Germans greeted the outbreak of war in August 1914 with mixed emotions. Widespread war enthusiasm in some urban areas was tempered by worry and panic among many people. There were public scenes of war fever, mainly on the streets of the large cities, and private fears and unspoken concerns for the future. The reactions of Germany's Jewish population were similarly diverse. While some hoped the conflict would help to unify society, others were rightly more sceptical. Any hopes that the war would heal social divisions were quickly dashed. The war actually polarised German society. German Jews, who were increasingly accused of shirking their patriotic duty, suffered the ultimate inequity when, in autumn 1916, the war ministry decided to count how many members of the Jewish faith were in the trenches.

Such injustices may well have offended German Jews, but were as nothing in comparison to the brutality of mechanised warfare. At the front, almost two million of Germany's Jewish and non-Jewish soldiers were killed or wounded during the four years of conflict. On a daily basis, the sheer scale of this bloodshed created thousands of new widows, orphans and severely disabled veterans. In attempting to transcend these losses, both Jews and non-Jews sought comfort in shared spaces. It became common for the bereaved to gather in non-denominational groups such as clubs, societies and schools to mourn their loved ones. The establishment of war graves and cemeteries also necessitated the crossing of ethnic boundaries.