Back in 1916, in the days of the Lemberg pogroms, the “Chwila,” the first Jewish daily printed in Polish, made its appearance.
The non-Jewish press at that time was conducting a viciously anti-Semitic propaganda against Polish Jews, spreading hatred and making life unbearable. To mitigate the situation, three outstanding men among Polish Jewry, Dr. Leon Reich, Dr. Gerszon Zipper and Dr. Jehoszua Thon, decided to publish a Jewish daily printed in Polish to disseminate among the non-Jewish population the truth about Polish Jews. They called the paper “Chwila,” which, translated into English, means “a moment,” because a short life was predicted for it.
The first months showed a rapidly increasing circulation. The publishers decided not to limit themselves to printing Jewish news only but also to take into account all current news and general activities. The paper doubled and tripled its size; it grew from 8 sheets to 16 and soon afterwards to 26 sheets with a picture edition every Sunday. Special pages were devoted to literature, art, economics, Zionist students’ organizations, etc.
The “Chwila,” originally founded to fight for a better understanding of Judaism among non-Jews, was to play an important role in the life of Polish Jewry. On the editorial page appeared articles by Dr. H. Rosmarin, Dr. E. Schmorak, Dr. F. Rotenstreich and Dr. I. Schwarzbard, well known leaders of Polish Jews. Today the “Chwila” celebrates its 15th anniversary. It can proudly point to its years of faithful service to Polish Jewry in its fight for recognition and existence and to the establishment of better understanding between the Jewish and the non-jewish populations in Poland.
Children at play on a Berlin street “arrest” an eleven-year-old and drag him away for “examination” because he recited a new German dinner table prayer for them:
“Come, Herr Hitler, be our guest, and grant us A tenth-part of that which thou hast promised us!”
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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.
