The National Jewish Welfare Board (JWB) was formed on April 9, 1917, three days after the United States declared war on Germany , in order to support Jewish soldiers in the U.S. military during World War I . The impetus for creating the organization stemmed from Secretary of War , Newton Baker and Secretary of Navy , Josephus Daniels . The organization was also charged with recruiting and training rabbis for military service , as well as providing support materials to these newly commissioned chaplains . The JWB also maintained oversight of Jewish chapel facilities at military installations.
52-512: JWB may refer to: National Jewish Welfare Board , Jewish organization in the United States John Wayne Bobbitt (born 1967), victim of a crime John Wilkes Booth (1838–1865), American actor and assassin who murdered Abraham Lincoln Jinwanbao , Chinese newspaper Topics referred to by the same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with
104-400: A grandchild of the family receives sufficient Jewish education to take on the responsibility. If a person has no children capable of asking, the responsibility falls to their spouse, or another participant. The need to ask is so great that even if a person is alone at the seder they are obligated to ask themselves and to answer their own questions. The question about reclining substitutes for
156-519: A prize or reward. In other homes, the children hide the afikoman and a parent must look for it; when the parents give up, the children demand a prize (often money) for revealing its location. The order and procedures of the Seder are stated and printed in the text of the Passover Haggadah , a copy of which is in front of all participants. Jewish children learn the following words, denoting the order of
208-492: A question about eating roasted meat, that was present in the mishnah but removed by later authorities due to its inapplicability after the destruction of the temple : Roasted sacrifices were no longer possible after the destruction, and roasted meat was therefore disallowed on seder night, to avoid ambiguity. The questions are answered with the following: The four questions have been translated into over 300 languages. The traditional Haggadah speaks of " four sons " – one who
260-606: A seder is held on the first night; where eight days are observed, seders are often held on the first two nights, the 15th and 16th of Nisan. The Seder is a ritual involving a retelling of the story of the liberation of the Israelites from slavery in ancient Egypt , taken from the Book of Exodus ( Shemot ) in the Torah . The Seder itself is based on the Biblical verse commanding Jews to retell
312-482: A white robe called a kittel . For the first half of the Seder, each participant will only need a plate and a wine glass. At the head of the table is a Seder plate containing various symbolic foods that will be eaten or pointed out during the course of the Seder. Placed nearby is a plate with three matzot and dishes of salt water for dipping. Each participant receives a copy of the Haggadah: an ancient text that contains
364-702: Is a ritual feast at the beginning of the Jewish holiday of Passover . It is conducted throughout the world on the eve of the 15th day of Nisan in the Hebrew calendar (i.e., at the start of the 15th; a Hebrew day begins at sunset). The day falls in late March or in April of the Gregorian calendar . Passover lasts for seven days in Israel and, among most customs , eight days in the Jewish diaspora . Where seven days of Passover are observed,
416-411: Is imbibed at a specific point in the Seder. The first is for Kiddush ( קידוש ), the second is for ' Maggid ' ( מגיד ), the third is for Birkat Hamazon ( ברכת המזון ) and the fourth is for Hallel ( הלל ). The Four Cups represent the four expressions of deliverance promised by God Exodus 6:6–7: "I will bring out," "I will deliver," "I will redeem," and "I will take." The Vilna Gaon relates
468-419: Is the object of the Seder experience, much effort is made to arouse the interest and curiosity of the children and keep them awake during the meal. To that end, questions and answers are a central device in the Seder ritual. By encouraging children to ask questions, they will be more open to hearing the answers. The most famous question which the youngest child asks at the Seder is the " Ma Nishtana " – 'Why
520-522: Is the special plate containing symbolic foods used during the Passover Seder. Each of the six items arranged on the plate has special significance to the retelling of the story of the Exodus from Egypt. The seventh symbolic item used during the meal – a stack of three matzot – is placed on its own plate on the Seder table. The six items on the Seder plate are: Since the retelling of the Exodus to one's child
572-416: Is this night different from all other nights?' After the asking of this questions, the main portion of the Seder, Magid , discusses the answers in the form of a historical review. Also, at different points in the Seder, the leader of the Seder will cover the matzot and lift their cup of wine; then put down the cup of wine and uncover the matzot – all to elicit questions from the children. In some traditions,
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#1732852662274624-510: Is to say that for that child one asks "Why?" and, like the simple child, has no answer. Four verses in Deuteronomy (26:5–8) are then expounded, with an elaborate, traditional commentary. ("And thou shalt speak and say before the Lord thy God: 'A wandering Aramean was my parent, and they went down into Egypt, and sojourned there, few in number; and became there a nation, great, mighty, and populous. And
