1st Pandemic Hanukkah, 1918
WWI soldiers mark Thanksgivukkah
The 5th of our first-ever 8 days of Hanukkah Tumblr series featuring surprising Hanukkah-related National Archives records. By Miriam Kleiman, Program Director for Public Affairs.
Original caption: Dr. David De Sola Pool lighting the first Chanukah Candle at Jewish Welfare Hut in Seward Park, New York City. NARA ID 45560983.
Not only did Jewish soldiers in 1918 have to mark the holiday during a war and a pandemic, they also had to combine the Festival of Lights with the Festival of the Harvest. Pictures follow from the combined 1918 Hanukah/Thanksgiving celebration at the Jewish Welfare Hut in Seward Park, NYC.
The Jewish Welfare Board was formed on April 9, 1917, three days after the United States declared war on Germany, to support Jewish soldiers in the U.S. military during World War I. See related records in our online catalog.
Original caption: The Jewish Welfare Board. United War Work Campaign- Week of November 11, 1918. NARA ID 512486.
Original caption: Soldiers enjoying a Thanksgiving and Chanukah dinner at Jewish Welfare Hut, Seward Park, New York City. December 1918. NARA ID 45561003.
Jewish Welfare Board poster, United War Work Campaign, 11/11/1918. NARA ID 512688.
Jewish Welfare Board poster in Yiddish: “Don’t worry, he’ll be alright.” NARA ID 45538782.
Jewish Welfare Board poster in Yiddish: ”Don’t worry, he provides them with everything.” NARA ID 45538774.
ICYMI:
1st Night: 1956 patent application for an unusual menorah with cowboys, horses, tassels, and perhaps mistletoe.
2nd Night: 1926 Sefer Sipur Nes Hanukkah from Baghdad.
3rd Night: the White House Hanukkah party invite with a Xmas tree!
4th Night: mention of Hanukkah in the Rosenberg Trial Grand Jury testimony.
