No matter how advanced a Jew may be - even one who has severed all ties from his fellow Jews and is thoroughly emancipated - yet in the event of a great national catastrophe, or when a problem arises that concerns the whole world, he may feign indifferences as to its effects on his own people, yet in his subconsciousness the fate and interest of his people will concern him deeply. When was was declared in the Congress of the United States against Spain, the Jews of this country were instantly aroused. The reasons ascribed for their interest were two-fold, to demonstrate their patriotism and loyalty to the country which had given them a home and a place of refuge; and they would take part in a war to help two oppressed nations, Cuba and Porto Rico in their struggle for liberty and independence, against the yoke of Spain. But back of the two obvious reasons there was a third one which was not openly admitted by the Jew, even to himself; namely a secret desire to avenge the thousands of Jewish martyrs who perished during the days of the Inquisition. These three reasons, each of which was sufficient to stir the heart of every Jew, who was able to bear arms, and give his life in a conflict for his beloved United States and against his old foe, Spain. It enkindled a flame in the hearts of American Jewry which broke out into a conflagration. Three violent passions of the human heart were now at play in the soul of the 2 American Jew: Patriotism, love of liberty, and revenge. Therefore, the Jews answered the call to arms with a whole-hearted spontaneity. The cities' recruiting stations were filled with Jewish lads who came to enlist in the Army and Navy to get the chance to fight against Spain. The war spirit was not late in coming to Chicago and like everywhere in the country, Jewish lads were the first among those who hurried to the recruiting stations. The children of the immigrants, and many of whom were immigrants themselves, were eager to rally around the flag of the Stars and Stripes, to pay the debt of gratitude with their hearts' blood. They wanted to fight for the freedom of an oppressed people, for the glory of their newly adopted country and for the honor of their race. But the call issued by President McKinley was for 125,000 men only, and therefore, a very small percentage was chosen of the many thousands who volunteered. The lucky ones, who were favored by the god of war and were sent to the scene of action, considered themselves very fortunate.

The mind pauses here for a moment's reflection on the great change wrought in the soul of the Jew in so short a time. The contrast is most amazing. In the land of the Czars he made every effort to escape military service; in the 3new land he made every effort to give his very life in return for the privileges which he received. The peace-loving dweller of the Ghetto is eager to become a soldier to help share in the great victory, which he knew, was to be ours. As the number of men required was small, admission to the Army or Navy was almost impossible. Many of our youths were so desperate that they joined the Standing Army, under the usual contract of three year's service. The "Volunteers of Zion," after it exerted every possible effort and pulled all the wires, its members found themselves sadly disappointed in not being able to reach their goal. A certain Col. Koch, a retired officer of the United States Army, set out to organize a regiment of volunteers. It was said that he is well connected politically, and was highly regarded in military circles. It was conceded all around that his regiment will surely be accepted by Uncle Sam. The regiment was largely composed of Jews. The Volunteers of Zion made application to Col. Koch, to be entered as a unit. Here memory fails me as to how the colonel acted on the petition, but I remember distinctly that Koch's regiment did not see service in the Spanish-American war; it disbanded and many of its members sought to enter the war through some other means. With the dissolution of the Koch regiment vanished also the hopes of the Volunteers of Zion. The most disappointed ones in that group were the three commissioned 4officers: Major Davidson, Captain Herman Weiss, and Captain I. Harris, who were devoted to the cause of Zionism, and saw an excellent opportunity of effective propaganda for their cause, by the rendition of service to the country. Dr. Gustav Blech succeeded in being sent to the front in his professional capacity as a physician. It is impossible to ascertain the exact number of soldiers Chicago Jews contributed to the Spanish-American war; however, the different statements in various publications were incorrect. For an example, in none of the publications which we had the occasion to examine is mentioned the name of Abel Davis who laid the foundation in that war to become the Brigadier General in the World War; and so are the names of many other gallant heroes omitted in those publications.