July 4, 2008

100 Years Ago in the forward

It seems that Brooklyn’s police are up to their old antisemitic tricks. This past weekend, 58 people, 57 of whom are Jewish, were arrested in Prospect Park. The charges ranged from lewd behavior and littering to destruction of property. “Lewd behavior” usually means that young people were caught kissing or hugging in the park after dark. But they’re not hurting anyone. In fact, Manhattan’s Central Park is full of young people doing the same thing, and the police don’t bother anyone there. Last year there were numerous reported incidents of Jews being attacked by drunken hooligans in Prospect Park. And now even the local Brooklyn newspapers rail against the Jews, calling them “dirty foreigners.”

75 Years Ago in the forward

The mysterious murder of Molly Schwartz, a Jewish woman from the Bronx, has finally been solved. Schwartz was shot and killed a week ago, not far from her parents’ home. An investigation has determined that 21-year-old Schwartz was an innocent bystander. She was caught in the crossfire when a jewelry store owner was defending himself during a robbery. Those responsible for this heinous act include “Blondie” Cole and her cronies, Joseph Venter and Thomas Pace, all of whom have been arrested and charged with a large number of robberies in the Bronx. Only after a lengthy interrogation at the police station did it come to light that this gang was responsible for Schwartz’s murder.

50 Years Ago in the forward

At a meeting commemorating the 60th yahrzeit of Rabbi Shmuel Mohilever, founder of the religious Zionist organization Mizrahi, Israeli Rabbi Y.L. Maimon demanded that a ban be placed on the Satmar rebbe and his followers to revoke their status as members of the tribe. Maimon noted the anti-Israel demonstration held by Neturei Karta last week in front of the White House, calling it a betrayal. He added that he was prepared to ascend Mount Zion, blow the shofar and light a black candle in order to make the ban official.

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