As World War I raged, urgent pleas for help came from Jews in Eastern Europe. They were suffering not only from food shortages but also from discrimination and oppression. An estimated two million Jews were entirely dependent on charity. In response, the Orthodox Union in the United States established a relief committee in 1914. When fundraising efforts fell short, they asked President Wilson to designate Jewish War Relief Day. Wilson approved the measure in 1916, noting in his proclamation that Americans “have learned with sorrow of this terrible plight of millions of human beings and have most generously responded to the cry for help whenever such an appeal has reached them.”
Jewish Relief Day became an annual event, and Wilson’s confidence in the generosity of Americans was not misplaced. Americans opened their hearts to the plight of Eastern European Jews. On this date in 1918, the Bismarck Tribune reminded readers that the following day was National Hebrew Relief Day. The federal government, as well as every state government, was participating in the effort. Governor Frazier’s proclamation noted that Jewish Americans had fully supported the war effort and that North Dakotans “can best show our appreciation of their efforts by helping to alleviate the suffering of those of their race in this, their hour of direst need.”
The committee in Bismarck, headed by businessman Alex Rosen, set a goal of five thousand dollars. Although the flu epidemic would limit large fundraising activities, people were reminded that they could mail in donations. Bismarck residents proved to be generous, raising seven hundred fifty dollars before the fundraising effort was officially open.
It is estimated that ten million military personnel from more than two dozen countries were killed during the war, and an additional twenty-three million military personnel were wounded, many suffering horrific injuries. While the United States mourned the one hundred seventeen thousand military personnel who would never come home and those grievously injured, Americans were also aware that an estimated eleven million civilians had been killed during the war, and those who remained were suffering under desperate conditions. North Dakotans stepped up to provide aid for the victims as the war wound down, and their response to Hebrew Relief Day was gratifying.
Dakota Datebook by Dr. Carole Butcher
Sources:
- Bismarck Tribune. “Bismarck Will Raise $5,000 for the Jews.” Bismarck ND. 10/22/1918. Page 8.
- Bismarck Tribune. “Rosen Heads Committee on Jewish Relief.” Bismarck ND. 10/18/1918. Page 5.
- History. “How Many People Died in World War I?” https://www.history.com/news/how-many-people-died-in-world-war-i Accessed 1/10/2024.
- Oxford University. “How hunger shook Europe and the Ottoman Empire after World War I.” https://www.history.ox.ac.uk/article/how-hunger-shook-europe-and-the-ottoman-empire-after-world-war-i#:~:text=The%20Hunger%20Draws%20the%20Map%20project%20is%20revealing,the%20Ottoman%20Empire%E2%80%94for%20years%20after%20the%20war%20ended. Accessed 9/10/2014.
- Yeshiva University. “President Woodrow Wilson, World War I, and Jewish Relief Day, January 16, 1916.” https://www.yu.edu/library/2016/01/26/president-woodrow-wilson-world-war-i-and-jewish-relief-day-january-27-1916 Accessed 9/10/2024.