676-498: Is told, "It is because of what the Almighty did for me when I left Egypt." Some modern Haggadahs mention "children" instead of "sons", and some have added a fifth child. The fifth child can represent the children of the Shoah who did not survive to ask a question or represent Jews who have drifted so far from Jewish life that they do not participate in a Seder. For the former, tradition
728-506: Is wise, one who is wicked, one who is simple, and one who does not know to ask. This is based upon the rabbis of the Jerusalem Talmud finding four references in the Torah to responding to your son who asks a question. Each of these sons phrases his question about the seder in a different way. The Haggadah recommends answering each son according to his question, using one of the three verses in
780-505: The Kiddush and drinking at least a majority of the first cup of wine. On Shabbat, it is preceded by a reading from the Book of Genesis recounting God's rest on the seventh day of creation and includes an extended doxology on the blessings of Shabbat. Technically, according to Jewish law , whenever one partakes of fruits or vegetables dipped in liquid while remaining wet, one must wash one's hands if
832-451: The Gaon of Vilna do recite a blessing. Each participant dips a vegetable into either salt water (an Ashkenazi custom; said to serve as a reminder of the tears shed by their enslaved ancestors), vinegar (a Sephardi custom) or charoset (an older Sephardi custom, still common among Yemenite Jews). Another custom mentioned in some Ashkenazi sources and probably originating with Meir of Rothenburg ,
884-922: The 1950s, during the Second Red Scare , the NJWB encouraged Jewish community centers to ban radical Jewish speakers from using their facilities. The Jewish Young Fraternalists , the youth arm of the communist Jewish People's Fraternal Order, was expelled in 1953 from the National Jewish Youth Conference, an organization sponsored by the NJWB. The organization is now the JWB Jewish Chaplains Council, part of JCC Association of North America. The Council sends religious artifacts and supplies for Jewish holidays, including Passover Seder kits, Hanukkah candles, four species for Tabernacles , and more. Passover Seder The Passover Seder
936-499: The Egyptians dealt ill with us, and afflicted us, and laid upon us hard bondage. And we cried unto the Lord, the God of our parents, and the Lord heard our voice, and saw our affliction, and our toil, and our oppression. And the Lord brought us forth out of Egypt with a strong hand and an outstretched arm , and with great terribleness, and with signs, and with wonders .") The Haggadah explores
988-573: The Exodus narrative, at the beginning of the 15th of Nisan in Ancient Egypt, the Jewish people were enslaved to Pharaoh. After the tenth plague struck Egypt at midnight, killing all the first-born sons from the first-born of Pharaoh to the first-born of the lowest Egyptian to all the first-born of the livestock in the land (Exodus 12:29), Pharaoh let the Hebrew nation go, effectively making them free people for
1040-506: The Four Cups to four worlds: this world, the Messianic age, the world at the revival of the dead, and the world to come . The MaHaRaL connects them to the four Matriarchs: Sarah , Rebeccah , Rachel , and Leah . (The three matzot , in turn, are connected to the three Patriarchs: Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.) Abarbanel relates the cups to the four historical redemptions of the Jewish people:
1092-452: The Haggadah's lead by asking their own questions at various points in the Haggadah and offering prizes such as nuts and candies for correct answers. The afikoman , which is hidden away for the "dessert" after the meal, is another device used to encourage children's participation. In most families, the leader of the Seder hides the afikoman and the children must find it, whereupon they receive
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#17328526622741144-657: The JWB to become a national association of Jewish community centers around the country in order to integrate social activities, education, and active recreation. These merged organizations included the YWHA , YMHA , and the National Council of Young Men's Hebrew and Kindred Association . In 1941, the United Service Organizations for National Defense was brought into existence through Presidential order February 4. The USO
1196-569: The NJWB established the National Jewish Music Council; a sub-organization of the NJWB whose purpose was to promote cultural programming, publish literature, and produce recordings on subjects related to music of the Jewish people. The organization presented an annual Jewish Music Festival in addition to sponsoring other events such as performances and lectures. The organization also produced recordings of Jewish music and published biographies, handbooks, and other scholarly materials. In
1248-740: The National Jewish Welfare Board (NJWB), the Traveler's Aid Association and the Salvation Army . These organizations were challenged to handle the on-leave morale and recreational needs for members of the Armed Forces . The six organizations pooled their resources and the United Service Organizations , which quickly became known as the USO, was incorporated in New York on February 4, 1941. In 1942
1300-460: The Red Sea" in the aftermath of the Exodus. Before Magid, some Sephardi families have a custom to sing "Bivhilu yatzanu mi-mitzrayim" (translated: 'In haste we left Egypt'). While this is being sung, the head of the household walks around the table with the Seder plate and waves it over each individual's head. The story of Passover, and the change from slavery to freedom is told. At this point in
