Yeshiva University High School For Boys - Elchanite Yearbook (New York, NY)

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Neufeld. Engel was doing a good iob. When he had reformed. so had his infimaifes, and fhe newly organized Fusionisfs had accepfed fhem wifh open arms af fhe requesf of fheir leader, Nafhan Levinson, who was convinced of fheir sincerify. . . The law firm of Sapersfein, Lewis and Levin- son had from The beginning of fhe Fusion movemenf furnecl info a verifable beehive. The sfaff had been increased by fwo men, namely l-l. l-lurwifz and Daniel Peikes. They had sef fo work wifh quief concenfrafiong fhings were now running in a smoofh and well ordered fashion. Businessmen, lawyers, and working men, all mef here for one common goal, fhe defeaf of fhe Dem-Rafs Parfy. l-lowever, fhere was one fly in fhe oinf- menf. lf was all well and good fo know fhaf af lasf opposifion fo fhe misrule of fhe cify was developing. Buf how were fhe plans for fhe campaign fo be made? Who would be fhe campaign manager? Levinson had fold fhem of Engel's experience in polifics and fhe laffer was fherefore fhe mosf logical man for fhe iob, buf cash was lacking. The Fusionisf leaders were in a quandary, and fhey knew if. Therefore, N. Levinson decided if wifh his cusfomary dash and decision. Lef's call a conference, he said. Evenfs were fo occur quickly in fhe nexf few weeks. To one less polifically asfufe fhan l-lerberf Ribner, fhe rapid rise of public indig- nafion would have spelf disasfer. Buf Ribner knew his onions. Already, he had begun fo rally his fasf disappearing forces. l-le ap- peared af banquefs, dinners, and business men's luncheons. l-le had imporfanf confer- ences wifh I. Lasfer, fhe big chain-sfore mag- nafe, and he had even confrived fo gef him- self inferviewed by S. Gorensfein, fhe Broadway columnisf of Breezy Glimpses. lf is a human failing fo make misfakes. And Ribner was soon fo make one fhaf was almosf fo spell disasfer. To some, fhe incidenf may appear laughable. To ofhers who know fhe facfs and realize how fhe pride and feel- ing of fhe inferesfed parfies were fouched, if seems miraculous fhaf fhey ever survived if. One evening, fhree men, B. Sincoff, l. Lasfer, and H. Ribner, were invifed fo affend and speak before fhe Revisionisf group of fhe Zionisf organizafion. Rabbi Walden, fhe chairman of fhe affair, had iusf finished his brief speech of infroducfion. Sincoff arose fo speak. The former shyness of his high school years had disappeared. l-le spoke well, even brillianfly. He noficed as he looked around, fhaf he was creafing a disfincf impression. l-le had iusf uffered a parficularly good sen- fence when if happened. You of 'rhe l-lisfadrufh, he had said, will besf appreciafe fhe posifion, our mufual friend, Mr. Ribner is in. You who have seen your brefhren persecufed by The hafed and hafeful Revisionisfs, realize, I am sure, 'rhe un- warranfedness of fhe Fusion affackf' l-le sfopped. Somefhing was decidedly wrong. There had been no handclapping, no cheers. In facf his lasf pronouncemenfs had been received in ominous silence. l-le did nof undersfand if. lf was unusual. Sincoff fried fo remember, whaf, if any- fhing, he had said had displeased fhem. Sud- denly, his lasf few words repeafed fhemselves dully in his mind. You who have seen your brefhren persecufed by fhe hafed and hafeful Revisionisfs .... And all fhe fime he had been addressing a Revisionisf group. Bofh he and Lasfer sfarfed fo gef up 'ro make fheir apologies. Already fhey were foo lafe. Rabbi Walden, no longer fhe good-na- fured chairman, reenforced by Rabbi Tannen- baum, were on fheir feef. They demanded an apology. Buf fhey did nof waif for a reply. They were urging fheir comrades fo avenge fhe insulf, when Ribner, followed by Sincoff and Lasfer, leff in hasfe. If is beffer fo refire in confusion, fhan fo be a broken-boned hero, n'esf-ce pas, Mr. Fried? Wifhin a shorf fime affer Levinson had de- cided fo call a conference, fhe brains of fhe new movemenf had foregafhered. J. Goff- lieb, H. l-lurwifz, Leeman, Cohn, lvlehler, and The fwo candidafes, Eisenberg and Neufeld, and of course, Sapersfein, Lewis and Levin-- son of fhe well-known firm of Sapersfein, Lewis and Levinson, lnc., were fhere. 22

