By Thomas Tracy
New York Daily News
NEW YORK — Rabbi Alvin Kass, considered the spiritual heart of the NYPD for more than 60 years, has died, Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch announced Wednesday. He was 89.
“This morning we lost an NYPD legend,” Tisch said at a press conference in Central Park. “Our chief chaplain, Rabbi Alvin Kass, who served the city of New York and the NYPD for six decades. During his career, Rabbi Kass comforted the grieving, counseled the troubled and reminded all of us of the deeper purpose of why we do what we do.”
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Details of Kass’ death were not immediately disclosed.
Kass joined the NYPD in 1966 at age 30, becoming the youngest chaplain in the department’s history.
Tisch said that Kass was the “spiritual heart” of the department.
“[He was] a source of strength, guidance and faith for generations of police officers and their families,” she said on X. “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.”
In 2016, when Kass was promoted to a three-star chief — an unprecedented rank among chaplains — the Daily News called him the “soul of the NYPD.”
“Marvel at the collective fortitude and bravery of the NYPD — and then thank a moral force behind the force, slight as ever in his brass-buttoned uniform,” The News wrote at the time.
Kass told The News that he joined the NYPD on a lark of sorts. He was intrigued by then-Mayor John Lindsay and the rabbinical league’s call for chaplains, so he applied.
On the day of his interview, he brought his handball gear in a gym bag for a game he planned to have afterward, showing an easygoing demeanor that “got him hired virtually on the spot,” we wrote.
“I’ve learned to love the police,” he told The News. “They’ve become the essence of who I am and central to my being.”
Besides offering prayers and a shoulder to cry on, Kass was sometimes called in to do police work. In 2016, he fondly remembered the time he traded two pastrami sandwiches from the Carnegie Deli for a hostage taker’s guns.
He also made headlines in 2020 when he was mugged while taking his morning stroll on the Upper West Side.
The mugger, Rafael Diaz, roughed up Kass as he demanded his money, but the spiritual leader said he didn’t have any. Diaz took Kass’ wallet, realized it was empty, but panicked when he saw Kass’ police badge, authorities said at the time.
He handed Kass his wallet back and ran off, only to be arrested while buying drugs a short time later.
The Police Benevolent Association called Kass “a true pillar of the NYPD.”
“Every time we bowed our heads for one of his prayers, we appreciated his deep faith, his old-school wit and his unshakable devotion to the men and women who protect NYC,” the union posted on X. “He was a champion of all that is good and noble about our profession.”
Mayor Adams echoed the union’s sentiment, calling Kass “a pillar of strength and comfort.”
“He consoled us through the monumental tragedies and personal hardships,” the mayor said. “Whenever you needed solace or help, he was there for you. Thank you for everything, Rabbi.”
An Air Force veteran, Columbia University graduate and recipient of a doctorate of divinity degree from the Jewish Theological Seminary , Kass also earned a Ph.D. from New York University . He served as senior rabbi of the East Midwood Jewish Center in Brooklyn for 36 years and later became rabbi emeritus.
He was also the NYPD’s adviser on Jewish affairs and the spiritual director of the Shomrim Society, officials said. In April, he was awarded NYU’s Eugene J. Keogh Award for Distinguished Public Service, recognizing a lifetime of devotion to faith, civic duty and public safety.
Kass, a die-hard Yankees fan, was a staple at NYPD graduations, celebrations, faith-based events and funerals. Frequently asked to give the opening blessing, he would often pray for “a place where people of every race, religion, color and creed can pursue their individual destinies untrammeled, unafraid and in obedience to Thy will,” Tisch recalled.
“His loss is immeasurable,” she said. “His example is everlasting.”
Kass is survived by his three children and three grandchildren. His wife, Miryom Kass, died in 2017.
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