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THE JEWISH NEWS

4).

Detroit Serves USO-JWB

How Local Jewry Provides
For Needs of Armed Forces

BY SAMUEL KURZON
Area Director Jewish Welfare Baird Army and Navy Committee
With the intensification of the numerous services ren-
dered by the United Service Organizations (USO) for
members of the armed forces at home and abroad, the Na-
tional Jewish Welfare Board (JWB) maintains its fine
tradition of providing religious, recreational, and morale-
building services for our men and women in-uniform. Under

the leadership of Fred M. Butzel,
Mate chairman, and Samuel H.
Rubiner, chairman of the De-
troit J.W.B. Army and Navy
Committee, one of the six part-
ners in USO, JWB has written a
memorable chapter in the story
of the home front.
The Army and Navy Commit-
tee in Detroit operates through
a well organized network of re-
lated sub-committees which
tarry on the specialized activi-
ties necessary to the serviceman's
well-being during his time off
duty. It works closely with the
Jewish Welfare Federation, from
whom it receives - assistance fin-
ancially and in many other ways,
toward meeting the needs of out
men in uniform. More than 150
organizations of the Jewish com-
munity have channeled their
efforts through the Detroit Army
and Navy Committee.
Among the pioneers in the or-
ganization of this great home
front effort were Mrs. Samuel
Glogower, vice-president of the
Army and Navy Committee,
Mrs. Harry L. Jackson, treasurer,
and Herman Jacobs, secretary.
Activities at Center
The Jewish Community Cen-
ter has enlarged the scope of its
peacetime program to include
the large number of servicemen
and women coming through De-
troit. The Center provides
lounge, kitchen and game-room
facilities for this program.
Every Sunday, a Brunch at
the Center, provided by the
in a n y Jewish organizations
which fturti-On thriiii-g-h the De-
troit Army . and Navy Com-
mittee, is followed by a splash
party in the swimming pool.
The Sunday afternoon tea
dance in the Lounge, with a
buffet supper provided by mem-
bers and local organizations,
winds up a crowded, active day.
The Army and Navy Com-
mittee is an affiliate of Metro-
politan USO, of which Henry
Meyers is president, and which
includes Mrs. Henry Wineman,
Fred M. Butzel, and Isidore
Sobeloff as members of its exe-
cutive committee.
At the Downtown Metropoli-
tan USO, Monday is Jewish
Welfare Board Army and Navy
Committee Day, and Jewish or-
ganizations, represented b y
groups of their members, serve
the men and women in uniform,
of all faiths and backgrounds,
who find recreation through
Downtown USO. Operating in
three shifts from early afternoon
to midnight, these volunteers
serve the huge snack bar and
canteen. Twelve hundred sand-
wiches are provided for the day,
as well as gallons of coffee, heaps
of cake, relishes and goodies.
Junior Hostesses
In the main lobby, JWB vol-
unteers help man the informa-
tion desk and assist in many
little services. JWB also provides
Junior Hostesses to help enter-
tain men in the building.
In addition, JWB sponsors five
house parties Weekly which are
arranged through the JWB of-
fice and carried out through the
cooperation of the Downtown

SAMUEL H. RUBINER

USO, and JWB Junior Hostesses
help entertain servicemen at the
Downtown USO every night
from Monday through Saturday.
Every Wednesday, at the Great
Lakes Club in the Belcrest Hotel,
soldiers, sailors and marines—
American and Canadian—enjoy
the beautiful lounge facilities,
dance, play games and are enter-
tained through the efforts of the
Army and Navy Committee.
Here, too local Jewish organiza-
tions furnish interesting menus
at the refreshment table.
Every Friday, groups of mem-
bers of Jewish organizations
have traveled to Romulus Army
Air Base in all kinds of weather,
to provide refreshments for the
Oneg Shabat which follows re-
ligious services arranged by the
Army and Navy Cominittee. This
has been a most important ac-
tivity and many of the men who
are now overseas write to De-
troit recalling the warmth and
hospitality they enjoyed at these
gatherings.
Program for Officers
The Army and Navy Corn-
mittee has organized a social
program for Jewish officers and
their wives. Every Wednesday,
a group of officers meets in the
JWB Lounge at the Jewish
Community Center, where they
dance, chat, play games, and
enjoy a friendly social evening
with the hostesses. Refresh-
ments are provided by the De-
troit Army and Navy Com-
mittee. Every other Sunday,
while our soldiers and sailors
are finding recreation at the
Center, the Officers' Group en-
joys an outing followed by hos-
pitality at the home of a member
of the community. Mrs. Lewis
Daniels, Mrs. Maurice H. Lan-
dau and Mrs. Julian Zemon,
have headed this program.
Mrs. Julian Krolik and Mrs.
Maurice H. Landau are co-
chairmen of the Volunteer and
Hostess Organization.
Heading the food committee,
which has worked with the many
Jewish organizations providing
refreshments for all these pro-
grams, are Mrs. Joseph Falk and
Mrs. Dan Krouse.
The Hawaiian Project
With the movement of our

