July 31, 2009
100 Years Ago in the forward
Tisha B’Av is typically a time when Jews go to cemeteries to remember their dead and to mourn the tragedy of the destroyed Temples in Jerusalem. It was no different this year, when some 5,000 Jews descended on Brooklyn’s Washington Cemetery. But as the mourners stood at their ancestors’ graves, a number of pickpockets made their way through the crowd, gingerly lifting wallets and pocketbooks. Local police know that this is a regular occurrence in the cemetery, so they they stationed plainclothes officers, who caught a group of three thieves in the act. But when the mourners caught site of the pickpockets, they became infuriated and attempted to wrench the criminals away from the police so they could administer their own brand of justice. But the police held fast, and a riot was averted.
75 Years Ago in the forward
In the wake of a Forward series on generational relations, the following letter was received: “Dear Editor: The Forward held an interesting debate about ‘parents and children…. Although the debate is closed, I request that you publish my letter, which also has to do with grown-up children. I am a 64-year-old woman and live with a daughter. She and her husband took their two kids on vacation, leaving me at home. A 19-year-old recently married grandchild of mine came by and asked permission to hold a birthday party for her husband in the empty house. In short, 17 young couples showed up, and, oy, what did I see? They all got drunk, wild and obnoxious, like in a brothel. They were going at it all over the house — in every corner, on the stairs and outside on the stoop. This they call a party?”
50 Years Ago in the forward
Broadcasts from Radio Baghdad mocked Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser for his constant threats to annihilate the State of Israel. After Nasser gave a speech in Alexandria in which he dared Israel to attack the Sinai, Radio Baghdad announced that if such a battle were to occur, Nasser would run from the battlefield the same way he did during the Sinai action in 1956. Nasser also said in his Alexandria speech that in 1956, Israel wasn’t able to capture even one Egyptian soldier. The reality is, Israel captured thousands of Egyptian soldiers. Baghdad, it seems, is trying to foment a revolt against Nasser in Syria, which is currently ruled by Egypt as part of the United Arab Republic.
This is a moment of great uncertainty. Here’s what you can do about it.
We hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, we’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s independent Jewish news this Passover. All donations are being matched by the Forward Board - up to $100,000.
This is a moment of great uncertainty for the news media, for the Jewish people, and for our sacred democracy. It is a time of confusion and declining trust in public institutions. An era in which we need humans to report facts, conduct investigations that hold power to account, tell stories that matter and share honest discourse on all that divides us.
With no paywall or subscriptions, the Forward is entirely supported by readers like you. Every dollar you give this Passover is invested in the future of the Forward — and telling the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
The Forward doesn’t rely on funding from institutions like governments or your local Jewish federation. There are thousands of readers like you who give us $18 or $36 or $100 each month or year.
Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
