May 16, 2008
100 Years Ago in the forward
While Anna Sternlieb was out shopping, William Meyers was inside Sternlieb’s East 103rd Street apartment, robbing her blind. It just so happened that when Sternlieb was walking back into her apartment, Meyers was about to walk out, but Sternlieb quickly saw what was happening. She grabbed Meyers by the arm and started screaming. Nine women from other apartments in the building came running out when they heard Sternlieb’s screams. One woman grabbed his hair, another grabbed his ears, others held down his legs. The women began to beat him mercilessly. Hearing the commotion and the thief’s screams, Officer Hanratty entered the tenement and saved Meyers from certain death.
75 Years Ago in the forward
Reports from Tel Aviv indicate that Zionist Revisionists are striking fear in the hearts of local Jews with their fascistic behavior, which is being compared by many to that of the Nazis. In fact, it is being said that Vladimir Jabotinsky modeled his Betar youth group after those created by Italian fascist Benito Mussolini. In addition to scaring recent refugees from Hitler’s Germany, the Revisionist youth groups have attacked striking workers. In the wake of these ugly attacks on the Yishuv’s work force, the following chant could be heard as the Betarniks marched through the streets: “Italy for Mussolini/Germany for Hitler/Kfar Saba and Petah Tikva are ours/Hey, hey, Jabotinsky!”
50 Years Ago in the forward
Israel’s 10th anniversary as an independent state has brought forth not only fireworks and celebration, but also a flood of memories regarding the Jewish state’s founding. Among them are Golda Meir’s dramatic, pre-state meetings with Jordan’s King Abdallah, which yielded nothing diplomatically: The king offered autonomy for Jewish residents of an Arab state, but nothing more. What was interesting about the meeting was that Abdallah told Meir he held the utmost respect for the Jewish people and felt that Allah had returned them to their Semitic roots in the Middle East. Moreover, he said, the Middle East was badly in need of the Jews’ knowledge, energy and help.
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