men out of the country, the De-
troit Army and Navy Com-
mittee has extended its activities
overseas, and it services Hawaii
through its Serve - A - Camp
Committee under the leadership
of Mrs. Henry Meyers. Every
month, a huge package of kitch-
en snacks, toilet articles, games,
books, magazines and other
necessities and little luxuries is
forwarded to Honolulu, and from
there it is distributed to our boys
in Hawaii. For Passover, maca-
roons, candy, airmail stationery,
canned gefilte fish and - many
other food snacks and supplies
have already been shipped.
Serving men at various mili-
tary hospitals in Michigan is the
Hospital Gift Kit Committee
headed by Mrs. Harold 0.
Smilay. This group has packed
and sent hundreds of gift kits
containing toilet necessities and
other little luxuries to men at
Percy Jones Hospital and other
camp hospitals in the State.
Many a serviceman has written
his appreciation of the personal
thoughtfulness that went into
the preparation of these pack-
ages.
The Bureau of War Records,
under the leadership of Myron
A. Keys, Detroit chairman of the
War Records Committee of the
National Jewish Welfare Board,
has helped to write the glorious
story of American Jewry's con-
tribution, and with the assist-
ance of the Jewish Welfare
Federation is painstakingly com-
piling a record of Detroit's
Jewish men in service, the
honors and promotions they have
achieved, and the casualties that
they have suffered.
State Activities
Throughout the State of
Michigan, the Detroit Army and
Navy Committee follows up ev-
ery encampment to make certain
that no serviceman is forgotten
and assists local committees in
organizing servicemen's activi-

Friday, March 23, 1945-

Pfc. A. M. Gladman
Killed in Germany

After more - than five months
of continuous action, Pfc. Abra-
ham M. Gladman, 19, was killed
in Germany on Jan. 26. He was
the son of Mr. and Mrs. Nathan
Gladman of 2044, Clairmount.
Pfc. Gladman, a graduate of
Northern high, was employed at
the Chrysler-Jefferson plant be-
fore his induction on July 5,
1943. He was with an anti-air-
craft unit during his basic train-
ing period, but later was trans-
ferred to the infantry at Camp
Carson, Colo. He left in Septem-
ber, 1944, for England. From
there he went to France.
A brother, Lt. Jay Gladman,
also with the infantry, is now at
a port of embarkation. In addi-
tion to his parents, he is survived
by two other brothers, Frank
and Mac.

Reads Jewish News
In Thick of Battle

9 wish I had the words to des-
cribe the life we lead, but the
horrors of war cannot be des-
cribed—they must be experi-
enced", writes Pfc. Alvin R.
Goldman, now fighting in Bel-
gium
"You must feel for yourself
the ground beneath you quiver
from the terrific shelling; you
must see for yourself the .1?lood
of your comrades spilled on the
muddy ground.
"There is but one thought
that gives me consolation. This
cannot go on forever. Somedqy
victory will be ours and then
peace will prevail—joy and hap-
piness will • replace the misery
that has for so long tortured us."
In his letter to The Jewish
News, he expresses gratitude for
the fine publication which he
reads thoroughly even though he
is in the thick of battle.

Pfc. Jack Bodzin
Wounded; Rejoins
The Tailsplitters'

Plc. Jack Bodzin, 20, was
wounded in Belgium on Jan. 7,
and spent six weeks in a hospital
somewhere in France before re-
joining his outfit this month.
He is with the
`Railsplitters' di-
vision of t h e
Ninth army.
This unit is re-
ferred to as the
"hatchet men",
by the Germans.
Ffc. Bodzin is
the son of Mr.
and Mrs. Morris
Bodzin of 1940
Gladstone A v e.
Pfc. Bodzin A graduate of
Cass High, he worked for the
Mich. Steel Casting Corp. until
his induction on June 17, 1943.
Originally assigned to ASTP, he
remained in college until the
abandonment of the program on
April 1, 1944. He was then placed
in the 84th infantry division and
trained in Camp Claibourne, La.,
until October, when he was ship-
ped overseas.