1352-412: The Seder are a primary vehicle for the transmission of the Jewish faith from grandparent to child, and from one generation to the next. Attending a Seder and eating matzah on Passover is a widespread custom even among those who are not religiously observant. Family members come to the table dressed in their holiday clothes. There is an Orthodox Ashkenazi tradition for the person leading the Seder to wear
1404-451: The Seder is not for the wicked son because the wicked son would not have deserved to be freed from Egyptian slavery.) Where the four sons are illustrated in the Haggadah, this son has frequently been depicted as carrying weapons or wearing stylish contemporary fashions. The simple son, who asks, "What is this?" is answered with "With a strong hand the Almighty led us out from Egypt, from the house of bondage." The one who does not know to ask
1456-486: The Seder, Moroccan Jews have a custom of raising the Seder plate over the heads of all those present while chanting "Bivhilu yatzanu mimitzrayim, halahma anya b'nei horin" ('In haste we went out of Egypt [with our] bread of affliction, [now we are] free people'). The matzot are uncovered, and referred to as the "bread of affliction". Participants declare (in Aramaic ) an invitation to all who are hungry or needy to join in
1508-518: The Seder, participants lean to the left – when drinking the four cups of wine, eating the Afikoman, and eating the korech sandwich. Jews generally observe one or two seders: in Israel, one seder is observed on the first night of Passover; traditional Diaspora communities (to the general exception of Reform and Reconstructionist Jews) also hold a seder on the second night. Seders have been observed around
1560-463: The Seder, with a rhyme and tune at their Jewish schools: Kaddesh ( קדש ). Urchatz ( ורחץ ). Karpas ( כרפס ). Yachatz ( יחץ ). Maggid ( מגיד ). Rochtzah ( רחצה ). Motzi Matzah ( מוציא מצה ). Maror ( מרור ). Korech ( כורך ). Shulchan Orech ( שלחן עורך ). Tzafun ( צפון ). Barech ( ברך ). Hallel ( הלל ). Nirtzah ( נרצה ). Kadeish ( קדש ) is Hebrew Imperative for Kiddush . It should be recited as soon as
1612-436: The Seder. Halakha requires that this invitation be repeated in the native language of the country. The Mishna details questions one is obligated to ask on the night of the seder. It is customary for the youngest child present to recite the four questions. Some customs hold that the other participants recite them quietly to themselves as well. In some families, this means that the requirement remains on an adult "child" until
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1664-425: The Torah that refer to this exchange. The wise son asks "What are the statutes, the testimonies, and the laws that God has commanded us to do?" One explanation for why this very detailed-oriented question is categorized as wise, is that the wise son is trying to learn how to carry out the seder, rather than asking for someone else's understanding of its meaning. He is answered fully: "You should reply to him with [all]
1716-449: The blessings, the prayers, the stories and the songs, written in the Haggadah, a book that determines the order of Passover and tells the story of the Exodus from Egypt. And all the mitzvot (religious commandments or rites) in the "order" are done in a fixed order in every Jewish home. The Seder is most often conducted in the family home, although communal Seders are also organized by synagogues, schools and community centers, some open to
1768-477: The choosing of Abraham, the Exodus from Egypt, the survival of the Jewish people throughout the exile, and the fourth which will happen at the end of days. The four cups might also reflect the Roman custom of drinking as many cups as there are letters in the name of the chief guest at a meal, which in the case of the Seder is God himself whose Hebrew name has four letters. The special Passover Seder plate ( ke'arah )
1820-403: The complete Seder service. Men and women are equally obliged and eligible to participate in the Seder. Traditionally, each participant at the Seder table recites the Haggadah in the original Hebrew and Aramaic. Halakha (the collective body of Jewish religious laws) requires that certain parts be said in language the participants can understand, and critical parts are often said in both Hebrew and
1872-445: The fruit or vegetable remains wet. However, at other times of the year, one has either already washed their hands before eating bread, or dry the fruit or vegetable, in which case one need not wash their hands before eating the fruit or vegetable. According to most traditions, no blessing is recited at this point in the Seder, unlike the blessing recited over the washing of the hands before eating bread. However, followers of Rambam or
1924-471: The general public. It is customary to invite guests, especially strangers and the needy. The Seder is integral to Jewish faith and identity: as explained in the Haggadah, if not for divine intervention and the Exodus, the Jewish people would still be slaves in Egypt. Therefore, the Seder is an occasion for praise and thanksgiving and for re-dedication to the idea of liberation. Furthermore, the words and rituals of
1976-427: The laws of pesach: one may not eat any dessert after the paschal sacrifice." The wicked son, who asks, "What is this service to you?", is characterized by the Haggadah as isolating himself from the Jewish people, standing by objectively and watching their behavior rather than participating. Therefore, he is rebuked by the explanation that "It is because God acted for my sake when I left Egypt." (This implies that
2028-453: The many deeds performed for the Jewish people, it would have been enough to obligate us to give thanks. Some sing instead The Women's Dayenu , a feminist variant of Dayenu , by Michele Landsberg . After Dayenu is a declaration (mandated by Rabban Gamliel) of the reasons of the commandments of the Paschal lamb , Matzah , and Maror , with scriptural sources. Then follows a short prayer, and
