The Jewish War Veterans of the USA has laid the groundwork for its future with its first planning meeting for a new subsidiary organization, Descendants of JWV.
The goal of the new group, open to sons and daughters of Jews who have served in the U.S. military, is to aid and perpetuate the principles, policies and programs of JWV.
“We need you, the children of Jewish war veterans, to help us in certain areas,” Jack Litz, JWV national judge advocate, told the prospective members of the new group who attended the meeting at the Lt. Charles Freedman Post here last week.
Litz said the new group will include men and women and is aimed at persons ages 18 to 35. He added that the organization will possibly be divided into adult and youth groups.
He told JWV members at the planning meeting that “our children must be our living extension of our organization. They must remind the world that the Holocaust happened. We need them to help us with the disabled veterans, with service to the community.”
Jack Shattuck of Wilmington, the son of a World War I veteran, said he wanted to join the group to “fight the lie” that Jews have not fought to defend the country.
Steven Shaw, national executive director of JWV, said that “one day. JWV, the membership organization, will cease to be in existence” since all hope there will not be more war, and thus no more veterans. In such a case the descendants would carry on the work of JWV.
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