| This title translates as "Honor board" and the middle two page spread is a listing of those that fell in defense of the Fatherland from 1914-1918 from the Essen area.
Reichsbund jüdischer Frontsoldaten (RjF)[ Reich League of Jewish Frontline Soldiers] was created in February 1919 on the initiative of Leo Löwenstein. Its objective was protection against antisemitism in Germany because of the fact that about 85,000 Jews had fought on the German side during World War I, (from which about 12,000 fell.) The RjF had more than 30,000 members and the number of members rose occasionally to approximately 55,000.
In contrast to the Zionists, the RjF aimed at the integration of the Jews into the German society. This goal was credited with allowing Jews to be trained in occupations which had been blocked to them for centuries, i.e. agriculture and handcrafts. This training proved useful to those Jews who emigrated prior to World War II. By 1936 the RjF was forbidden to have any political activity, and 1938 it was dissolved completely.
A book was published on this subject by Ulrich Dunker: The realm federation of Jewish front soldiers 1919 -1938: the history of a Jewish defense association. (Droste, Duesseldorf 1977). |
