Jewish Women in the Civil War

The Jewish Daily Forward recently profiled six Jewish women who played important roles in the Civil War.

About 10,000 Jewish men fought in the Civil War, for both the Union and Confederate armies. When these soldiers set off for battle, they left behind their wives, sisters and daughters, who stayed to raise the children and run the households and, sometimes, the family businesses.

But not all these women stayed focused on only domestic or local activities. Instead, many found a way to participate in the war, through relief associations to aid sick and wounded soldiers and benevolent organizations to help women whose husbands and sons were off fighting or injured.

Unlike today, where women are gaining greater access to combat jobs, the ladies of the day could not serve in any direct military activity. However, these women helped in many ways to support their respective side. Surprisingly the majority of them were in the south and devoted their time to helping the Confederacy.

Even those these ladies weren’t technically “Jews in Green” (or Gray & Blue in this case), they made an important impact on our military and our country. It’s an interesting read and brings light to a mostly overlooked topic.