Looking Back: February 24, 2012

100 Years Ago in the Forward

A bloody war between rival gangs exploded on Manhattan’s Lower East Side. Numerous shots were fired, bringing many residents onto the streets, where chaos reigned. Although many calls were placed to the police, the gangs had scattered by the time they arrived. Two gang members, 21-year-old Nathan Levi and 22-year-old George Lewis, both of whom live on Forsyth Street, were shot. The two men were taken to the hospital in critical condition, and neither was providing information about the shooters.

75 Years Ago in the Forward

According to a report by the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, 5 million of Central and Eastern Europe’s 6 million Jews are dying of hunger and need immediate aid. The Jews of Poland are in the worst condition: About one-third of the 3.5 million are suffering privation and poverty. Conditions for Germany’s half-million Jews and Romania’s million Jews, as well as those living in smaller countries, like Latvia and Austria, are also bad. Bernhard Kahn, head of the JDC in Europe, said that the Jewish communities of this region are on their way to dissolution if they do not receive immediate financial aid.

50 Years Ago in the Forward

American Zionists are in a quandary following President Eisenhower’s demand for Israel to pull back from the territories it has occupied during recent conflagrations with the Arabs. Exacerbating matters, a group of anti-Zionist Jews met recently with Secretary of State John Foster Dulles. Though most American Jews are not Zionists, it is odd that the government would ignore the voice of American Zionists. Dulles would never have invited prominent Catholic Americans in order to demand that they put political pressure on such countries as Italy or Spain. If the American government disagrees with Israel on an issue, it should not put American Jews in the middle.

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