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IN WAR AND PEACE
Permanent Achievements Towards
Enrichment of Our Communal Life
By Bernard Postal
T iik Jewish Welfare Hoard was
organized twenty years ago,
on April !), 1!) 17. three days
after the l nited States deelared
war. This represented the first
united effort on the part of Ameri
can Jewry ta function in behalf of
the Jewish men in the army and*
navy. It was a crystallization of
the 1 inspiration and enthusiasm of
the men and women of American
Jewry who desired to serve in
Americas cause by strengthening
the morale of the Jewish men in
the services. A meeting of repre
sentatives of prominent Jewish na
tional organizations resulted in the
permanent organization of what
was then known as the Jewish
Hoard for Welfare Work, under the
leadership of Colonel Harry Cutler.
It was tin* purpose of the Hoard
to provide for the Jewish soldier
and sailor everywhere, aiding, cheer
ing, and inspiring and serving him
loyally and helpfully, and through
him. his country and the ideals for
which it stands. It was also de
termined, as a guiding principle, to
extend the service of the Jewish
Welfare Hoard to soldiers and
sailors without sectarian restric
tion, but at the same time to make
provision especially for the needs
of tin* soldiers and sailors of the
Jewish faith, whose particular re
quirements could be fulfilled only
by an understanding Jewish or
ganized ion.
It is impossible to detail the in
numerable ways in which these pur
poses were carried out and the
wide scope of the many services
rendered by the Hoard. To adjust
the soldiers and sailors of Jewish
faith to their new surroundings;
to maintain and encourage their
religious convictions; to offer them
the intimate human service of hos
pital visitation; to investigate real
or fancied injustice; to aid in
matters arising out of abrupt termi
nation of business or employment;
to advise in regard to insurance
and pay allotments; to help them
in writing and transmission of
letters, in questions of ethics or
conscience, military matters, family
difficulties, loneliness or dejection;
to give them material comforts; to
provide them with wholesome recre
ation and entertainment in their
free time; to obtain for them entree
into congenial homes; to bring to
them the personal service of friendly
understanding and brotherly guid
ance; to assure them of the or
ganizer! aid available for their
families and dependents; to afford a
medium for the organized patriotic
expression of tin' great American
Jewish community in war service
these were some of the functions
of the Jewish W elfare Hoard.
To carry on this vital work, sev
eral hundred men and women were
recruited as welfare workers. “Star
of David Man,” as the welfare
worker was familiarly known, was
the spiritual leader, teacher, guide,
counsellor and friend to boys from
all stations of life and all shades of
thought. Kverything from leading
a “minyan” to staging an entertain
ment fell within the province of the
Jewish Welfare Hoard worker. The
religious work included Friday even
ing and Sabbath services, Yahrzeit
services, daily services, and Holy
Day services. The educational
work included Fnglish to foreigners,
French classes, American history
and civics classes, Hible study and
Jewish history. The social and
recreational activities comprised lit
erary clubs, discussion groups, enter
tainments, concerts, dances and
celebrations of Jewish holidays. A
host of personal services were ren
dered at all times for the men in
the hospitals, in the guard house, in
addition to handling thousands of
inquiries of an informational or
legal nature. In all of the larger
cantonments, the Jewish Welfare
Hoard established its own quarters
in buildings which served both as
administrative and recreational
centers. In all, 48 buildings were
erected by the Jewish Welfare
Hoard anti suitable facilities were
provided in the smaller camps.
An equally important problem
was that of mobilizing the Jewish
communities for the purpose of
maintaining contacts with the ser
vice men in near by posts, and t.o
enable them to maintain their
normal contacts with the Jewish
community and the community
at large. Thousands of Jewish
men and women participated in the
conduct of community branches of
the Jewish Welfare Hoard. Over
180 such branches functioned
actively. The work of these branch
es was to arrange for the entertain
ment, in Jewish homes, of men on
leave; to provide amusements to
which groups of men were invited;
to furnish suitable and abundant
reading matter; to arrange for visits
of rabbis and public speakers to the
camps; to arrange for religious
services on the Sabbath and Holy
Days, supplementing the services
in the camps; to provide hospitality
and entertain boys on Holy Day
furloughs; to care for the dependent
of the boys who marched away;
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RANGES
COOK STOVES
HEATERS
of Quality
MADE BY
JACOBS
MANUFACTURING
COMPANY
FACTORY AND OFFICES*. BRIDGEPORT, ALA.
New York Office
HENRY ISAAC
1141 Broadway
New Haven, Conn.
SAMUEL I. HALPER
556 Howard Ave.
Pittsburgh, Pa.
D. H. ADLER
3804 Beachwood Blvd.
* THE SOUTHERN ISRAELITE
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