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Jewish Welfare Board Uniform

National Museum of American History

Object Details

Description
Women's Jewish Welfare Board (JWB) uniform from World War I, consisting of hat, coat, shirtwaist, tie, skirt, and insignia. Coat and skirt are olive green wool gabardine, shirt is white dimity, hat is blue cotton, and tie is blue silk. Metal "U.S." insignia on coat lapel and cloth "J.W.B." patch with Star of David background on shouler and hat. Donated by the Jewish Welfare Board through The National Society of the Colonial Dames of America.
The Jewish Welfare Board (JWB) was organized shortly after America’s entry into World War I, consolidating religious groups in the Jewish community to become an official agency to work with the War Department through its Commission on Training Camp Activities. It was modeled after the Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA) and the Knights of Columbus, and other organizations that in World War I adapted military-like uniforms for women and men volunteers. The JWB built buildings and stocked libraries on army installations and distributed books, articles, Bibles, and prayer books supplied through its affiliation with the Jewish Publication Society. It established community branches in the “second line of defense,” by supporting Jewish workers in the shipyards, arsenals, and other military plants and factories, as well as hospitals and universities where the government had taken over under military regulations. Following the Armistice, under direction of the Navy Department, the JWB transferred its peacetime work to veteran’s hospitals and enlarged Jewish community centers.
associated date
1914-1918
ID Number
1998.0165.25.02
accession number
1998.0165
catalog number
1998.0165.25.02
Object Name
skirt
Other Terms
skirt; Woman; Jewish Welfare Board
Physical Description
green (overall color)
wool (overall material)
Measurements
overall: 39 in x 32 in x 20 in; 99.06 cm x 81.28 cm x 50.8 cm
overall (mounted): 39 in x 32 in x 20 in; 99.06 cm x 81.28 cm x 50.8 cm
See more items in
Military and Society: Armed Forces History, Military
Military
Clothing & Accessories
Women's World War I Uniforms
Exhibition
Price of Freedom
Exhibition Location
National Museum of American History
National Museum of American History
related event
World War I
Record ID
nmah_435532
Metadata Usage (text)
CC0
GUID (Link to Original Record)
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ng49ca746a2-4f93-704b-e053-15f76fa0b4fa

Related Content

  • Jewish American Heritage Month

Jewish Welfare Board Uniform with USN Yeoman (F) hat
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