War Production Chief Donald M. Nelson announced today that it would be entirely proper for Jewish war workers to stay away from their jobs for Rosh Hashanah, Sept. 12 and 13, and Yom Kippur, Sept. 21.
In a letter to Dr. Israel Goldstein, president of the Synagogue Council of America, Mr. Nelson said: “Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are days of great religious significance to members of the Jewish faith, and I recognize, of course, that many Jewish workers in our war plants will wish to spend a part or all of these days away from their jobs. I think it is entirely proper that they should do so, and the War Production Board is not asking any of them to forego their observance of these rites and ceremonies. If possible, Jewish workers whose conscience leads them to spend these days in religious devotion should seek some method by which they can later make up the production time lost.”
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