American Jewry is in a state of excitement over an attack on the patriotism of the Jews made in the “Army and Navy Register”, a paper which circulates among the members of the United States Army and Navy.
The Jews as a race, it said in an editorial, have notoriously little stomach for military service. The pay is poor, there is no profit in it, and worse, they might be called upon to die for their country of adoption. If you examine the lists of the volunteers in any of our wars, you will find that the news are conspicuous by their absence. They are willing to exploit our country, but not to defend it.
The Yiddish press throughout the country has taken up the matter and publishes editorials demanding that the paper should be made to prove its charges or to apologise. The President of the American Jewish Congress, Mr. Bernard S. Deutsch, sent a letter to Mr. John E. Jenks, President and Editor of the “Army and Navy Register”, in which he wrote: We expect that in the forthcoming issue you will endeabour to make amends for this lying and scandalous attack upon a notable section of your fellow citizens, who have since the founding of the United States served their country without let or stint, and whose patriotism has repeatedly been demonstrated.
The “Army and Navy Register” responded to this letter by publishing an editorial headed “Recantation”, in which it disclaimed responsibility for the attack made in its previous issue upon the patriotism of the Jews, but said that it was not in a position to retract the remarks of the author of the article, whom it described as honest, however over-zealous in his terms of communication.
So far as readers of that or any other article, it went on, choose to feel that they are therein or thereby slandered, grievously wronged, or cowardly attacked, we hasten to make the public disavowal that should set the paper right on the question of pure personality raised by our critic, whose courtesy of reproof coincided with his tolerance of expression. We refuse to give even the silence of consent to any charge against, or vilification of, anyone of whatever race, religious faith, or political conviction.
Mr. Bernard S. Deutsch, the President of the American Jewish Congress, on receipt of the issue of the “Army and Navy Register” containing this editorial, together with a letter from the editor, Mr. Jenks, made a statement to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency declaring that it is unsatisfactory and that further action will be taken by the Congress in the matter.
The editorial headed “Recantation” is entirely unsatisfactory and adds insult to injury, Mr. Deutch said; # It further demonstrates the unfairness of the editor of the “Army and Navy” Register”. While pretending to apologise to the Jews and disclaiming any antisemitic feeling, the editor smuggles into the editorial the following phrase: We are not precisely in the position of retracting the remark of a correspondent, who was at least honest, however over-zealous in his terms of communication. This by no means will satisfy the Jewish people and the American Jewish Congress proposes to take further steps in this matter.
President Hoover has taken up the matter by ordering the Secretary of War and the Secretary of the Navy to investigate the slur on the patriotism of the Jews contained in the article in the “Army and Navy Register”.
The President’s action followed on a protest sent to the White House by Captain Harold Seidenberg, of Boston, Commander-in-Chief of the Jewish War Veterans of the United States.
The protest was promptly answered on behalf of the President by his secretary, Mr. Lawrence Richey, who wrote:
Your telegram in reference to a recent article in the “Army and Navy Register” has been received, and by direction of the President, is being brought to the attention of the Secretary of War and the Secretary of the Navy”.
The Secretary of War, Mr. Patrick J. Hurley, has issued a statement in which he says:
The Army and Navy Register” is not an official organ of the War Department, but a private enterprise conducted by civilians. I regret exceedingly that such a malicious statement has been published. I have no respect for any man who hides behind his anonymity to make such an attack on any group of patriotic American citizens. As an officer of the United States Army you must know that the attitude of this one isolated individual in no way reflects that of the War Department, nor of the preponderant element of the officers and enlisted men who make up our army. The War Department recognises neither creed nor race. Personally and officially, I am proud of American Jews in our army to-day and of those who served in the World War.
The Jewish War Veterans of the United States has sent a letter to the editors of the “Army and Navy”Register”, signed by the Commander-in-Chief, Captain Harold Seidenberg, demanding a complete retraction of the attack made in its columns on the patriotism of the American Jews.
Notwithstanding the fact that Jews were restricted and disbarred from military service, the letter says, more than 50 Jews fought for the patriotic side in the Revolutionary War, 24 of whom were officers. In the Civil War, upwards of 8,000 Jews participated, although there were but 150,000 Jews in the entire country at that period. In the war with Spain, fully 5,000 men of the Jewish faith served. The War Department shows that over 4,000 furloughs were granted to Jewish soldiers for the purpose of celebrating the French Medaille Militaire, and 174 the Croix de Guerre. American Jews were also included in the casualties. According to formal estimates, there were over 14,000 including 2,800 who made the supreme sacrifice.
Your attention, it proceeds, is particularly directed to the statistics of voluntary enlistments among Jews in this country during the World War, Nearly 40,000 or twenty percent. of the entire Jewish contingent were volunteers.
We wish to refrain from any comparison, which is always odious, but we question whether this record of voluntary enlistment is surpassed, or even equalled, in proportion to population, by any other group. Approximately one quarter of a million Jews served under our colours, this figure being about 4 per cent. of the total number who served in the armed forces; whereas proportionately the Jews in this country form about 3 per cent. of the total population.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
