away” son be apprehended and brought back to New York. Abraham has refused to return and the Cleveland authorities are puzzled what to do next.
The reporter rang the doorbell of the squalid, dark little flat at the Henry street address. Mrs. Orbach, a sad-eyed, stooped woman, opened the door suspiciously and, when the visitor identified himself, said:
“I wouldn’t tell you anything.”
“I just want to ask a few questions, Mrs. Orbach,” murmured the young man, pushing his way in across the inhospitable threshold.
“I wouldn’t tell you anything,” she repeated.
“May I talk to Mr. Orbach, then?”
Mr. Orbach, who is unemployed and a man whose “antagonistic attitude” has received attention on the East Side, was discerned at the far end of a hall leading into the apartment in the ample prayer shawl of an orthodox Jew.
“He wouldn’t tell you anything,” his wife said, looking a bit fearful. “He is praying now. He can’t talk now.”
The reporter offered to wait until Mr. Orbach got through his devotions when the father of the would-be rabbi, who was said to have a blacksnake whip ready to use on Abraham at the first opportunity, approached and, still nodding in prayer, began pushing the unwelcome visitor out of the door.
His wife, embarrassed, begged him to desist; but Mr. Orbach had his way.
Meanwhile, the situation in Cleveland continues to be a stalemate. Abraham at last reports was adamant in his refusal to return to New York, even if fare is sent by his father. Rabbi Zombrowski, of the Seminary where Abraham is studying, informed the police that he would be responsible to the police for his appearance. He said the boy has proved an excellent scholar.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
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.
