"We Were There Too"

Interested in the “Great War” experience of Jewish people in Britain? Let me suggest a virtual visit to “British Jews in the First World War: We Were There Too.” 

This multidisciplinary project is an ongoing educational collaboration between multiple British institutions and the Jewish community, weaving together personal stories, historical background, evocative images, and archival resources that reveal the war’s impact on Jewish people in the military and at home. Participating institutions include the Jewish Museum London, the Imperial War Museum, Manchester Central Archives, and the Liverpool Central Archives, among many others.

Solomon Ash diaries and photos

I first heard about “We Were There Too” from my cousin in Manchester, who lent a digitized copy of a diary kept by her grandfather, Solomon Ash (1899-1955).

Company Quartermaster Sgt. Ash served with the Royal Fusiliers 39th Battalion, and he jotted notes as his unit journeyed home from Palestine more than a year after the war ended. My cousin also submitted photos taken by Ash, along with details about his life before and after World War I. The 1920 diary, scanned and transcribed, can be viewed on the Solomon Ash Diary page (excerpt at top).

In all, the "We Were There Too" database includes more than 50,000 Jewish men and women in Britain who were part of the war effort. Project coordinators created a record page for each individual, then appended supporting documents such as Census and military records (sourced from Find My Past, Forces War Records, and Ancestry).

Search and Navigate 

Free to all, the site is an ever-expanding gateway to diverse collections relevant to the Jewish experience in early 20th century wartime Britain. 

Browse the home page for collection highlights and an illustrated timeline of key dates in the period, from Britain declaring war on Germany in 1914 to Armistice Day in 1918. 

Also:

• To search for individuals, use the Personal Record tab at the top of the home page. Advanced search allows variables beyond name, such as region, gender, place of burial, military rank, and awards. At right, part of the personal record page of Solomon Ash, with family history and photos and other details.
• The Discover tab leads to fascinating historical vignettes about Jewish nurses, immigration from Russia, Jewish recipients of the Victoria Cross, and much more. These pieces, often with research notes and links, provide background on various aspects of the war that affected Jewish people in Britain.
• For added social and historical context, use the Collections tab to access a wide array of digitized materials, from stereoscopic images and wartime letters to period maps and old school photos.

I highly recommend “We Were There Too” for fresh, first-hand perspectives into the military and home front experiences of Jewish men and women in Britain during World War I.

More June Weddings - My Side of the Family

Here are some of the June weddings on my side of the family and what I learned about them during my research:

• June 3, 1934: Above, an invite to the wedding of Rachel Chazan and Solomon Ash in Manchester, England, 84 years ago. The invitee, "N. Block," turned out to be Nellie Block, older sister of my paternal Grandpa Isaac Burk. In 1901, Isaac had lived in Manchester with the parents of the bride, en route from Lithuania to his new home in North America. Once a cousin unearthed this invite, I quickly connected with descendants of this family in Manchester (hi, cousins!). And only last year, I connected with more descendants of Grandpa Isaac's other siblings (hi, cousins!).
• June 7, 1930: My mother's uncle Fred Farkas married Charlotte Chapman 88 years ago in Chicago. His career and growing family meant he rarely returned to New York City, where the Farkas Family Tree association was based. Staying in touch, Fred and Charlotte wrote letters to be read out loud during these family meetings. WWII letters indicate that some Farkas family members serving in the military were able to visit Fred and Charlotte on leave during the 1940s.
• June 10, 1906: Happily for me, Isaac Burk married Henrietta Mahler on this day, 112 years ago, in the NYC apartment of the bride's family. (Hi, Grandma and Grandpa!) Interestingly, the 1905 NY Census shows Isaac as a boarder in the Mahler apartment in Manhattan, along with Isaac's brother, Meyer Berg. Could Isaac's family have put him in touch with Henrietta's parents to arrange a place to stay, and then love bloomed within close quarters? 
• June 14, 1932: Morris Mahler, brother of my grandma Henrietta Mahler,  married Carrie Etschel 86 years ago in New York City. Both bride and groom were in their 40s when they married, against the wishes of my father's Mahler family (because of religious differences). Relatives told me they were happy together, which makes me happy.