October 1916: The German Military’s Jewish Census
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October 1916: The German Military’s Jewish Census ( Judenzählung ) (Jewish Census) In October 1916, the Prussian War Ministry conducted the Judenzählung , also referred to as the “Jew Count” or “ Judenstatistik ,” a census of Jewish soldiers serving in the German army. The Judenzählung operated on unfounded accusations that Jews were shirking frontline military service and attempted to ascertain the number of Jewish soldiers in combat units relative to those serving in rear-area support roles behind the front lines. Table of Contents 1 Introduction 2 Reasons for the Judenzählung 3 Flaws in the Census 4 Conclusion: Effects of the Census Notes Selected Bibliography Citation Introduction The Prussian War Minister, Adolf Wild von Hohenborn (1860-1925) initiated the Judenzählung on 11 October 1916. The Judenzählung was a response to the demands of the anti-Semitic circles in the army and the Reichstag who accused Jews of deliberately evading front-line military servic