August 10, 2007
100 Years Ago in the Forward
Moroccan Pashas, unhappy with the French occupation of their country, ordered attacks on the European quarters of the Moroccan cities Casablanca and Mazagan. In response, French warships bombarded the Muslim quarters of these cities, inflicting much damage. Muslims decided to take vengeance on their Jewish neighbors, attacking the Jewish quarters in both Casablanca and Mazagan, where, it is said, more than 200 Jews were killed. A number of fanatic mullahs have called their followers into action in Rabat, as well, striking fear into the heart of the Jewish community.
75 Years Ago in the Forward
Singer and Broadway star Libby Holman was indicted this week and charged with first-degree murder in the death of her husband, Zachary Smith Reynolds, son of R.J. Reynolds and heir to his tobacco fortune. Holman (nee Holzman) stands accused of shooting her husband in the head in the aftermath of a drunken party that took place on the couple’s 1,000-acre estate in North Carolina. Also indicted was Abe Walker, a childhood friend of Reynolds. Alfred Holzman, Holman’s father, immediately contacted the press to declare his daughter’s innocence.
Zionists in Poland are in an uproar. There are meetings, protests and fistfights nearly every day, on account of disputes as to who will receive one of the 1,000 certificates that permit legal passage to Palestine. Because times are extremely bitter in Poland, and because the entire world has been closed to Jewish immigration, these certificates, which are required to enter British-ruled Palestine, are worth their weight in gold. There are currently 12,000 young halutzim who are ready to go, but these potential emigrants may lose out to wealthier Zionists who have found it in their interests to leave the poverty of Poland in any way possible.
50 Years Ago in the Forward
Y As was demanded by the United Nations in the years following its independence, Israel absorbed 50,000 Arab refugees. According to U.N. demands, the total number was supposed to have been 100,000, but due to economic conditions, this was never implemented. Israel is now set to announce in the U.N. that it is prepared to absorb another 50,000 Arab refugees, but only on the condition that the surrounding Arab states also take the refugees currently in camps and settle them on their land. It is not anticipated that Israel’s offer will be well received.
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