President Kennedy and Israel’s President Izhak Ben-Zvi led an illustrious array of political personalities and heads of Jewish and non-Jewish organizations congratulating the Jewish Daily Forward, world’s largest Yiddish newspaper published here, on the occasion of its 65th anniversary. The newspaper itself celebrated the 65 years of its existence by publishing today a 120-page issue that reflects the growth of American Jewry over a three-generation span since the Forward was founded.
Others who sent special messages of greetings included Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion of Israel and Governor Nelson A. Rockefeller of New York, Mayor Robert F. Wagner of New York City and the leaders of the Jewish Agency for Israel, the American Jewish Committee, B’nai B’rith, the International Ladies Garment Workers Union, the Amalgamated Clothing Workers of America and many other labor, civic, Zionist and communal organizations throughout the United States, Israel and the rest of the free world. The messages were addressed to Dr. Lazar Fogelman, editor-in-chief of the Forward, and to Adolph Held, general manager.
President Kennedy’s message noted: “From its earliest days, the Forward has played a vitally important role in the lives of its readers–both by presenting them with important local, national and international issues, and by helping many generations of foreign-born Jewish-Americans to become productive, concerned citizens while maintaining the cultural and religious traditions of their homelands. The dedication of the Jewish Daily Forward to the causes of Justice and social, economic and political freedom for all our citizens merits the special commendation and gratitude of us all.”
President Ben-Zvi’s message declared: “Your newspaper, which accompanied the Jewish immigrant on his life’s path, starting with his first steps in the New World, he take pride in his significant achievements–whether in the communal organizations of broad masses of Jewish workers, in the retention of his Yiddish language, in the guardianship of the treasures of Jewish culture, or in his dedicated struggle for a better life for the working masses in a regime of freedom and genuine peace among the nations of the world. Above all, one must praise you and value your aid and unstinting help to the Histadrut, the organized Jewish labor movement in the State of Israel.”
The 120-page issue published today carries a number of articles devoted to its founders, especially to its first editor Abraham Cahan and to his successor Harry Rogoff who recently retired from his post as editor in-chief but is still contributing political and literary articles to the newspaper. Other articles, by more than 40 writers, deal with various aspects of American Jewish life in the past and present.
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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.
