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Modern nation-states commonly conscripted Jews. Military service ran contrary to the traditional Jewish self-understanding of being a civilian population that even detested war. In spite of ethical concerns, Jewish representatives, authors, and rabbis ultimately recognized involvement in wars as a civic obligation. Furthermore, participation in war often evoked wide-ranging political expectations in matters of the individual or the Jewish people. Jewish military service consistently mirrored the process of emancipation. 1. The military and JudaismThe Jewish self-imag…