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.
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.
