“Admiration of the high character” of the work conducted ‘by the National Jewish Welfare Board was expressed today by President Truman in a message to the annual conference of the organization which opens here tomorrow at the Hotel Stevens. Delegates from 314 Jewish Community Centers and YM-YWHA’s, as well as representatives of the agency’s 282 Army-Navy committees, will attend.
The President’s message, addressed to Frank L. Weil, president of the J.W.B., hailed the Jewish Community Center movement as a “magnificent symbol of service.” This movement, he said, is “in effect a trusteeship, and the Jewish Welfare Board has splendidly borne the burdens and carried the responsibilities inherent in a proper fulfillment of that trust.”
President Truman also praised the two-fold service conducted by the Jewish Welfare Board–“service in the realms of recreation, culture and morale to the 500,000 young people and adults who find Jewish Community Center an attractive and helpful institution, and of continued service, as well, to the men and women wearing the uniform of the United States and to hospitalized veterans.”
The major business before the conference will be to formulate a statement of principles on the aims and objectives of a Jewish Community Center. Another important subject on the meeting’s agenda is the question of the new responsibilities which the J.W.B. may be required to undertake in view of possible enactment of selective or universal training legislation. The J.W.B. is officially authorized by the government to serve the religious, recreational and morale needs of Jewish servicemen and women in military installations and veterans Administration hospitals.
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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.
