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Rabbi Gary Gans
Courtesy of Rabbi Gary Gans
According to
police department literature, its
chaplaincy program
is designed to “provide spiritual
support for the community
during traumatic events and
incidents when called upon 24
hours a day, 7 days a week.”
The chaplains “respond to
counsel, assist and support
JEWISHEXPONENT.COM victims and others touched
by critical incidents and
crises, including death notifi-
cations, suicide, homicides,
hostage situations, kidnapping
and other traumatic events,”
and are “specially trained
to handle crisis situations
and also provide follow-up
counseling, group debriefings
and individual intervention.”
Police chaplains don’t
wear uniforms but are issued
official-looking, black police
department shirts. While
serving as a chaplain, Gans wears
a homemade kippah that bears
the police department logo.

As a chaplain, he’s on call
24/7; in a typical week, he’s
called two or three times. As
a Sabbath-observant Jew, he’s
willing to drive on Shabbat
to a scene that may involve
someone’s mental or physical
health. His most memorable call?
He showed up at the
home of a non-Jewish family.

Someone had died there. In the
living room, two people were
sitting on a couch; a woman
who was talking to another,
older, woman seated next
to her, holding a newspaper
in her arms — the second
woman, mother of the first,
turned out to be the deceased.

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Her children, some of whom
arrived soon, didn’t want the
police to move or remove
their mother’s body immedi-
ately; they wanted the honor of
escorting her from the home.

The police agreed. They let
the children place their mother
on the gurney and wheel it to a
vehicle outside.

Gans said he stood aside
and let the children pay that
final honor to their mother.

“They were at peace.”
And the rabbi did what his
rabbinical training had taught
him to do. “I offered comfort.” l
Steve Lipman is a former reporter
with NY Jewish Week.

FEBRUARY 10, 2022
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