In a quiet ceremony in Brooklyn, Rabbi Mordechi Z. Hecht took the oath of office and was sworn in as a United States Air Force Reserves chaplain. For the past 18 years, Hecht has served as the Rabbi at Anshe Sholom Chabad JCC in Kew Gardens, Queens.

The longest-serving Jewish chaplain in the US military, Colonel Jacob Z. Goldstein, administered Hecht’s oath and said he was repaying a kindness. Many years ago, Hecht’s grandfather had been instrumental in securing permission for Goldstein to wear a beard in the military.