2080-405: The matzah (the "bread of freedom" as well as the "bread of affliction") and ' afikoman ', and drink the four cups of wine, in a reclining position, and dip vegetables into salt water (the dipping being a sign of royalty and freedom). There is an obligation to drink four cups of wine during the Seder. The Mishnah says ( Pesachim 10:1) that even the poor are obliged to drink the four cups. Each cup
2132-574: The meaning of those verses, and embellishes the story. This telling describes the slavery of the Jewish people and their miraculous salvation by God. This culminates in an enumeration of the Ten Plagues : With the recital of the Ten Plagues, there is a late custom, which arose in German-Jewish circles, that each participant removes a drop of wine from their cup using a fingertip at the mention of each of
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2184-458: The native language. The leader will often interrupt the reading to discuss different points with his or her children, or to offer an insight into the meaning or interpretation of the words. In some homes, participants take turns reciting the text of the Haggadah, in the original Hebrew or in translation. It is traditional for the head of the household and other participants to have pillows placed behind them for added comfort. At several points during
2236-453: The questions are asked by the assembled company in chorus rather than by a child, and are put to the leader of the seder, who either answers the question or may direct the attention of the assembled company to someone who is acting out that particular part of the Exodus. Physical re-enactment of the Exodus during the Passover seder is common in many families and communities. Families will follow
2288-411: The second half of the night. Thus, Seder participants recall the slavery that reigned during the first half of the night by eating matzah (the "poor person's bread"), maror (bitter herbs which symbolize the bitterness of slavery), and charoset (a sweet paste, possibly representing the mortar which the Jewish slaves used to cement bricks). Recalling the freedom of the second half of the night, they eat
2340-595: The story of the Exodus from Egypt: "You shall tell your child on that day, saying, 'It is because of what the L ORD did for me when I came out of Egypt. ' " (Exodus 13:8) At the seder, Jews read the text of the Haggadah , an ancient Tannaitic work. The Haggadah contains the narrative of the Israelite exodus from Egypt, special blessings and rituals, Talmudic commentaries, and Passover songs . Seder customs include telling
2392-406: The story, discussing the story, drinking four cups of wine , eating matzah , partaking of symbolic foods, and reclining in celebration of freedom. The Seder is among the most commonly celebrated Jewish rituals, performed by Jews all over the world. Seder is a transliteration of the Hebrew סדר, which means 'order' or 'procedure'. The name also expresses the conduct of the meal, all the dishes,
2444-524: The synagogue services are over but not before nightfall. This Kiddush is similar to that which is recited on all of the Three Pilgrimage Festivals , but also refers to matzot and the exodus from Egypt. Acting in a way that shows freedom and majesty, many Jews have the custom of filling each other's cups at the Seder table. The Kiddush is traditionally said by the father of the house, but all Seder participants may participate by reciting
2496-458: The ten plagues. Although this night is one of salvation, Don Isaac Abravanel explains that one cannot be completely joyous when some of God's creatures had to suffer. A mnemonic acronym for the plagues is also introduced: "D'tzach Adash B'achav" , while similarly spilling a drop of wine for each word. At this part in the Seder, songs of praise are sung, including the song Dayenu , which proclaims that had God performed any single one of
2548-497: The title JWB . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=JWB&oldid=1239880967 " Category : Disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages National Jewish Welfare Board In 1921, several organizations merged with
2600-552: The world, including in remote places such as high in the Himalaya mountains in Kathmandu, Nepal . The rituals and symbolic foods evoke the twin themes of the evening: slavery and freedom. It is stated in the Haggadah that "In every generation everyone is obligated to see themselves as if they themselves came out of Egypt" – i.e., out of slavery. The rendering of time for Jews is that a day began at sunset and ended at sunset. According to
2652-682: Was incorporated in New York state as a private, nonprofit organization, supported by private citizens and corporations. President Franklin D. Roosevelt wanted the morale of military personnel to remain high and believed that current service organizations would be better suited for the job than the Department of Defense . The six private organizations were - the National Catholic Community Service (NCCS),Young Men's Christian Association YMCA , Young Women's Christian Association YWCA ,
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#17328526622742704-434: Was to dip the karpas in wine. Three matzot are stacked on the seder table; at this stage, the middle matzah of the three is broken in half. The larger piece is hidden, to be used later as the afikoman , the "dessert" after the meal. The smaller piece is returned to its place between the other two matzot. Moroccan Jewish custom is that when the matzah is split, a passage is recited describing how "in this manner God split
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