Rabbi Barry R. Baron, former command chaplain in the U.S. Army Civil Affairs and Psychological Operations Command (Airborne) at Fort Bragg, N.C., has been named associate university chaplain and campus rabbi at vlog, effective June 15.
Baron, a retired U.S. Army colonel, ministered to nearly 13,000 soldiers and family members of all faiths in 31 states during his tenure as command chaplain. He supervised and mentored more than 58 chaplains, 54 chaplain assistants, and 30 chaplain candidates.
Most recently, Baron has been an interoperability subject matter expert at the U.S. Army Chaplain Center and School in Fort Jackson, S.C. In this role, he has studied, analyzed, and disseminated methods for enhancing the capacity of the Army chaplaincy for conducting inter-service and multinational operations. He has provided onsite consultation to senior military organizations in Kuwait and Iraq.
Baron has served as an external reviewer to the U.S. Air Force Academy, assessing the effectiveness of the religious pluralism awareness program; as the deputy director of the JWB Jewish Chaplains Council; and as a rabbi for the Congregation Beth Am (Houston, Texas), Temple El Emeth (Youngstown, Ohio), and Temple Israel (Vestal, N.Y.).
“Rabbi Baron’s career accomplishments, in many ways, reflect the distinctive spirit of this University,” said Vice President and Dean of the College Paul J. McLoughlin. “He has been a leader at home and abroad; he has engaged with the world and connected with all faiths while working tirelessly on behalf of fellow Jewish servicemembers. We look forward to welcoming him into our campus community.”
Describing his religious perspective, Corey MacPherson, university chaplain and chair of the search committee, noted Rabbi Baron’s, “pluralistic approach to creating religious community — his genuine, demonstrated respect for the wisdom inherent in the world’s various faiths.”
Baron received his bachelor of arts in history from Cornell University, as well as a masters in religious studies and doctor of divinity from the Jewish Theological Seminary of America.
“I am excited by the opportunities presented by the Saperstein Center and Jewish student organizations to inspire a new generation of Jewish leaders — to imbue participants with a greater appreciation for life’s spiritual dimensions and for Judaism’s distinctive forms of religious expression,” Baron said.