Guide to the Papers of Milton Weill (1891-1975)
undated, 1917–1954

P-34

Series I: World War I personal correspondence and documents, 1918-1919.

Arrangement:

Arranged by type of material

Scope and Content:

Included here are letters, telegrams, postcards, maps, and several artifacts such as Weill’s officer’s identity card, his officer’s record book, a coupon book of exemptions from French luxury tax, some French currency, and a notebook of 1918 clippings from The Stars and Stripes (an eight-page weekly published by the U.S. Army, on presses borrowed from Paris newspaper plants, to provide news from home and promote a sense of unity among soldiers stationed in France^*). MAP folders contain two oversized maps of France and one of Belgium.

• ^*The Stars and Stripes: The American Soldiers’ Newspaper of World War I, 1918-1919. From the Library of Congress site: http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/sgphtml/sashtml/sashome.html.

Series II: National Jewish Welfare Board, 1941-1946.

Arrangement:

Arranged by type of material.

Scope and Content:

This material consists mostly of internal Board correspondence, including many items in which Weill was a “cc” ("carbon copy") recipient, and some speeches. The memos and letters discuss combating anti-Semitism, promoting interfaith harmony, confronting public relations issues presented in published articles or wartime radio broadcasts, and the duties of army chaplains. Some interesting items are illustrated “unity messages” promoting the idea that all soldiers of all faiths are fighting together (these appeared on public posters); a 1943 letter from singer Eddie Cantor regarding his performance of a song, “The Smiths and the Jones, (the Kellys and the Cohens)” and a copy of the lyrics; correspondence about a controversial parody of the “Marine Hymn”; a New York Times photo (March 18, 1945) with the caption, “Jewish Services Held in Home of Dr. Goebbels”; a series of 1946 letters describing conditions for Jews in Latin American countries; a memo describing a letter from Harpo Marx—while on a USO Camp Show tour, the performer found an anti-Semitic book, You’re a Hard Mon, Goldberg, in an army base PX store; and a USO thank-you note to Weill for his donation of a battery-powered radio. One clipping in Folder 11 is in Yiddish.

Series III: Steinberg, Milton, Rabbi, 1937–1954.

Arrangement:

The series in in chronological order.

Scope and Content:

This group includes correspondence, some with Mrs. Milton Weill—the Weills were friends with the Steinbergs as well as members of Park Avenue Synagogue, where Milton Weill served as trustee. Some correspondence pertains to a 1949 lecture delivered by Steinberg: “Commentary Magazine: Benefit or Detriment to American Judaism?” The lecture addressed Commentary’s editorial policy of neglecting articles on vital aspects of Jewish life, such as religious observance and education; of presenting an anti-Zionist view; and of projecting condescension toward Jewish views and practices. Included are some responses to the lecture and a confidential memo from Rabbi Steinberg to Commentary’s editorial board. A service program in Folder 26 contains Hebrew.

Series IV: Typescript Copies of Dramatic Sketches, undated.

Arrangement:

The series is arranged in chronological order.

Scope and Content:

Two folders contain one handwritten and several typescript manuscripts of dramatic sketches, many of which are untitled and form the dialogue for musicals accompanied by a song order. Only one notes an author, Merry Men and the Merry Maids in Melody and Song, by Amelia Morgenroth.

Series V: Scrapbook: World War I service (Oversized), 1917–1919.

Arrangement:

Materials appear in original order.

Scope and Content:

The first dated item in this mostly un-annotated scrapbook is a 1917 Notice of Call to Appear for Physical Examination, followed by a 1917 Notice of Certification to District Board, a draft summons, and then a photo of Weill in uniform. Succeeding these official notices are several undated pages from the YMHA Bulletin, of which Weill served as editor. The first Bulletin page, headed “Good-Bye, Milton Weill!,” includes his photo and states, “We dedicate this page to Milton Weill, our brother member and editor, who left for the front a few days ago.” The next Bulletin page, headed “Our Honor Roll,” lists Weill as Army Sergeant. The last one, headed “’All Aboard for Camp Upton,’ by Sergeant Milton Weill,” is a one-page article describing the Camp Upton environment and daily routine, including several photos. In later Bulletin pages from 1917, Weill describes Camp activities under the heading “Somewhere on Long Island.”

