December 24, 2010

100 Years Ago in the Forward

There’s nothing sadder than a Jewish kid at Christmas. It’s even more difficult in America, where the barriers between Jews and others are not as big. But there is a cure for what ails the Jewish child. It’s Hanukkah! Does this holiday not fall around the same time as Christmas? And is this holiday not better than Christmas? When you get slapped, you turn the other cheek — that’s Christmas. If you’re willing to fight for it, you can win your freedom — that’s Hanukkah.

75 Years Ago in the Forward

A huge parade comprising more than 10,000 people — most of them children — wound its way through the streets of Tel Aviv in celebration of Hanukkah, the victory of the Jews over the Greeks. The windows along the parade route were lit up with Hanukkah lights as Tel Aviv Mayor Meir Dizengoff led the city’s children in celebration. The sight of their children participating in the parade gave much cheer to recent immigrants from Germany. As they had been hounded out of the “highly cultured” country not long ago, their happiness in finding freedom in Palestine was duly noted. The blessing over the candles was made outdoors on a giant menorah and sung by famed cantor Zanvil Kvartin.

50 Years Ago in the Forward

Reports of a secret atomic research program in Israel have brought about great worry in diplomatic circles in both the West and the Arab world. But the U.S. State Department has announced it is satisfied that the nuclear reactor Israel has begun building in the Negev desert will be used only for peaceful purposes. The State Department report noted that, according to the Israeli government, the reactor would be open for inspection by researchers from friendly countries. Within diplomatic circles, it is hoped that this announcement will calm frayed nerves in the Arab world.

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning journalism this Passover.

In this age of misinformation, our work is needed like never before. We report on the news that matters most to American Jews, driven by truth, not ideology.

At a time when newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall. That means for the first time in our 126-year history, Forward journalism is free to everyone, everywhere. With an ongoing war, rising antisemitism, and a flood of disinformation that may affect the upcoming election, we believe that free and open access to Jewish journalism is imperative.

Readers like you make it all possible. Right now, we’re in the middle of our Passover Pledge Drive and we need 500 people to step up and make a gift to sustain our trustworthy, independent journalism.

Make a gift of any size and become a Forward member today. You’ll support our mission to tell the American Jewish story fully and fairly.

— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO