Centenary of the Publication of the Jewish Book of Honour

Our speaker Paula Kitchling will speak about the Jewish Book of Honour, first published in 1922. 

The comprehensive 1000 plus page volume, which contains some 50,000 records of Jews who served in the armed forces during the conflict between 1914-1918, was the result of meticulous research by the Reverend Michael Adler, the senior Jewish Chaplain of the British Army at the time.

Adler published 3000 copies of the hefty volume which responded to a very human need.  Members of the community who lost loved ones in the conflict were able to remember them and it provided hard evidence of the contribution to the war effort, and the price paid in human terms, at a time of growing anti-Semitism.

Paula Kitching (MSc) is a historian and writer, specialising in war, genocides and cultural history.  Paula has written for educational publications, books, museums, and website publication. As a freelancer Paula has advised, initiated and led projects on the Holocaust, 20th century conflicts and minority and ethnic histories.  She has worked for: The Department of Education and Skills; The Royal British Legion; the Historical Association; the London Jewish Cultural Centre; The Association of Jewish ex-servicemen and women - AJEX; and Believe in Me.

For over 15 years Paula has been a history guide and continues to take groups to the Western Front, Normandy, Krakow and Berlin. Recently she has led the Royal Air Force centenary project ‘RAF100Schools’ – an RAF funded project for the Historical Association working with the Institute of Physics. Paula is the Public Engagement and outreach manager for the Historical Association, and she is currently the Historian on We Were There Too, British Jews and the First World War and for AJEX.

In February 2019 her book Britain’s Jews and the First World War (Amberley Press) was published.