GI Jews : How World War II Changed a Generation

Rating:
Summary: A superb telling of the Jewish GIs' story in World War II
Review: Deborah Dash Moore's GI Jews is a moving book which provides insight into the Jewish American experience in World War II. Following the tales of more than fifteen Jewish GIs from before the United States' involvement in World War II through their return home, Moore paints a picture of what it was like to be a Jewish American and a Jewish American soldier in World War II.

Focusing primarily on the European Theater where American Jews were fighting not just for their country but also for the fate of European Jews, Moore discusses how Jewish GIs dealt with their Jewishness and integrated their religion into their identity as a soldier. Moore begins by describing how American Jews who would later fight in the war reacted to the outbreak of war in Europe. The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor and Nazi domination of the European continent forced many of these men to reevaluate their philosophies and fight in support of FDR's four essential freedoms.

But before these men could engage the true enemy, they had to battle anti-semitism while trying to enlist in the United States' armed forces and also later on when confronting the prejudices of their fellow soldiers who believed Jews were cowards, sloths, poor soldiers and poor leaders. These Jewish GIs would go on to prove themselves in battle, but first they would be forced to fight for their comrades' respect as soldiers.

Along the way, Jewish GIs would also come face to face with Nazi persecution and slaughter of Europe's Jews, and Moore spends some time describing the ways Jewish GIs reacted to what they saw of the Holocaust. Several of the men were Zionists before the war, but Moore describes how witnessing the effect of the Holocaust first hand made many Jewish Gis ardent Zionists.

This book is simply a superb and well-written account of the Jewish GI experience. As such, it provides a much needed and unique perspective on World War II.

Rating:
Summary: GI jews
Review: it rocked my socks off. i cant believe it. i was bored one day at my mothers house and i read it. WOW