A Most Unusual Relationship: A Baptist Minister and a Reform Rabbi

By Alan Sherman and Herbert Sennett

A Most Unusual Relationship traces the lives of two men from totally different backgrounds who were able to set aside their differences to serve effectively as chaplains in the US Army Reserves. That professional relationship turned into a serious friendship that lasted for nearly forty years. Alan Sherman, a Reform Rabbi with a strong “liberal” political viewpoint, received his commission in the Army after graduating Rabbinical School. Herb Sennett, born and raised in a strong Evangelical Protestant household with strong Republican political views received his commission after graduating The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He had previously served as an infantry officer who resigned his commission upon completion of his six-year obligation under the draft.

With that background, these two men met in 1985 when they both met as part of the same Army Reserve unity in West Palm Beach, Florida. Although both were a bit hesitant, they resolved to work together for the sake of the troops. When they received orders to active duty for Desert Shield/Storm in September 1990, they found themselves a room mates at Ft. Stewart, Georgia. During those first several months on active duty, Alan and Herb found that they both had a great deal in common besides their religious faith. The friendship began to blossom and was almost fully developed by May 1991 when they were both released from active duty.

Their friendship continued to grow after they returned to West Palm Beach. What they went through together during that brief period sparked a friendship that has continued to not grow but to blossom. Decisions they made separately often pushed them together in an even deeper friendship on many levels. Their story is truly a must read about what can happen when people set aside their differences to serve a greater good for society.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Oct 24, 2023
• ISBN: 9798385007202

Alan Sherman

Herb Sennett (a Southern Baptist Minister) and Alan Sherman (a Reform Rabbi) are both retired Army Reserve Chaplains who served together in the same unit in South are both retired Army Reserve Chaplains who served together in the same unit in South Florida and on active duty during Operation Desert Shield/Storm. Alan worked full time as Chaplain and Director of Community Relations for the Palm Beach County time as Chaplain and Director of Community Relations for the Palm Beach County Jewish Federation and Head of Chaplaincy at MorseLife Health System. Herb taught at Palm Beach Atlantic University and Palm Beach State College. He is also active in the American Legion and The Military Officers Association of America. They are both fully retired and living in Palm Beach County, Florida.

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Copyright © 2023 Herbert Sennett and Alan Sherman.

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ISBN: 979-8-3850-0719-6 (sc)

ISBN: 979-8-3850-0720-2 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2023917391

WestBow Press rev. date: 10/24/2023

A Note To The Reader

Alan Robert Sherman, an ordained Reform Rabbi, is retired as Chaplain and Director of Community Relations for the Jewish Federation of Palm Beach County, Florida, after thirty-two years of service. He is also the retired Director of Chaplaincy Services at MorseLife Health System of the Palm Beaches from its inception in 1983. Alan is a retired Chaplain (Lt. Colonel) in the U.S. Army Reserves. He graduated from the US Army Command and General Staff College, Ft. Leavenworth, KS. He also studied at the National Defense University in Washington, DC, and Tel Aviv University in Ramat Aviv, Israel. In 1999, the Hebrew Union College awarded him an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree citing him as a distinguished rabbi.

H. Herbert Sennett, Jr., an ordained Southern Baptist Minister, is retired after a thirty-five-year teaching career as a communication arts professor. He is also an award-winning filmmaker and amateur photographer and the author of five books. He holds a Ph.D. from Louisiana State University and a D.Min. from Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. Like Alan, Herb is a retired Chaplain (Lt. Colonel) in the US Army.

Contents

A Note To The Reader

Introductions

Alan Sherman’s Introduction

Herb Sennett’s Introduction

Alan Sherman’s Beginnings

The Yeshiva Years

Changing Focus

A College Education

A Vision Emerges

Finding The Right One

A New Yorker’s Dream

Herb Sennett’s Background

An Army Rabbi

A False Accusation

A Call To Arms

No Time To Acclimate

A Pioneering Rabbi

A Voice For Interfaith Cooperation

A Media Personality

A Fortifier Of The Faith

A Defender Of His Faith

A Terrible Desecration

A Pioneer In Human Relations

A Man Of Letters

Dealing With Domestic Life

Dealing With Personal Demons

A Political Person

Enjoying Retirement

In Conclusion

Appendix A

Alan Sherman: Letter to the Army in Rebuttal to Charges

Appendix B

Resolution on Evangelism of Jewish People

First Resolution on Anti-Semitism

Second Resolution on Anti-Semitism

Resolution In Celebration of Israel’s 6⁰th Anniversary

Appendix C

Awards & Recognitions Bestowed on Alan Sherman*

Appendix D

Military Awards & Recognitions

Endnotes

Introductions

Alan Sherman’s Introduction

It seems unlikely that a rabbi would ask a Southern Baptist minister to collaborate on a biography that would integrate our personal and professional relationships. I know of a few examples of this, and I hope it will inspire others to develop interfaith relationships more deeply.

