100 Years Ago in the forward

The old-style Jewish atheist used to hate all religious ceremonies and would mock them bitterly, heaping scorn upon ancient customs. As such, Jewish atheists always turned up their noses at Passover Seders. But this year, it seems, there are many apikorsim who celebrate the Seder as a principle. In fact, these freethinking Jews hold religious ceremonies as dear to them as any believing Jew would. What seems to have changed is the thinking Jews’ perception of religion, from purely a matter of blind belief to a philosophical-historical matter that views ceremonies as rungs on the ladder of human cultural evolution.

75 Years Ago in the forward

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

Typically, the men who trick young ladies into marrying them, taking these women’s dowries and then disappearing, are young, suave and handsome. But 67-year-old Max Rosen, an old man by any standard, managed to do the same. He accomplished his crime by placing a personal advertisement in the Yiddish daily Tog, in which he described himself as a businessman and widower who was looking to get married. A number of females replied to his ad, and they were told that although he was an honest businessman with his own shop, he was in debt, and if he could only get a few thousand dollars to cover his expenses, he’d be back on his feet and making money hand over fist again. The exact number of Rosen’s victims is unknown, mostly because the women who lost their money to this charlatan are too ashamed to come forward. But one was brave enough and, as a result, Rosen sits today in Brooklyn’s Raymond Street Jail.

50 Years Ago in the forward

“Yiddish is definitely a factor in the State of Israel,” young Yiddish journalist Mordkhe Fuks said, “and all the talk about Yiddish being oppressed is exaggerated.” The best example that Yiddish is alive and well is that the Tel Aviv newspaper Letste Nayes sells more than 20,000 copies per day and its weekend edition sells more than 35,000 copies. The Yiddish daily and weekly papers are read, according to Fuks, not only by new immigrants who don’t yet know any Hebrew, but also by many who have lived in Israel for years and do know the language. The fact that Yiddish papers are read by those fluent in Hebrew indicates that these people read Yiddish because they like it.

The Forward is free to read, but it isn’t free to produce

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward.

Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.

At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.

Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.

This is a great time to support independent Jewish journalism you rely on. Make a gift today!

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.

$90 $180

$360

Other amount