Lapel Pin of the Austrian Army Veteran Organization of Jews who served in World War I
1919
Cast silver
Museum Collection
Must Know
BJF stands for Federation of Jewish War Veterans (Bund jüdischer Frontsoldaten in German) and was worn by Jewish soldiers to signify their membership to the organisation.
An increase in anti-Semitic riots and violence led Jewish soldiers of the Austrian army to establish the BJF in 1932. The BJF, organised hierarchically and militarily, defended Austrian Jews and Judaism against anti-Semitic accusations by spreading Jewish positive propaganda through their journal “Jewish Front” (Jüdische Front in German). Additionally they actively established various Jewish remembrance memorials in Austrian cities. The aim of the BJF was to spread remembrance of Jewish military service during the Great War and to strengthen a common Austrian Jewish identity.
More Info
During the collapse of the Habsburg Monarchy, an umbrella term for the German dynasty that ruled many parts of Europe throughout the 2nd millennium, the identity of Jews and their civil rights begun to be questioned. Their position as a minority religious group resulted in anti-Semitic attacks committed by National Socialists, riots and public violence throughout the beginning of the 20th century. In 1933 the BJF began fighting against the Austrian fascist regime by organising various subgroups (women’s group, youth groups) as well as political activities such as propaganda, event protection, memory activities and demonstration.
The first leader of the BJF was Major General Emil Sommer. he fought against many of the struggles Jewish Austrians faced at the time such as anti-Semitic comradeship during the war, brotherhood for Jewish soldiers and Jewish solidarity. The strived to unite the fragmented Jewish population of Austria under the leadership of the BJF.
Beyond military affairs, BJF fought for the civil rights of Jewish people within Austria. Sommer and other soldiers legitimised their activities within the BJF through a social recognition of their patriotic military service for the Habsburg army. Their hierarchical and almost military structure within the organisation acted as an effective basis for overcoming social and political differences for Jews in Austria.
