By Julia Olson
Assistant Editor
Rabbi Julie Schwartz of Cincinnati, Ohio, was featured on PBS’s series “After Action.” The series, as described on the PBS website, “seeks to demystify the military experience, provide a platform for dialogue among family members and preserve military stories.” Schwartz spoke of her experience as the first woman rabbi to become a chaplain in the U.S. military. Her appointment to the position came just fourteen years after Rabbi Sally Priesand, the first U.S. woman rabbi, was ordained in Cincinnati in 1972.
Rabbi Julie Schwartz is an HUC alum. She served as a chaplain at the U.S. Naval Hospital in Oakland, CA. Her story is featured in season two of the “After Action” series in an episode that explores military chaplaincy in the United States. According to WVXU, Cincinnati’s Public Radio Station, Rabbi Schwartz’s episode of “After Action” will air Friday, May 10 at 10:00 p.m on Channel 14. Rabbi Schwartz was awarded the Naval Commendation award after her three years of service in the US. military. Schwartz has had a major impact on the HUC community since the beginning of her career as a rabbi. In 1990, Schwartz began the first ever CPE program associated with a rabbinical school. After the HUC board voted to close the rabbinical school in Cincinnati, Schwartz began offering her highly acclaimed CPE program via the Jewish Hospital in Cincinnati.
In the upcoming “After Action” episode, Schwartz will recount her work as a naval chaplain, including the difficulties associated with being the first woman appointed to the position.
