Not everyone knows about Bencin Riseman and his service to the United States military. He was a Russian immigrant who served on the Mexican border in 1916 after joining the Massachusetts National Guard. He returned to his Boston home when the conflict came to an end.
However, he felt the need for a growing military in the United States. The reason was the raging of the Great War in Europe. In an unofficial capacity, he started the recruitment of young American Jews and trained them for the military.
The Guard of Israel
As a member of Company H of the Fifth Massachusetts Infantry, he issued appeals in the Boston Jewish media. This was for the young men to join the ‘Guard of Israel’, an organization he had formed. It was headquartered in an ethnically diverse neighborhood in the West End. The neighborhood had a growing population of Jewish people.
One of the reports say that 75 men had enrolled in Riseman’s organization. His goal was to have 150 members in the Guard of Israel. He had talked about his earlier service in Texas during an interview. He said that he was willing to back the Jewish soldier against all for loyalty, sobriety, intelligence, and bravery. For over a thousand Jewish soldiers on the Mexican border, he had acted as a rabbi.
Having spent a considerable amount of time with these soldiers, he knew a lot about their abilities. They had responded well to discipline. These young soldiers had demonstrated this at the time of the Passover. They were given three days off for the Jewish holiday. All of them had returned at the end of the given time in sobriety and in good shape.
Riseman and family in World War I
The year 1917, marked the entry of the United States in the First World War. Bencin Riseman and his entire family stood up for the nation’s cause. He and his son Jay served in the 101st Infantry of the 26th Division in Europe. Another son of Bencin Riseman, Joseph, received his commission towards the end of World War I. Bencin’s daughter, Rita, was a nurse with the Red Cross.
In 1918, the 26th Division’s Jewish soldiers serving in Europe were in need of a Jewish chaplain. Riseman volunteered and was appointed chaplain for them. In his interview, he recalled getting the Jewish soldiers together in the woods. He had a shofar, some talaisim, and some prayer books. As soon as the prayers began, it started to rain.
At the end of the services, as he blew the shofar, the bugler sounded the Assembly Call. Riseman gave his blessings to the young soldiers, knowing that many of them probably won’t come back. When the bombs stopped, he went over in safety. When he looked back after crossing the section, he saw the bombs falling again.
Return from Europe
Towards the end of the war, Riseman returned from Europe. He continued the recruitments as Sergeant Riseman, but he had a broader focus this time. He ran the Lewiston, Maine recruiting station after joining the Army Recruiting Service. In the October 1920 issue, the U.S. Army Recruiting News acknowledged Riseman for his service.