A shipment of Bibles, prayer books, religious articles and books for American prisoners of war of the Jewish faith held by the Japanese has been made by the National Jewish Welfare Board through arrangements with the War Prisoners Aid of the World Committee of YMCA’s, of Geneva, Switzerland, it was announced today by Louis Kraft, executive director of the Board.
The materials provided by the Board, Mr. Kraft said, form part of a larger shipment of materials for American war prisoners of the three major religious faiths who are now being held in five Japanese prison camps. The shipment has been made up into five units. Religious materials for the use of Jewish men is included in each of the five units.
The Jewish religious and ritual materials provided by the Board include Sefer Torahs, abridged prayer books and bibles, phylacteries, prayer shawls, full text bibles in both English and Hebrew, and other synagogue appurtenances, and Jewish histories and literary works. In all, 30 items are included. A Sefer Torah is included for each of the five prison camps. Aside from the religious articles, the materials in the five shipments which have been contributed by groups from all faiths include a library phonographs, musical instruments, athletic goods, indoor games, theatrical outfits, and school supplies.
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