Trouble brewing for several days between the Jewish Communists and Zionist sympathizers culminated last night in rioting, during which the office of the “Daily Freiheit,” Jewish Communist newspaper, 3301 West Roosevelt Road, was attacked by a mob. Windows were broken. The rioters failed to enter. The trouble was caused by editorials which attacked Zionism in Palestine as “the tool of British imperialism.”
Four alleged rioters are in cells and a squad of police is on duty to disperse the throngs in front of the office of the paper, where more than 100 Communist sympathizers, refusing to be routed from their meeting place, crowded into a back room.
The Red defenders of the place were directed by Nels Kjar. Several of the Reds blamed Jewish ex-service men for starting the trouble. They insisted they had the right to criticize the Zionist movement.
In the street police hunted ringleaders of the riot. For several days, it was stated, Zionist youths were threatening to “clear out the Communist corner.” Zionists said last night the paper had been printing articles commending the Arabs.
All four men held by police denied taking part in the rioting. Henry Goldberg, 18, said he was an onlooker and was knocked down in the confusion. The other prisoners are Henry Platt, Michael Schekterson and Edward Gerber. Scheckterson said he was a soldier in the regular army and had been attracted by the crowd. Several rioters were injured, none seriously.
Kermit Harden, visiting from New York, was taken to the county hospital to have his head wound dressed.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
