Dorothy Kraus Memoir - War Declared

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Dorothy Kraus Memoir

War Declared
Several months after our return to Wysokie Litewskie, late in July 1914, war was officially declared and mobilization very quickly got underway.

Jewish families grew frantic about how to keep their sons out of the army. Bribes were distributed. Sudden illness befell many of the men. A number did themselves harm by cutting off a toe or an index finger. Evenings of prayer continued in the synagogue -- moaning and fasting.

All coversations centered on the war. This person had it from reliable sources that such-and-such had already taken place. The war couldn't last long, another said. The kaiser would be whipped in no time, at most one month. The Russian army, the mere size of it would overpower the Germans. And what about the Cossacks? Once they got into the battle, they would make mincemeat out of them. No, no, it couldn't last long!

Secretly the Jews preferred the kaiser. They were pro-German. They hated both the Russians and the Poles and were sure that they would be treated better by the Germans. But one musn't show this preference. The best thing was to keep silent and stay close to the ghetto.

We soon began to feel the war. Refugees were crowding into our village from regions close to the front. Commodities became scarce and prices rose very high, followed by black marketeering. The government posted new requisitions, new taxes, demands for copper, silver, and gold!

Editor's Notes: The declaration of war clearly amplified the common preoccupation of Jews regarding the military draft. Terms of service in the Tzarist army were long, treatment was harsh; induction might mean lifelong exile at best, or forced conversion -- in addition to the many normal hazards of military service in that time.

This material is from Original Page 22 and Original Page 23.

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