Louis Werfel

Rabbi Werfel's memorial plaque.
Louis (Eliezar) Werfel's memorial plaque at Knesseth Israel Congregation, Birmingham, AL.

Chaplain Louis (Eliezer) Werfel (1916–1943) was a Jewish chaplain who was one of only six Jewish Chaplains and the only Orthodox Rabbi killed in action during World War II. Werfel's fellow soldiers gave him the nickname "The Flying Rabbi" because he traveled to remote locations throughout North Africa by plane.

Werfel attended Yeshiva University, graduating from its Yeshiva College for Men in 1937, and earning rabbinic ordination from its Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary in 1940. After enlisting in the Army in August 1942, he trained at the Chaplain’s Center at Harvard.[1]

References

  1. ^ "The Flying Rabbi – Louis Werfel The only Orthodox rabbi to be killed in action in World War II". Accidental Talmudist. 10 January 2019. Retrieved 15 November 2021.
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