The National Jewish Welfare Board, moving to meet the religious needs of the growing number of Jewish personnel in the United States military build-up in South Viet Nam, announced today that a second Jewish chaplain has been assigned to the area. Chaplain Robert L. Reiner, of the United States Naval Reserve, will go to the area where currently only Chaplain Richard Dryer is on duty for Jewish personnel, now numbering more than 500.
Sanford Solender, JWB executive vice-president, also announced that the JWB is mobilizing resources to meet anticipated future needs. He said that, of the 14 military installations in the United States where the heaviest impact is expected because of the build-up, 11 are covered by full-time Jewish chaplains, and 252 part-time chaplains on active duty, according to the JWB Commission on Jewish Chaplaincy.
During September and October, the JWB will send teams of personnel into the most heavily militarily-impacted areas to appraise the effect of the build-up, determine the Jewish population at each installation, ascertain the needs of the Jewish chaplains, examine types of installations and the nature of the training program as these factors affect the JWB on-base activities for trainees.
JWB staff personnel will meet this month with supply officers at the Pentagon to discuss supply needs and to determine whether any special problems in providing supplies exist. JWB plans to insure the availability of Passover and other supplies as needed, and has already sent Chanukah supplies for the next festival to Chaplain Dryer.
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.
