Of the 311 rabbis who served as chaplains in the Army and Navy during the war, 146 were members of the Central Conference of American Rabbis, Rabbi Barnett B. Brickner of Cleveland, chairman of the Conference’s committee on chaplains, reported to the organization’s annual convention. Eight Jewish chaplains died in line of duty, he announced. There are still 74 rabbis in the service, with 29 of them serving overseas, Rabbi Brickner said.
With the growth of Reform Judaism, there has been no serious problem of placing returned chaplains, he disclosed, adding that aside from those who returned to their former pulpits, 44 chaplains have already obtained new positions offering greater opportunities. There are at present 42 vacancies waiting for chaplains who are still in the service.
Rabbi Samuel Gup, chairman of the committee on pensions, announced that 177 Reform rabbis are enrolled in the pension plan sponsored jointly by the Conference and the Union of American Hebrew Congregations. In the 22 months since the inauguration of the plan, the total value of the policies issued represents a potential savings of nearly $3,500,000, he declared.
Rabbi Morton W. Berman of Chicago, delivering the conference lecture, asserted that “American Jewry is filled with a mood of defeat and frustration rather than victory.” The failure of the world to solve the problems of the displaced Jews of Europe and the apparent indifference to the creation of a Jewish Commonwealth in Palestine, is one of the chief reasons for this spirit of depression, he said, adding that the other important factor was the recurrence of anti-Semitism and other manifestations of racialism, industrial strife and isolationism in the United States.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
