The encounter of German Jews with the Jews of the East European shtetl was among the many fascinating aspects of the First World War. It was on the Eastern front that the largest armies clashed, and the greatest number of (mostly Jewish) civilians were displaced. As German troops moved further East, the local Gentile population started pogroms against the Jews, who were seen as sympathetic with the occupying forces.

For many Jews World War I became a watershed that opened their eyes to the real sentiments felt by many Germans. For Hermann Struck this experience underscored his belief that the only salvation for Jews lay in a Jewish homeland.