The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-09-25
JEWS IN THE ARMY.
MANY EXPERIENCED THE mann
SHIPS OF THE SANTIAGO CAM
PAIGN.
rive Thousand Volunteers Were Of
fered From New York City Alone.
A Gallant Record In Both ARMY
md NnNr

fered From New York CITY Alone.
A Gallant Record In Both ARMY
and Navy.
From the New York Tribune.
The order which was issued by Adjt. Gen.
Corbin granting burroughs to soldiers of the
Jewish faith who wished to attend relg
ious services during the holidays which be-
gan on Friday evening, caused some COM
ment, and a little criticism from those
people who thought the order uncalled for,
because they believed that there were no
Jews in the United States Army.
The records have not been complied. and
cannot be perfected for some time to come
but the men who have given the matter
attention estimate the number of Jews
In the army and the navy at about four
thousand. They have been recruited from
all parts of the country and from all walks
OF life, and include many officers. In the
INQUIRY INTO the Maine disaster, which pre-
cipitated the conflict with Spain, a Jew,
Lieut. Commander Mark acted as Judge
advocate, and Jews We're among the SOL
dlers who saluted the flag as it was bofsted
over the municipal building at Santiago
There was not an engagement during the
war In which Jews did not take part. and
many Jewish names appear on the lists of
Killed and wounded and of those who died
IN hospitals. When the war broke out tho
Jews showed much interest in the nend-
ing contest, and one of the east side iargon
papers said: '"1 sun
we do not only remember the Maine
Dut we remember also the horrible perse-
CJIlOnS H.
the torture chamber, and the synagoenes
converted into slaughter pens bv the Snan-
larus. we remember that our brother Teu,s
were driven away from their homes and
that, through the tyranny of Spain tbev
became poor wanderers, although they left
fortunes behind to be coniscated by the
prosecutors. We love the country where
we have found freedom, and we can show
II by taking up arms with 1t against o11r
old enemy" 'Ui
IL was then proposed to recruit vol,,n
teer organizations in the Ghetto. and have
JeWlsh companies, and possibly battal-
IONS or regiments. a prominent Jewish
citlzenu went so far as to telegram 70
President Mckinley that 5000 Jews were
ready at his call in New York citv alone
But the movement was not encouraged nv
the leaders in the Jewish communitv who
said that Jewish regiment would he nm
american, and as much out of place as a
military body. But they encouraged men
to enlist, mot as Jews, but as American
cltzens,' and IN that way they Joined the
army, and every regiment which left New
York had Jews either in its ranks or
among its officers.
among those who enlisted were MANY
VINO belonged to the ultra-orthodox cIasS
some people wondered how they would
manage to exist on rations comnose6 IN
part OF pork, which Is considered unclean
according to the ancient dietary laws One
OF the rabbis who was instrumental in se-
curing the furlough order said on this
point:
There are no laws in the Jewish faith
which outweigh the laws of the land and
no matter where the Jew NAV live If is
his duty to conform to the laws of the
land, and, being in the army IT is tba
duty to subsist as the orders prescribe
Even the observance of the Sabbath is NOT
compulsory when its observance conflicts
with the Jewish duties as a citizen and
this point was decided in the time Of the
Maccabeans."
Although there are no Jewish chaplains
in the army there have been Jewish relI
gious services at several of the camps on
occasions when soldiers wished to cele-
pirate death anniversary or when tie
last rites for the dead were read.
Max Cohen, the secretary of the Ortho-
dox Jewish Congregational Union of Amer
lea, said:
The Jew had a large representation in
the volunteer army, which Is now being
dlsbanded, and the history of modern
wars shows that wherever the Jews have
the rights of citizens they become SOL
diers. During the Franco-German war
services were held on an important holiday
in the field, at which hundreds of Jewish
soldiers worshipped, and the records show
that similar services were held In the South
during the war of the rebellion Many of
the Jews who were members of the pres
ent volunteer army have been discharged,
but 1t is believed that the names will be
reported, so that the fact may be estab-
lished that the Jew did his share of the
fighting"
1t was the assertion on the part of a
well known writer that the Jews took no
part In the civil war that caused Simon
Wolf to gather statistics on the subject.
which We're published in book form and
read with great interest. In this book it
was shown that the Jews were identified
with the first steps which led toward in
dependence. The author says:
They not only risked their lives in the
war for independence but aided mate
rally with their money TO equip and
maintain the armies of the revolution
That they took part in the earliest stages
of resistance to the encroacfIments OF the
mother county is proved by the signatures
to the non-importation resolutions of f765
Nine Jews were among the sisners of these
resolutions, the adoption of which was the
first organized movement in the agitation