To continue his editorial activity, Weill initiated The Bugler, an upbeat Camp Upton newsletter. The masthead states, “Published weekly by Co. D 307 Infantry, Editor, Milton Weill”; and “PRICEless” appears at the right margin. Under the heading “Editorial” for the October 6, 1917 issue: “The Bugler makes its reveille call with this issue.” Facing this are undated newspaper clippings pertaining to the Camp. Following are other Bugler issues from 1917 through 1918.

Some official notices are then interspersed with entertainment-related announcements. The notices include a 1917 U.S. Army certificate appointing Weill as Sergeant, Company D, 307th Infantry (together with a three-chevron fabric patch); a 1918 Certificate of Graduation from Third Officers’ Training School at Camp Upton (together with a group photo labeled “Officers’ T.S. 3d. Co. 4th Platoon 4th Sq. Camp Upton”); a 1918 Certificate from Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of the State of New York; and a 1918 acceptance of commission of Second Lieutenant (together with a metal pin). On the lighter side are an undated menu from the first Camp Upton “weekly dinner” and entertainment program; an poster for “307th Infantry Night, 44th St. Theatre, Sunday, Nov’r 25”; an undated postcard to “Ma”; 1918 issues of the YMCA publication, The Daily Rumor, including announcements of concerts, plays, and a baseball game with army performers and players; French advertisements, tickets and programs to shows; envelopes from the French Red Cross; and a Knights of Columbus War Activities publication announcing a Big Minstrel Show—with a handwritten note and arrow: “That’s the show.”

The year 1919 also produced a mixture of documents and few mementos. In a July 12, 1919 Certificate of Honorable Discharge from the Army of the United States, Weill is described as “Adv. Manager, brown eyes and hair, dark complexion, 5 feet 8 ¼ inches in height.” Medical records show inhalation of mustard gas, October 9, 1918. The American Expeditionary Forces Headquarters of Supply issued undated “extracts” indicating permission to travel and a seven-day leave-of-absence permit for travel to Nice. Then we see photos, a French hotel bill, and a map of Nice, followed by undated programs of plays performed by soldiers at the YMCA Trianon Theatre.

Possibly the most historically significant item in this scrapbook is a 1918 program for “Yip Yip Yaphank, a military ‘mess’ cooked up by the boys of Camp Upton, (in aid of the fund to establish a community house at Camp Upton for the wives, mothers, and sweethearts who visit their boys at camp.)” The words and music were by Sergeant Irving Berlin, and the entire production was under his personal direction. A biography of Irving Berlin (born Israel Baline) in the Jewish Virtual Library_¥ states:

• In World War I, he wrote the musical Yip, Yip, Yaphank, which was produced by the men of Camp Upton. In this musical, the big hit song was “Oh, How I Hate to Get Up in the Morning,” which reflected Berlin’s aversion to rising early. This musical raised more than $150,000 to build a service center at Camp Upton.

According to American Treasures of the Library of Congress^§:

• The original version of “God Bless America” was written by Irving Berlin…during the summer of 1918 at Camp Upton…for his Ziegfeld-style revue, Yip, Yip, Yaphank….However, Berlin decided that the solemn tone of “God Bless America” was somewhat out of keeping with the more comedic elements of the show and the song was laid aside.

The Camp Upton site is now occupied by Brookhaven National Laboratory, which incorporates the Camp Upton Historical Museum#. Life at the Camp and Milton Weill’s impact on the his colleagues there is described in Christopher M. Sterba’s Good Americans: Italian and Jewish Immigrants during the First World War.^**

[See ADDENDUM for a descripton of the Scrapbook held at the 92nd Street Y]

• ^¥Jewish Virtual Library: www.us-israel.org/jsource/biography/berlin.html.
• ^§American Treasures of the Library of Congress: www.loc.gov/exhibits/treasures/trm019.html.
• ^#BNL Camp Upton Historical Museum: www.bnl.gov/bnlweb/museum/campupton_museum.html.
• ^**Sterba, Christopher M. Good Americans: Italian and Jewish Immigrants during the First World War. (Oxford, New York: Oxford University Press, c2003).