Looking Back


A New York Jewish Man Tries To Commit Suicide by Cocaine

By Eddy Portnoy

This week, 100 years ago, Jacob Haas took cocaine and tried to commit suicide because he couldn’t marry his niece. And, 75 years ago, details of Jewish life in Vienna under the Nazis were surfacing.Read More


Cantors Consider Joining the AFL-CIO

By Eddy Portnoy

This week in history, Kohanim, the Jewish priestly class, went on strike and a federation of cantors considered joining the AFL-CIO.Read More


Paper Lauds Jewish National Home

By Eddy Portnoy

This week in history, a British newspaper promoted the ‘creation of a Jewish national home,’ and two adult Jews from Majorca were circumcised.Read More


American Nazis Arrested

By Eddy Portnoy

This week in history, American Nazis appeared in court after a disturbance at an Israel Independence celebration and unlikely best friends had a joint funeral.Read More


Yitzhak Ben Zvi Memorialized

By Eddy Portnoy

Former Israeli President Yitzhak Ben-Zvi was buried in Jerusalem. A Polish man living on the Lower East Side was murdered by his wife, who believed that he sold their son to Jews.Read More


Snatched From Seders To Wash Streets of Vienna

By Eddy Portnoy

As the Nazis tightened their grip on Vienna, Jews were pulled from Passover seders to wash streets. Freed wife-poisoner Morris Lustig was jailed again for participating in a car theft ring.Read More


Anti-Semitism Sweeps Poland and Vienna

By Eddy Portnoy

Anti-Semitism ran rampant in Poland. In Vienna, cellist Jacob Feuerman was forced by Nazis to wash a sidewalk, injuring his hands. Bund leader Raphael Abramovitch’s death was mourned.Read More


Comedian Eddie Cantor Threatened by Nazis

By Eddy Portnoy

In Greece, Easter brought warnings of pogroms. Comedian Eddie Cantor faced threats of Nazi violence and West Germany discouraged scientists from working against Israel.Read More


Philly Peddler's Beard Sliced Off in Attack

By Eddy Portnoy

A Jewish peddler’s beard was cut off in an attack in West Philadelphia. Jews attempted to flee Nazi Vienna and Soviet Jews were arrested for baking matzo at home.Read More


Forverts Prints 150,000 Copies Per Day

The Forverts was the third largest publication in New York 100 years ago. Jews committed suicide in Nazi Austria and an Israeli agent planned to murder a German scientist.Read More






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