Jewish War Veterans
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| Abbreviation | JWV |
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| Formation | 1896 |
| Headquarters | 1811 R Street NW Washington, D.C. 20009 |
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Membership
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About 15,000 |
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National Commander
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COL Carl A. Singer |
| Website | jwv.org |
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| Established | September 2, 1958 |
|---|---|
| Location | 1811 R Street NW Washington DC 20009-1603 |
| President | Joseph Zoldan, PNC |
| Public transit access | Dupont Circle, Q Street Exit, Washington Metro Red Line |
| Website | http://www.nmajmh.org |
The Jewish War Veterans of the United States of America (also referred to as the Jewish War Veterans of the U.S.A., the Jewish War Veterans, or JWV) is an American Jewish veterans' organization created in 1896 by Civil War veterans to prove that Jews have proudly served this country since the Revolutionary Era. It has an estimated 15,000 members, ranging from World War II to current conflicts and active duty personnel.
The Jewish War Veterans was established in 1896. The group holds a Congressional charter under Title 36 of the United States Code.
The JWV is organized into, in descending order of rank, a National Commander, a National Executive Committee, departments, district or county councils, and posts. There are also subsidiary organizations, including the Ladies Auxiliary, posts or other echelons created outside the United States, and any other subsidiary organizations established by a two-thirds vote of the National Executive Committee.
The National Convention is the annual assembly of the JWV, in which "supreme power" is vested in. The National Convention usually takes place over a week in a major U.S. city determined by the National Executive Committee. The 117th Annual National Convention in 2012, for example, was held August 5–12 in Norfolk, Virginia. Membership at National Conventions is restricted to voting members of the National Executive Committee who shall vote at the same time with their posts and delegates. Each post may send up to one delegate and one alternate for each ten members.
Membership eligibility is established in the JWV's National Constitution, which lists the forms of membership as active, associate, honorary, in-service, posthumous, life, and distinguished life, and provides that "No person who promotes, or is a member of any organization or group which believes in, or advocates, bigotry or the overthrow of the United States government by force of arms or subversion" shall be eligible for membership.
The Jewish War Veterans divides its activities into four areas: patriotic, Jewish, service, and affinity.
The Jewish War Veterans engage in advocacy to preserve religious freedom and separation of church and state as it relates to the U.S. military. Among other activities, the group has criticized Evangelical proselytizing at the United States Air Force Academy and has criticized the presence of crosses on war memorials and military bases. The Jewish War Veterans filed lawsuits seeking the removal of the Mount Soledad cross as well as a large cross at Camp H. M. Smith, and supported a federal court decision to remove a cross on federal lands at an armed forces memorial at Mojave National Preserve.
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Wikipedia