More than 100,000 Jewish servicemen in the United States celebrated Passover this year at 300 community sedorim while thousands of others were entertained in private homes, it is reported today by the National Jewish Welfare Board. Likewise, Jewish soldiers, sailors and Marines overseas marked the Passover holiday in India, Burma, New Guinea, Iraq, China, Australia, England, North Africa and practically every other place where American fighting men are stationed, according to reports reaching the J.W.B. office today from these territories.
In the Pacific, Chaplain Levi made a 2,000 mile trip from one isolated out-post to another to arrange for the observances. In North Africa the Jewish chaplain rolled behind the vanguard of the advancing armies, leaving Passover supplies so that the holiday might be marked in the traditional manner. In Panama, five community seders were held simultaneously – three in churches, one in a Masonic temple and another in a synagogue. In small towns in the United States, where no Jewish community exists, churches, Y.M.C.A., Y.W.C.A. and other non-Jewish organizations provided facilities for the Jewish men stationed nearby.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
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.
