Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1919-03-07
RECORDS SHOW
Jews DID PART
INFIGHTINGW WAR
Contributed More Than Their
Proportionate Quota to
Armed Forces of the Unit
ed States

NEW YORK. March THAT the
Jews of America have contributed
more than their proportionate quota
to the armed forces of the United
States in the war is shown in the Of
fetal War Record of American
Jews" which has just been issued
by the American Jewish committee,
through it's office of war records, at
81 Union Square, New York city.
While the report does not pre-
tend to be complete record Of the
activities Of all Jews who responded
to the call of their country it is suf-
fciently comprehensive to indicate
the important part that they played.
The total number of Jews in the
military and naval service of the
United States is estimated at from
five per cent of the total personnel
of the American forces at the time
the armist1ce was signed. The Jew
ish element in the general population
Of the United States is about three
per cent. The Jews of America have
therefore, according to these figures,
contributed at least one-third more
than their proportionate share.
This excess is explained by the
presence of about 10000 Jewish VOL
unteers in the service. Other con-
tributing factors were to be found
in the more effective operation of
the draft system in the thickly popu-
lated urban centers of the north and
east, which happen also to be the
centers of Jewish population, and in
fact the majority of exemptions on
industrial grounds were chiefly in
agriculture, mining and in the metal
industries, where Jews are not tx
tensively employed.
The lilies of the office Of Jewish
war records already contain over
100000 individual records, of which
about $4,000 have been infinitely clas-
gified and tabulated. The number of
Jewish commissioned officers so far
recorded include 5,162 in the army.
| 206 in the navy and 40 in the marine
corps. 1t is probable, however, that
these numbers will be more than
doubled when the record will finally
be completed. The highest rank
reached by Jews is that of brigadier
corps, and rear admiral in the navy.
The readiness of American Jews
| to fight for their country is shown
by the fact that ~ per cent of those
in the army were in the combat
| branches, while in the army as d
these branches. Their casual lies
amount to about 10000, Of whom
probably 1900 were killed in action
| Other evidences Of the quality of
| their courage is found in the long
| list of citations for valor furnished
| in the report and in the testimony
of commanding officers like General
Bell, Lieutenant Colonel Whittlesey
and Captain Harrigan, who trained
the Jewish recruits in camp or leo
them in action.
From information now at hand
concludes the report, which is signed
by Julian Leavitt. the director ii
has become apparent that the record
| of Jewish war service, when fully
developed, will demonstrate conclu
sively that the same qualities which
enabled the Jew to survive through
the centuries-his capacity to endure
without breaking, prolonged and in
tense nerve strain; his initiative. his
elasticity of mind, his faculty fo1
| organization, and above all, his ideal
ism-have also enabled him to fl
himself successfully into a demo
cratic army fighting for world de-
| mOcr3cV"