NOTE This first report of the Office of Jewish War Records does not pretend to be a complete record of Jewish service and sacrifice in the great war. Manifestly, such a record cannot be completed until long after demobilization. The present report is limited, therefore, to such fragmentary data as was made available by a first, preliminary, survey. All figures are as of December 31, 1918, unless otherwise stated, and are subject to constant revision as new data becomes accessible. Additional reports and studies will be issued from time to time before the publication of the final report. JULIAN LEAVITT, Director. DR. CYRUS ADLER, Chairman, Sir: Executive Committee, American Jewish Committee. I have the honor to submit herewith a report upon the collection of Jewish War Statistics. The monumental character of the undertaking-as an instrument wherewith to combat certain manifestations of anti-Jewish prejudice in the immediate present, and as a collection of source material invaluable for Jewish historiography and demography in the future has become fully apparent within the past year. It has been impossible, however, because of limitations of time, of funds, and of office accommodation, to render full justice to the work. Now that the war is happily drawing to a close the range and extent of the work still to be done may be definitely measured. In order to bring the undertaking to a successful conclusion it appears to be necessary: (1) To devote increased effort in the directions that have been followed hitherto with reasonable success especially in the organization of local surveys. among the Jewish communities. (2) To renew the effort to procure records from the official sources at Washington. (3) To establish communications with Jewish agencies at points of embarkation in France, in order to secure, on the ground, the records of Jewish service with the American Expeditionary Forces, before the process of demobilization sets in actively. Respectfully submitted, November 10, 1918. JULIAN LEAVITT, Director. REPORT UPON THE COLLECTION OF JEWISH WAR RECORDS At the last annual meeting of the American Jewish Committee the first since our entrance into the war-the Executive Committee expressed the belief "that an effort should be made to collect and record as much statistical and other information with regard to the participation of the Jews in the military and civilian activities of the United States in connection with the war as is possible to procure feeling certain that the possession of adequate information of this character will be of interest to all Jews." Within the past year the collection of this data has proceeded vigorously and systematically, with the result that there is available today a mass of information of extraordinary value both for immediate purposes and for ultimate historic uses. A detailed presentation of the methods employed in the investigation, the difficulties encountered, and the partial successes achieved, will be found in the Appendix (page 30) which is a reprint of an article first published in the current American Jewish Year Book and submitted as a part of this report. The outstanding facts developed in the course of the inquiry to date may be summarized as follows: (1) The total number of individual records collected to this date* is well in excess of 100,000. Many of these records have been forwarded directly from *All figures are as of December 31, 1918, unless otherwise stated. 7 |
