Integration and Americanization were the twin components of the mes-
sage sent by the Jewish leaders to the community. Schiff, who always op-
posed Jewish separatism except on religious grounds, dismissed ideas of
separate Jewish combat units or Jewish liberty loan drives. Wartime condi-
tions also led him to suggest that the Hebrew Technical Institute be
opened to non-Jews. But convincing Jews of the blessings of integrating
with non-Jews was but half the problem. It took two to integrate, and ac-
ceptance of Jews by the larger society was often less than cordial. Discrimi-
nation in the form of slurs against Jews and exclusion appeared in the
armed forces, in other government agencies, and in private institutions.
(One businessman reported that government representatives asked him in
all innocence, “Is it not true that the Jews are all internationalists and have
no national patriotism?”)^43 Although discrimination was more the product
of traditional anti-Semitism than a response to Jewish wartime conduct,
defenders like Schiff and Marshall refused to admit that Jewish behavior
made little difference. They assumed that Jews could break down prejudice
by a show of patriotism and efforts at integration, and they ignored the fact
that American hyperpatriotism was itself to blame for discrimination. In
practice, Schiff labored on two separate fronts. He urged the Jewish com-
munity to keep to a strict American course at the same time that he fought
against anti-Semitism and for Jewish equality.
For years the banker had been a loyal worker and generous donor to the
numerous relief drives of the Red Cross. He served as treasurer of the New
York County chapter, trustee of the endowment fund, and member of the
International Relief Board. Acting on a suggestion from Lillian Wald, he
donated $100,000 to found the Town and Country Nursing Service for the
benefit of rural communities. His wartime contributions, exclusive of the
purchase of five ambulances and the loan of his summer home to convales-
cent nurses, came to several hundred thousand dollars. That record easily
permitted him to test his influence within the organization.^44
In 1917, Schiff became aware that the Red Cross was excluding Jews
from high office. America’s entry into the war had magnified the gravity of
the issue. Now the Red Cross, no longer neutral, was virtually an auxiliary
of the armed forces. Since the stewards were striving at the same time to
prove unalloyed Jewish patriotism, discrimination by the organization was
tantamount to government mistrust. In a quiet attempt to dispel the preju-
dice, Schiff determined, as he put it, to show how valuable the Jews were to
the Red Cross. Chosen to head one of thirty fund-raising teams in a mam-
moth relief campaign, he picked only Jews for his team. Much to his satis-
faction, they raised over $11,000 in one week and went on to rank among
the top four teams.^45
The World at War 203