Jewish Chaplains to Continue on Jobs; Rabbi Says Reagan Was Unaware of Dismissals

A Sacramento rabbi has given Gov. Ronald Reagan a clean bill of health in the recent episode involving the elimination of three Jewish chaplains from the State Department of Mental Hygiene’s 1971-72 budget. Rabbi Amiel Wohl of Congregation B’nai Israel who is the Jewish representative on the State Advisory Committee on Institutional Religion, told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency today that the chaplains have been reinstated. He said that the attempt to eliminate the chaplains was one of “incredible bureaucratic stupidity” but involved no sinister or anti-Semitic intent on the part of the Governor or any other State official. The three rabbis effected are the only chaplains serving Jewish patients in California’s vast network of montal institutions on a full time basis. Their jobs were eliminated by the State Department of Mental Hygiene in the interests of a balanced budget. Rabbi Wohl said the Reagan Administration has eliminated thousands of State jobs and services for economy but the Governor doubtlessly was personally unaware of the dismissals of the Jewish chaplains until a furore broke out all over the State. “In the process, the Governor was vilified,” undeservedly, he added. Hints of anti-Semitic bias behind the elimination of the Jewish chaplaincy posts, which was supposed to become effective July 1, were given credence by the fact that the posts occupied by some 30 Protestant and Catholic full time chaplains remained untouched.

Rabbi Wohl explained that the Jewish chaplains were the most vulnerable on a cost-ratio basis because of the relatively small number of Jews in State mental institutions. The Department of Mental Hygiene thought it could eliminate the full time jobs and engage local rabbis to minister to the mental patients on a part time basis. It was clearly a case of “penny-wise and pound-foolish” according to Rabbi Wohl. The salaries plus traveling expenses of the three Jewish chaplains amount to about $54,000 a year out of a billion dollar State budget. Rabbi Wohl said he testified before the Ways and Means Committee of the State Assembly where he and others pointed out the deficiencies of the Department of Mental Hygiene’s alternate plan. “My involvement in this particular chaplaincy issue through its various inter-departmental echelons and political machinations led me to believe that there was no anti-Jewish or anti-Semitic angle to this,” Rabbi Wohl said. He noted that Lt. Gov. Ed Reinecke was “very sympathetic” and “helpful” in getting the Department of Mental Hygiene to reverse itself. Reinstatement of the three Jewish chaplaincy posts was announced by the Governor’s Human Resources Secretary, James Hall. The rabbis, Eugene Gruenberger, Sholom Stern and Harry Levinberg will continue their chaplaincy duties as before, Rabbi Wohl said.