JWB Chaplains Council and Jewish Publication Society Team Up to Release New Pocket-Sized Hebrew Bible for the Troops, with Support from the Everett Foundation
January 1, 2008, New York, NY T here are no atheists in foxholes, the saying goes, and thanks to a generous donation by the Everett Foundation, Jews who serve in the military will soon have their own pocket-sized editions of the Tanakh , the complete Hebrew Bible, to carry with them into battle. JWB Jewish Chaplains Council, an affiliate of JCC Association here, and the Philadelphia-based Jewish Publication Society are the joint publishers of this new edition, scheduled for shipment this spring to chaplains on all overseas and domestic bases. The aim is to have one in the hands of every Jew in the military in time for Shavuot, the spring harvest festival that celebrates God's giving of the Torah to Moses on Mount Sinai.
Also with this publication, new Jewish enlistees will be able to request a copy of the Hebrew Bible when they report for active duty. Copies of the New Testament and the Koran have long been made available to Christians and Muslims when they enlist.
JCC Association and JWB have a long history of providing our Jewish troops with spiritual sustenance, and the publication of this new Tanakh is the least we can do to continue to show our support and care for them, remarked JCC Association Chair Alan P. Solow. This is one of a number of initiatives being implemented by JWB to enhance the quality of life for our Jewish soldiers.
Last month, JWB shipped hundreds of Hanukkah gift packages to military personnel on active duty around the world, containing chanukiyot , candles, dreydls, insulated waterproof socks, holiday food treats, and phone cards for free phone calls home. Every year, gift packages are also sent to bases worldwide in time for the celebration of the High Holidays in the fall, and similar packages, with kosher food, are mailed in the spring for Passover observance.
This edition of the Tanakh replaces the pocket-sized abridged version, which JPS issued in 1941, and which has been out of print for some time. That volume carried the original 1917 JPS translation, with a dedication written by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. The new Tanakh, with a distinctive camouflage cover design, will have the 1962 JPS translation, its most recent, and a reprint of the original FDR dedication on its frontispiece. While not a prayer book per se, it does contains liturgical prayers, meditations and blessings that date to the period of rabbinic literature, which followed the codification of the Hebrew Bible. For example, the prayers recited in a time of danger, after surviving a time of danger, in a time of illness, and for a safe journey on the road are all included, as are the traditional blessings over meals.
Rabbinic sources provide care, comfort, and support beyond what one may receive by simply reading the Tanakh, noted Ret. Rear Adm. Harold L. Robinson, the director of the JWB Jewish Chaplains Council. There are times in the military when there is a need for words of solace or encouragement. This volume is designed to see Jewish soldiers, sailors and airmen and women through everything they might encounter, with the exception of the weekday or weekend prayer service, Rabbi Robinson said.
The project has been in the works for more than two years. Its completion was spurred by the Everett Foundation gift, spearheaded by David F. Everett, son of philanthropists Henry and Edith Everett who co-founded the foundation in 1955. Henry Everett, who died in 2004, had been on the boards of JPS, JCC Association, and the Jewish Book Council. Edith Everett continues to play a leading role in the foundation's operation.
The family's connection to the military is also intimate. Henry Everett served as a sergeant in the U.S. Army in the Philippines during World War II. His brother-in-law, Fred Brenner, a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army Air Force, was killed in action in 1944. The book is dedicated to them both. David Everett, an attorney with a private practice in New York City and Mamaroneck , New York , did two tours of active duty in the Middle East . During Operation Desert Storm in 1991, he volunteered as a major in the Army Reserve and served in Saudi Arabia , Iraq and Kuwait . In 2005, as a colonel, he requested to be recalled for Operation Iraqi Freedom. During his service in Iraq , he was assigned to the Civilian Police Assistance Training Team, Multi-National Security Transition Command - Iraq , as the primary Coalition Forces advisor to Iraq 's deputy minister of interior for internal affairs. He is a member of the JWB Committee on Service to Jews in the Military.
We are very grateful to the Everett family to enable us to carry out this project, said Solow. Fani Magnus Monson, vice-president of development at JCC Association, added, The funding for this project was among the most meaningful contributions I've ever solicited. I know the comfort and support it will bring to the Jewish men and women putting their lives on the line on our behalf.
The Tanakh will be available for sale through JWB. For information, contact Magnus Monson at Fani@jcca.org or log onto the JCC Association website: www.jcca.org .
Reporters/Editors: For photographs and
sources for feature stories, call JCC Association Communications
Manager Miriam Rinn at (212) 786-5092 or e-mail miriam@jcca.org.
###
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
Back to Press Releases |
Privacy policy | Contact
us | Home
|