Pfc. Bodzin is the possessor of
the Purple Heart. His brother,
Henry, is a lead navigator in the
Eighth Air Force based in Eng-
land and is the recipient of the
Air Medal. Two brothers-in-law
are also in the service. Lt. Milton
Duchan is stationed in Hearne
Tex., and Cpl. Harry Blitz, who
has returned from two years of
overseas duty, is now at Staten
Island; N. Y.
In a letter to his parents, Pfc.
Bodzin wrote of his inability to
sleep because of the nightmares
he had of the Germans he had
killed. Nevertheless, during his
stay in the hospital he expressed
his desire to return to action for,
as he put it, "My place is out
and at Michigan State College in there with those Joes, to get it
Lansing, the Detroit Army and over with as soon as possible."
Mavy Committee has. kept close
liaison, aiming to meet the needs
of men stationed there. -
Religious Activities
The JWB committee has ful-
filled another very important
Among those who participated
function. When a serviceman is
in trouble, when a serviceman's in the night raid by 300 Super-
family has a problem, they seek fortresses on Nagoya was Flight
out the committee's office in Officer Gerson Lacoff, 15928 Lin-
wood. A bom-
the Jewish Community Center
bardier, he re-
and there, through the related
ceived his initi-
organizations of the Jewish Wel-
ation in the Na-
fare Federation, referrals are
goya raid. Sent
often made and the problem
overseas a
solved. • Returned servicemen
month ago, this
are being helped considerably in
was his first
this respect.
mission.
Religious problems are re-
From his po-
ferred to • the JWB Religious
sition Lacoff
Committee of which Dr. B.
was able to ob-
Benedict Glazer is state chair-
F/O Lacoff taro an excel-
man and Rabbi Leon Fram, De-
lent view of the burning city.
troit chairman.
Legal problems are referred "The vision was too good when
to the Legal Aid Committee, the searchlights picked us up,"
headed by Harry Platt. This has commented Lacoff.
been a most welcome service to
The son of Mr. and Mrs.
the serviceman in trouble, who Meyer Lacoff, he had been as-
often does not know to whom to sociated with his father in their
turn.
auto parts store. F/0 Lacoff, 21,
At meetings of the Jewish a graduate of Central High, en-
Welfare Federation Agency Ex- tered service May 5, 1943, re-
ecutives, in which the Army- ceived his basic training at Jef-
Navy Area director participates, ferson Barracks, IVIo., was sent
plans are made for cooperative to State Teachers' College, Cedar
functioning and close coordin- Falls, Ia., and then to Santa
ation, with the object of inter- Ana, Calif., and on to Kingman,
relating the community as Ariz. He received his wings at
closely as possible with the Kirtland Field, N. M., and served
Army and Navy program.
in Lincoln, Neb., Great Bend,
Mrs. Abraham Srere, home Kan., and Kearney, Neb., before
hospitality chairman of the De- being shipped overseas.
troit Army. and Navy Committee,
A brother, Norman, is with
is at present busily engaged in
the civilian air patrol and ex-
arranging a vast program for
Passover involving every . ser- pects to enter the Navy Air
viceman of the Jewish faith in Corps in July.

,

F 0 Lacoff Bombed
Nagoya in Raid

-

SAMUEL HURZON

ties. The difficult task of reach-
ing the community and the mili-
tary through various channels of
publicity has been carried out
by the Committee on Publicity
and Public Relations under the
leadership of Lawrence J.
Michelson and Philip Slomovitz.
A weekly food package is sent
to Oscoda Army Base where it
is served after religious services
to the men stationed there. A.
B. Roman, Army and Navy
Chairman in Bay City, has as-
sisted in organizing religious
services.
-
At Selfridge Field, the De-
troit committee has cooperated
with the Mt. Clemens com-
mittee, headed by Harry Malbin,
in organizing religious services.
The Mt. Clemens Committee has
provided refreshments and a
social program regularly after
services. The Detroit Army and
Navy Committee furnishes a
band twice a month at the Mt.
Clemens USO, and groups of
Junior Hostesses visit Mt. Cle-
mens USO twice weekly to
assist in entertaining the ser-
vicemen at Selfridge Army Air
Field. In Battle Creek, men at
Fort Custer and patients at
Percy Jones Hospital have been
serviced periodically. A fund
has been set up by the Detroit
Committee to fill needs at Percy
Jones Hospital and last summer,
groups of Junior Hostesses trav-
eled there weekly by chartered
bus, bringing food, swim suits
and entertainment to Battle
Creek for picnics and swim
parties held at a nearby lake.
At Fort Brady, at Ann Arbor,

Michigan who will be unable to
go home for the holiday. Fami-
lies in Detroit and throughout
the State are opening their
homes to our men and women
in uniform for Passover.
The Jewish community of De-
troit has reason to be proud of
its home front support of the
men and women in the armed
forces. In partnership with the
Army and Navy Committee it
continues with energy and en-
thusiasm the great war respon-
sibilities, 'and as long as the
needs continue there will be no
diminution of either interest or
effort,

Blockade Lifted to Send
10,000 Pounds of Clothes
For Jews in German Camp

NEW YORK, (JTA) — The
Foreign Economic Administration
has lifted its - blockage of ship-
ments to enemy territory in
order to permit 10,000 pounds of
clothing to reach 9,200 Jews in-
terned in Bergen-Belsen, Germ-
any, it was announced by the
World Jewish Congress.

Additional Servicemen's

on Page .17

News

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