Most ministerial relationships are more formal, occurring within a dialogue or an event. Rarely do they progress to the point where trust develops, both are comfortable, and where vulnerabilities are shared. In these pages, you will find that to be true. If you knew Herb Sennett as I do, you would find someone trustworthy and a professional in ministry, education, and authorship.

Having authored many articles over my career, I considered writing an autobiography. Yet, I wanted a more objective point of view from someone who could articulate my life and our relationship more critically—having known Herb for many years, primarily serving with him in the Army Reserves and more closely in Operation Desert Shield/Storm.

I came to know him both as a friend and confidant with whom I could share most anything without judgment. Having given more thought to this project, I could think of no one more qualified and trustworthy than Herb. As with us, it is more likely that people form interfaith friendships through mutual dependence during wartime, serving alongside each other, which brings down barriers.

You will discover details of our lives and careers and instances of our agreements and disagreements. Conflict is absent from this book because we understand that we approach our belief in God differently. We agreed on an allowance that we would be respectful of that without losing our theological integrity.

Consequently, it would be easy to let our defenses down. This is indeed rare. I can only recall one other instance in my life where this developed. A Methodist minister who shared a love of baseball attended a game on a Friday afternoon when I received an emergency call from a rabbinical colleague who came down with the flu. He could not officiate at a Bar Mitzvah that would take place that evening.

Having agreed to substitute for him, I had a panic attack which was evident to my Methodist colleague. After calming me down, she suggested we jointly write a sermon on the scorecard. It is this type of relationship that Herb and I developed over the years.

Much of the information in this book is from my memory, which sometimes may not be accurate. Accordingly, Herb is not to be held responsible for its contents. However, Herb’s research into this project, particularly his documentation, speaks of his proficiency and accuracy. Most of the documentation of this book can be found by research in both public and university libraries. It is also located in the American Jewish Archives in Cincinnati, Ohio, and the Palm Beach County Historical Society.

Finally, I would like to thank my current wife, Marilyn Sherman, RN, and my former wife, Dr. Wallis Sherman, who guided me in reviewing and editing this book. Their assistance and support are much appreciated.

I dedicate this book to all who came into my life to make it worth living.

Alan R. Sherman, November 2022

Herb Sennett’s Introduction

In August 1985, the president of Palm Beach Atlantic University invited me to join the faculty. Soon after arriving in West Palm Beach, I met a young rabbi who was both the Jewish Federation of Northern Palm Beach County community relations director and chaplain for the local reserve’s unit 3220th U.S. Army Garrison.

For reasons I still do not fully understand, he and I became good friends, a friendship that has lasted to this day. I hope this memoir will inspire other people with differing views on politics and religion to get together and become friends who trust each other with profound respect for each other’s views.

Please understand that I drafted this book in the first person (from my perspective). I am telling our story with much help from my friend and colleague Alan Sherman. The events described in this book result from my research and memories. However, much of the information was provided to me by Alan.

This book’s intent is not to accurately depict historical events (most biographies and histories rarely are). My intention for this book is to be a simple recollection of how two unlikely candidates for friendship became friends who worked well and effectively together. This book is a biographical memoir by Alan and me about our relationship.

Being human, we anticipate that some readers who knew or know us might disagree or remember events differently. For that, we must apologize. We are all human; Alan and I do not have a cadre of researchers available to check every little detail. Therefore, we offer our sincere regrets for any disagreements and mistakes. Please remember that this is a memoir and not a book of history. We ask for your indulgence by accepting our humanity just as we two have accepted our right to disagree.

The first question that may have arisen in your mind is probably: Why did a Baptist minister write a story about his relationship with a Jewish Rabbi? The answer to that question is simple: It was Alan’s idea to write it, and it is more his book than mine. Shocked? After reading this treatise, you will understand that I could not refuse his request.

