W.j.c. Appeals for Volunteers to Serve Latin American Communities

The World Jewish Congress here today issued an appeal for volunteers willing to serve in small Jewish communities in Central and South America where there is a shortage of trained personnel. Many communities require teachers and others want rabbis or community center workers.

Jewish communities in eight countries–Bolivia, Colombia, Curacao, Ecuador, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Panama and Peru–have registered their needs with the World Jewish Congress offices. The Community Service Corps program was initiated by Samuel Bronfman, chairman of the North American executive of the World Jewish Congress, who issued an appeal for volunteers from the United States, Canada, Argentina and other major communities where community personnel problems are not as acute.

“In sponsoring the Community Service, Corps,” Mr. Bronfman stated here, “we believe that there are qualified and able community officials who would welcome an opportunity to serve one of the smaller communities, at least for a period of a few years, I hope that we will have a response to these calls from the small communities in South America.”

Mr. Bronfman noted that it was not the intention of the World Jewish Congress to become a permanent placement agency or to replace such agencies as are operated by major Jewish bodies. ” We act as the liaison between a community in search of an official and an official willing to serve such a community, ” the WJC leader added.