Rabbi De Sola Pool Gets Certificate of Merit from Truman for War-time Services

Dr. David de Sola Pool, chairman of the Division Religious Activities of the Jewish Welfare Board and Rabbi of the Spanish and Portuguese Synagogue, was the recipient tonight of the Certificate of Merit from President Truman for “meritorious conduct in aid of the war effort against the common enemies of the United States and its allies in World War II.”

The presentation to Dr. Pool, who as head of JWB’s Division of Religious Activities directed the recruitment of 311 rabbis for the chaplaincy in World War II, was made by Maj. Gen. Luther D. Miller, Army Chief of Chaplains, at exercises held in the ##ditorium of the congregation. Frank L. Well, JWB president, also spoke.Gen. Miller, lauding Dr. Pool’s chaplaincy activities, recalled that as a lead ## of the JWB, Dr. Pool “had contributed to the outstanding cooperative endeavor and performance of the Jewish citizenry of the United States.” He said that Dr. Pool’s labor had “fostered good will by all denominations and peoples, and stimulated high Israel, warm fellowship and close cooperation among citizenry and soldiery of the United States.”

Frank L. Weil, JWB president, presented Dr. Pool with an illuminated copy of a resolution adopted at JWB’s annual meeting last May, which noted that Dr. Pool ## “merited the deepest gratitude of the JWB and the Jewish community for his war-time the leadership of the Division of Religious Activities.”