Friends of Rabbi Moshe Wolf
Chicago Police Department Chaplain Rabbi Moshe Wolf ... has been much more than simply a "friend" to many of us. The Rabbi has visited us and our loved ones in the hospital. He has attended funerals for our families. He consoles us at crime scenes. He shares his wisdom with us at roll calls. It never matters to the Rabbi what our religious or personal beliefs are. He is always there for us.
In April of 2009, Rabbi Wolf's mother passed away in Israel. According to the Jewish tradition, Mrs. Wolf was buried within hours of her death. Although several of the Rabbi's family members were in Israel at the time and were present at the funeral, Rabbi Wolf himself was unable to attend because of the immediacy of the funeral and burial. In April of this year, the Rabbi and his wife will travel to Israel to attend a headstone ceremony for his mother. This ceremony is traditionally held approximately one year after the death of a loved one.
We are all aware that Rabbi Wolf not only has an extremely large heart, but is a large man in size. A flight to Israel takes approximately twelve hours from the United States. For a man the Rabbi's size, coach seating is barely tolerable for a flight this long.
Recently, Detective Jude Martinez of Unit 630 made a wonderful suggestion and we're running with it. Why not send the Rabbi and Mrs. Wolf to Israel first-class? Most of us cannot afford to fly first-class and frankly, neither can the Rabbi. He does not get paid for the work he does for members of the Department. The Rabbi is the father of eight children, all of who have or are attending Jewish parochial schools. Like us, the Rabbi has a mortgage and many, many bills to pay. When he was once asked how he did it, the Rabbi simply smiled and related that "God will provide." We think we should help provide as well. The Rabbi would never approve or condone a traditional "fundraiser" for himself, so we're reaching out to you, Department members, to help us send the Rabbi to Israel in the most comfortable manner available. We're not certain exactly when he's going, how much a round-trip ticket would cost or even what airlines he would fly. At this point, we would simply like to start raising the funds necessary to do this. Any money left over would be given to the Rabbi for his children's educational needs.
We have established an account at the Chicago Patrolmen's Federal Credit Union for monies to be deposited in. We are also establishing Area / Unit representatives who you can make your donation to. Whatever you feel you can afford will be appreciated. Checks may be made payable to Friends of Rabbi Moshe Wolf and may be forwarded to Sergeant David Welbel, Unit 213.
Thank you in advance for your participation in this effort. While we know that this effort will eventually reach the Rabbi's ears and we know he will protest, it is our honor and true pleasure to be able to support a man who has spent his adult life ... supporting us.