his faith and Army regulations when he rescheduled the event and asked another chaplain to lead it.

But the Army still slammed him for discrimination.

[...]

Mikey Weinstein of the militantly anti-religious "Military Religious Freedom Foundation" summed up the attitude pretty well when he commented on the Squires affair: "If you're going to view same-sex couples as a sin against god, you can either hold your tongue, change your attitude, or get out of the military."

[...]

Make no mistake--Weinstein's point-of-view is gaining momentum. Chaplains will very soon be forced to conduct same-sex nuptials or be kicked out. This was blatantly obvious eight years ago when the Defense Department was carefully "studying" the effects of DADT repeal and yet these concerns were pooh-poohed.

[...]

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