“Bullseye,” General Tells Rabbi

By Aryeh Levin, COLlive reporter

Best-selling author Rabbi Simon Jacobson delivered the keynote address at the annual National Prayer Luncheon of the Scott Air Force Base in Illinois, on March 4.

In attendance were some 500 military personnel, including high-ranking officer Lieutenant General Vern “Rusty” Findley, vice commander of Air Mobility Command, responsible for the US Air Force’s global mobility all around the world.

Also present was Colonel Gary Goldstone, Commander of the Scott Air Force Base, where more than 17,000 active-duty, Guard, Reserve, Department of Defense civilians, and contract personnel are assigned.

Asked by COLlive.com how the invitation came about, Jacobson said: “Chaplain Andrew Cohen heard me speak in San Antonio several years ago, and was impressed, which led to him inviting me to speak at this event.”

Jacobson, a resident of Crown Heights, is the author of Toward a Meaningful Life (based on the Lubavitcher Rebbe’s teachings) and publisher of the Yiddish-English weekly Algemeiner Journal.

At the luncheon, he spoke about “The Power of Prayer in these Turbulent Times,” highlighting “the vital importance of connecting, emoting and bonding with G-d through prayer.”

Prayer, he said, is a force that counters “our mortal fears, loneliness and other challenges every service person faces from time to time.”

He went on to hail “the selfless service of the military in defending our freedoms and protecting others.”

Rabbi Jacobson received a standing ovation at the end of his remarks and was warmly thanked by the military personnel present.

“Bullseye!” General Findley told him.

“You addressed vital issues that I and all of us here had to hear,” he said.

“Your points – especially about the mission we are on to preserve the rights and freedoms not just of Americans but of all people – will particularly help me in some of my major decisions and strategies.”