War Record of German Jews an Answer to Antis’ Agitation

The Bremen branch of the Union of Jewish ex-Soldiers in Germany had issued the following statement in answer to the anti-Semitic allegations that the Jews had not done their duty during the war:-

According to the last census, there were in Germany 555,000 German Jews (foreign Jews are not counted, since they were not eligible for military service). 84,352 Jews enlisted, that is, 15,3%, or one out of every six to seven Jews.

Of the 84,352 Jewish soldiers, 10,000 (12%) were volunteers, 78% went to the Front, 12% fell in battle, 35,4% were decorated for valour (29,874), 23,2% were promoted (19,545), and 2.4% were raised to the rank of officer (2,022). These figures have been compiled by the Record Office in Berlin.

The number of Jews who fell in the war was:

In Dortmund, out of a total Jewish population of 8,000, 75 (2###); in Hanover, out of a total Jewish population of 4,500, 89 (2%); in Erfurt, out of a total Jewish population of 800, 28 (3.5%); in Bielefeld, out of a total Jewish population of 847,26 (3.3%); in Bremen, out of a total Jewish population of 1,300, 90 (6.9%) were at the Front, 28 fellin battle, and five were awarded the Iron Cross, First Class.

Dietrich Eckart, editor of the Munich anti-Semitic weekly, “Auf gut Deutsch”, offered a prize of 1,000 marks for proof that any Jewish family ever had three sons at the Front for three consecutive weeks. Rabbi Dr. Freund of Hanover sent in a list of twenty Jewish families in this community alone who answered to the description. Dr. Freund also sent in a list of fifty families who had seven sons each at the Front, and each of whom lost three sons in battle. Dietrich Eckart paid over to Dr. Freund the sum offered as prize, and Dr. Freund had it distributed among Jewish welfare organizations.