NYPD's longtime chief chaplain Rabbi Alvin Kass dies at 89
NEW YORK (WABC) -- Rabbi Alvin Kass, the NYPD's chief chaplain and a bedrock of the department's faith for nearly six decades, died overnight. He was 89 years old.
Kass was the department's oldest member and its longest serving at the time of this death.
He was a beloved figure in the department, one of the first to respond on Sept 11, 2001 and a fixture at both celebrations and funerals, "through moments of tragedy and triumph alike."
Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch called Kass the NYPD's "spiritual heart - a source of strength, guidance, and faith for generations of police officers and their families."
She remembered "his familiar blessing - a prayer that New York be 'a place where people of every race, religion, color, and creed can pursue their individual destinies untrammeled, unafraid, and in obedience to Thy will.'"
Eyewitness News covered the Rabbi several times, including in September 2020, when he fought off a mugger a fraction of his age during his daily walk on the Upper West Side.
He said it was the second time he was attacked on his morning walk, and vowed to be out the next morning.
You can read Tisch's full statement on Kass's death below:
"I am deeply saddened to share the passing of Rabbi Alvin Kass, our Chief Chaplain, and one of the longest-serving members of the New York City Police Department. Rabbi Kass joined the NYPD in 1966, at the age of 30, becoming the youngest chaplain in the Department's history. Nearly six decades later, he remained its spiritual heart - a source of strength, guidance, and faith for generations of police officers and their families. A U.S. Air Force veteran and Columbia graduate, Rabbi Kass devoted his life to service, to this city, and to the women and men of the NYPD. He comforted the grieving, counseled the troubled, and reminded all of us of the deeper purpose in what we do. He was among the first to respond after 9/11, consoling the families of the 23 officers we lost that day. And for more than half a century, he stood beside our members through moments of tragedy and triumph alike. At every Police Academy graduation, Rabbi Kass offered his familiar blessing - a prayer that New York be "a place where people of every race, religion, color, and creed can pursue their individual destinies untrammeled, unafraid, and in obedience to Thy will." Today, that prayer belongs to all of us. And as we carry his words forward, we know he will still be watching over the city and the Department he loved. His loss is immeasurable. His example is everlasting. May his memory be a blessing."
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