Alan describes himself as a Traditional liberal Rabbi. He is not, nor has he ever claimed to be Orthodox. I deeply appreciate our commitment to each of our faith groups. As a Baptist minister, I would describe Alan as Saul of Tarsus (the Christian Apostle Paul) once did about himself: Alan Sherman is a Jew of Jews. He is committed to a religion whose origins go far deeper than most other religious groups on Earth. My Christian tradition was born out of the faith he was born into and holds dear. That is the context in which we knew each other best.

I had only recently become a U.S. Army officer and chaplain in the Army National Guard. So, when I arrived in West Palm Beach, I reported to the National Guard Armory on Gun Club Road. I already knew that no vacancy existed at that time in the Florida Guard for a chaplain, but my duty was to report my arrival. The National Guard officer I reported to directed me to a different part of the same building. There I found the office of an Army Reserve unit: the 3220th U.S. Army Garrison.

The commander of that unit was Col. Kenneth Kavanaugh, who welcomed me with a great smile. With my arrival, he had a full complement of three chaplains for his command. He directed me to report on a certain date to a subordinate unit, the 7th Battalion, 9th Artillery in Ft. Lauderdale. Then he arranged for me to meet with the Brigade chaplain at the 3220th, Colonel Gary Cohen, a Christian convert from Judaism. He, in turn, introduced me to his colleague, Captain Alan Sherman. Neither of us realized, I am sure, the impact that meeting would have on us. That day began a professional acquaintance and a friendship that continues to this day.

We are now both retired from the army and our civilian employment. When Alan asked me to work on his biography, I not only agreed but joyfully and happily agreed. As my work progressed, I had him read a rough draft. He returned the draft with his thoughts that the story should not be about him alone but rather should explain how our relationship developed and grew. He believed that our relationship was unusual and needed to be shared with the world.

In this book, you will read about our lives and careers. Please remember you are not reading some academic explanation of how and why this man, and I, did what we did. This book is a recollection of two friends and colleagues who highly respect and have learned to appreciate each other. It traces an unlikely relationship that we both believe the world needs to know.

The wonderful thing about Alan has always been his openness to hear and consider new and differing ideas, even when he disagreed with them. Over the years, he would approach me with questions concerning how and why Christians (particularly Baptists) did and believed certain things. He knew I would always explain answers from academic, personal, and theological perspectives.

I found that I could ask him about how and why Jews did or believed certain ways. He would answer those queries with respect and humility, drawing me closer to him. We never competed. We worked to support the troops under our care and for the good of all in our larger communities.

Mostly Scotch/Irish by birth, I am an Evangelical protestant Christian raised by a father who was an Evangelical minister and an even more Evangelical minister grandfather. I am not embarrassed, nor have I ever apologized for my racial or religious heritage. And I have never expected anyone else to do so. Every student in my college classes and every soldier in my units always received the highest respect and consideration I could give. So did Alan. We both personally viewed the depth of love and compassion we each had for those around us.

We believe a relationship such as ours is both rare and unusual. No one has made the impact that Alan had during his lifetime and service to the Jewish (and larger) community of Palm Beach County, Florida. I believe Alan has also had an enduring and positive impact on my life and career.

Thus, we authored this book because we both believed we needed to share our stories. We authored this book as friends so the world could see how people with different personal, religious, and political beliefs can coexist peacefully. Thus, I hope to illustrate how two different people with vastly different ideas and viewpoints can become friends and work together for the good of others.

Finally, I want to thank my wife of more than fifty years, Beverly Sennett, who aided me in many ways in getting this book together and completed. She is not only the love of my life but my partner and best friend.

Like Alan, I wish to dedicate this book to the wonderful people who have been a part of my life as I sought to live life to its fullest. They have all contributed to who I am today. For that I am eternally grateful.

Herb Sennett, November 2022

Alan Sherman’s Beginnings

O N APRIL 15, 1948, a baby’s first sounds rang through the halls of a hospital in Queens, New York. No newspapers nor broadcast media gave any notice of this event. Only a few people knew about it and celebrated. Other than the mother, father, and a few family members, no one cared much about this b irth.

The earth did not shutter. No one saw a great comet flying across the sky. The 7.6 million residents (about twice the population of Oklahoma) of New York City at that time went about their normal routines unaware. That birth, however, would eventually impact Palm Beach County, Florida’s entire community (not just the