September 10, 2010
100 Years Ago in the Forward
Tragedy struck in Brooklyn when a new mother threw her baby out of a fourth-floor window, killing the infant. Esther Jaffe of East New York was standing by the back window of the apartment that she shared with her husband and aunt, holding her 6-month-old baby. The aunt said that one minute she saw Jaffe holding the baby, and the next the baby was gone. Realizing that something horrible had happened, the aunt ran to the window. Seeing the baby on the ground, she called an ambulance. Police took Jaffe to the local stationhouse, where the woman explained cold-bloodedly that she had wanted to kill her baby for a while, but had controlled herself. She was then taken to the mental ward of Kings County Hospital for observation.
75 Years Ago in the Forward
Fanny Lubritsky, unparalleled dramaturge and prima donna, made a name for herself performing with David Kessler. Each role she plays enhances her reputation as a dramatic artist. She is a performer and singer of the highest order. As the spokeswoman for New Fairy Soap, she revealed how the product plays a part in her success: “An actress is judged according to her onstage abilities, but in private life, her popularity is based more on her ability as a woman — with the loveliness of her skin providing the initial attraction. New Fairy Soap helps me keep my skin clean, soft and healthy.”
50 Years Ago in the Forward
Every two months, New York City’s Metropolitan Transit Authority selects a local beauty to serve as “Miss Subway.” Each winner of the Miss Subway contests has her photograph and a short biography plastered in subway cars, to be seen by millions of subway riders every day. The MTA’s latest Miss Subway is of particular interest to Jewish riders. Her posters read: “Meet Miss Subways: Elizabeth Stern. Elizabeth was born in Warsaw, Poland, in 1939. She was reborn at Idlewild Airport, on November 15, 1959. A 20-year search by her father had ended. Painful memories of the Ghetto, a war and a long separation would fade. For now Elizabeth has a father.”
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