June 3, 2011

100 Years In The Forward

Arriving alone in New York from Russia, Sarah Deutsch began to look for her husband, whom she married six years ago in the shtetl. She found him, but to her surprise, he was married to another woman. Deutsch contacted the police, who arrested her husband, Barnett Deutsch, for bigamy. Both he and his current wife, Anna, denied the charge and said the woman is trying to blackmail them. In court, however, Sarah showed up with three witnesses who testified that they were guests at her wedding to Barnett in Russia. Barnett and his lawyers attempted to argue that a wedding that took place in Russia was not legally binding in America. This argument was quickly and easily shot down.

75 Years In The Forward

When two Arabs accosted a group of Jewish laborers in an orchard just outside of Rishon LeTzion and asked for a drink of water, the Jews obliged and supplied the thirsty men. But after they were finished drinking, both Arabs pulled out revolvers and started shooting. Two men, David Vardi and Yisrael Berger, were critically wounded and rushed to the nearest hospital — in Jerusalem. Both of the wounded told police that they recognized their assailants as hailing from the village of Beit Dajan and even knew their names. Police are currently searching for the two men.

50 Years In The Forward

During the trial of Adolf Eichmann in Jerusalem, Arie Breslauer, a former Jewish community official in Budapest, described the horrifying death march of 50,000 Hungarian Jews. Beginning in November 1944, 50,000 Jews were forced to walk to Austria from Budapest, under conditions of cold and starvation. Breslauer estimated that at least 10,000 died during the march. In his capacity as a communal official, Breslauer arranged for the Swiss government to provide protection for an undisclosed number of Jews. He provided documents indicating as much to the Nazis when the march began, but he was ignored. Documents that have come to light indicate that it was Eichmann who ordered the march.

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