Troops Celebrate Passover Far from Home with Help from JWB
 New York, NY April 20, 2009: Fifty Jewish military personnel celebrated a Seder in what had been one of Saddam Hussein’s palaces in Baghdad. Three Jewish soldiers shared a Seder meal in a forward operating base in Afghanistan. Wherever they were, whether the surroundings were sumptuous or spare, Jews serving in the armed forces used supplies sent by JCC Association’s JWB Jewish Chaplains Council to mark the Israelites’ liberation from slavery. “The most important part of Passover is telling the story of Moses, so we took turns reading about the Exodus from Egypt,” said U. S. Army Captain Isaac Greenberg, a JWB Jewish lay leader in Afghanistan. “After that we finished our service and began our feast; including gefilte fish, pickles, horseradish, macaroons, and wine. What else do you need? We had an amazing time.”
This year, JWB sent packages overseas including gefilte fish, horseradish, chocolate-covered matzah, fruit-slice candy, and macaroons, along with haggadot and booklets explaining the customs of the holiday. While the Passover and other holiday package items change somewhat from year to year, JWB has been supplying Jewish troops with what they need to celebrate all the holidays since World War II. “Kudos to the Army for making this happen but also to the JCCs of North America who sent over massive amounts of matzah and other food staples that are kosher for Passover,” said an airman stationed in Baghdad who preferred not to be identified.
Jewish chaplains spread out across the world to conduct Seders, and where no chaplains were available, Jewish lay leaders like Capt. Greenberg hosted the ritual meal. JWB trains lay leaders and provides them with materials and support so they can bring a sense of Jewish community to far-flung installations.
JCC Association welcomes donations from the public to defray the costs of the services it provides to Jewish military personnel. For more information go to http://www.jcca.org/JWB/index.html , make a donation or mail contributions to JWB Jewish Chaplains Council, 520 Eighth Avenue, Fourth Floor, New York, NY 10018.
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JCC Association
is the leadership network of, and central agency for the Jewish
Community Center Movement, which is comprised of 350 JCC,
YM-YWHA and camp sites in the U. S. and Canada. JCC Association
offers a wide range of services and resources to strengthen
the capacity of its affiliates to provide educational, cultural,
social, Jewish identity-building, and recreational programs
to enhance the lives of North American Jews of all ages and
backgrounds. Additionally, the movement fosters and strengthens
connections between North American Jews and Israel as well
as with world Jewry. JCC Association is also the U.S. government
accredited agency for serving the religious and social needs
of Jewish military personnel, their families, and patients
in VA hospitals through JWB Jewish Chaplains Council.
Miriam
Rinn
Communications Manager
JCC Association
520 8th Ave., NY, NY 10018
212-786-5092
fax: 212-481-4174
send an e-mail
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