Little Rock Police get First Rabbi Chaplain

Rabbi Martin Applebaum, of Synagogue Agudath Achim, has joined the Police department’s chaplain corps.

Fewer than 1,000 Jews live in Little Rock, and Applebaum knows of only one Jewish police officer in Little Rock, but police chaplaincy is a peculiar form of ministry. It’s nondenominational, and chaplains are legally and ethically discouraged from promoting their faiths. At the same time, the department wants its eight-person chaplain corps — which includes Methodist, Baptist, Church of Christ and nondenominational Christian ministers — to serve every group in the city, police officials say.

Applebaum, an Orthodox Rabbi, previously served Beth El Jacob Synagogue in Des Moines, Iowa.