March 04, 2011
100 Years Ago in the Forward
Baron Richard von Arkovy, thought to be a well-heeled Hungarian aristocrat, was arrested at the posh Plaza Hotel on charges that he stole platinum vessels from the Cuban vice consul in New York, Julio S. Jarron. Although the baron reacted badly to his arrest at the hotel, causing somewhat of a melee, he was better behaved in court. Jarron took the stand to testify against the baron, but he apparently got cold feet and told the judge he decided not to press charges. Though furious, the judge had no choice but to let the baron go. In the wake of these events, it was discovered that the “baron” was not a baron at all; he was the son of a Jewish dentist from Budapest by the name of Orenstein.
75 Years Ago in the Forward
An unarmed, retired New York City policeman by the name of Philip Wobing was shot and grievously wounded during a holdup in the Brownsville section of Brooklyn. He is currently in the hospital, in critical condition. Not long after the shooting, Brooklyn police managed to arrest one of the gunmen, 19-year-old Harry Wolinski. He admitted that he is a member of the Jewish gang who shot Wobing. The shooting took place in Fishman’s Junk Shop, where Wobing, who trades in antiques, was looking for items. Wolinski and his partners came in looking to rob the cashier, who had gone out to lunch. Without the cashier to rob, they decided to rob everyone else in the store. There was a scuffle, and Wobing was shot.
50 Years Ago in the Forward
The New York Court of Appeals, in Albany, ordered the state’s Anti-Discrimination Commission to renew its investigation into the Arabian American Oil Company, known as Aramco, in connection to its refusal to hire American Jewish citizens for jobs in the Middle East. Representatives of Aramco apparently admitted that they refuse to hire “unwanted persons” as a result of their deal with the Saudi Arabian government. The term “unwanted persons” refers to Jews. Five years ago, the American Jewish Congress sued Aramco because of the same issue. In that case, Aramco was found guilty.
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 still need 300 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
Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
Only 300 more gifts needed by April 30