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THE EL C H A NITE ss:vfr.m::fz'rUf:w PROPHECY THE banquef hall was filled wifh loud, happy. shoufing voices. There were welcoming greef- ings for each new arrival. Gladness suffused fhe faces of all presenf. In a lull of fhe con- versafion a greaf, booming voice, belonging fo Phil Mehler, suddenly boomed ouf, Say fellowsl Do you remember The prophecy fhey had abouf us in fhe '34 Elchanife? .... Nine men saf in conclave, a remarkably heferogeneous group in a decidedly unpre- possessing afmosphere. The chairs were crude affairs undecided whefher fhey should cave in or nof. The fable had already decided. If was none ofher fhan a broken-down billiard fable. The fallesf of fhis ill-assorfed group was a cold, dignified individual. He raised his eye- brows as fwo men, one of whom was of me- dium heighl' and overbearing, fhe ofher quife shorf and quick-fempered, began fo quarrel. During fhe proceedings, fwo men had saf back and wafched fhe fransacfions wifh ill- concealed confempf. To bofh Levinson and Sapersfein, fhe cheap polifical wrangle which was going on, fhe division of 'lhe spoils, fhe seemingly endless plans fo appropriafe some more honesl' graff, were exceedingly dis- fasfeful. Now, as if fo add insulf fo iniury, fhey were wifnessing fhe specfacle of fhe fwo leaders of fheir respecfive parfies lfo fhe public in- fense rivalsl, H. Engel and H. Ribner, fighfing over fhe small mafler of fhe division of a few palfry iudgeships! You can'f gef away wifh if! Ribner had shoufed across fhe fable af Engel. I wanf fhose iudgeships. You fhink you've gof fhe elecfion cinched iusf because you've gof Eisenberg and Neufeld, poinfing fo fhe dis- finguishecl-looking individual and fo a fall, handsome man siffing beside him, and fhey're in wifh fhe swells. Well, I gof beffer men, men wifh popular appeal, men fhaf will have half fhe fown eafing ouf of fheir hands- Who are fhe mugs? asked I-lurwifz, En- gel's associafe. Kravchik and Bresslofff' shoufed Ribner in a frenzy. They're fhe guys wifh more popular appeal fhan a dozen of your high-and-mighfy palsl And for fwo cenfs or fhe iudgeships I'II puf fhem up! Says who? Says me! fhaf's who! and .... With fhis fhe meefing suddenly losf ifs or- dinary calm. Brass knuckles, indispensable fo a polifician, were produced in a frice, and fhe affair would have soon fumed info a shambles. The fwo calm individuals, Sapersfein and Levinson, had been conversing wifh each ofher. Suddenly, fhe Honorable Nafhan Lev- inson gof up, and shoufing fhrough his sfove- pipe, made himself heard above fhe din. And whaf he said quiefed even fhese embaffled souls. Genflemen, if I can call you genflemenf' he said, l'm fhrough wifh you. I came here fonighf fo see whefher fhere would be any way of repairing fhe damage you've done fo fhe cify from your own group. I see fhaf il s impossible. You're a corrupf bunch, and you're going fo gef whaf you deserve. You are going fo be run ouf of fown! Good day! The silence was elecfric, so were fhe Iighfs. Suddenly, if was splif by an ear-shaffering whoop, Hold on, Engel said suddenly. l'm going, fool The campaign was furning ouf fo be a noisy and argumenfafive one. On every hand were posfers reading: A vofe for Kravchik and Bressloff means a vofe for fhe friend of fhe people or Save your cify from confu- sion, by vofing Fusion wifh Eisenberg and ll

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.:::':f::::'vfvss2':f::zv THE EL CHA NITE 1::::r:' The group immediafely began discussing fhe business on hand. Speeches were made, buf no consfrucfive plans were fhoughf of. The men who spoke, before fhey were half fhrough had losf fhemselves amidsf a hosf of confradicfions, uncerfainfies, and fumbling ideas, and fhis despife fhe lesson of organi- zafion which had been drilled info fheir heads af high-school by Mr. Asfrachan. This idle discussion might have gone on in- definifely had nof J. Gofflieb sfruck on a plan. To his mind, if was all very simple. Their parfy here was fo help fhe poor man, fhe man-on- fhe sfreef, now, why nof go fo him for cam- paign expenses? Go fo fhe people for expenses! The room suddenly became alive. If was breafhfakingl If had never been fried before! Would if work? Could a parfy succeed wifhouf big campaign funds? Sfraighfway fhey wenf fo find ouf. Excepf for fhe very regreffable incidenf of fhe Revisionisf group, fhe Dem-Rafs parfy had nof openly incurred any disfavor. They knew fhough fhaf fhere was progressing againsf fhem a campaign, fhe magnifude of which fhey had only lafely begun fo realize. They immediafely began fo work on fheir sfandby, fhe Civil Service. They made con- facfs wifh l. Feldman, edifor of fhe Bugle, fhe official Service organ. Feldman was a mil- ifanf edifor, a Fascisf and Revisionisf. They senf quesfionnaires fo every Civil Service man asking him fo define fheir parfy leanings. They organized picnics for fhe clerical sfaff, fhey fefed fhe sfreef cleaners and gave a bonus fo fhe police and firemen. Somefimes, fhere were obiecfions, fhere al- ways were. Buf on fhe whole, fhe Dem-Rafs were geffing along very nicely. Men were im- porfed from ofher cifies, and work was sud- denly found for hifherfo unemployed workers. And fhe gangs began fo dusf off fheir black- iacks on Fusionisfs' heads. Trucks, donafed by Krichewsky and Green- berg, prominenf business men, began fouring The neighborhoods wifh fheir blaring horns and leafher-lunged speakers. A Fusionisf sup- porfer, Winkler, nof fo be oufdone, confrib- ufed frucks fo his parfy. S. Perefz senf fhem a beaufiful giff of a radio because his wife had promised fo commif suicide, or, whaf was more probable and less fo be desired, move bag and baggage fo his mofher-in-law, if he didn'f gef rid of fhe damn fhing. Of course fhere are many ways fo gef cam- paign confribufions. The Dem-Rafs now pro- ceeded fo fry fhe oldesf. Fire inspecfors called one day af-, fhe flour- ishing buffer-and-egg sfore of Waldman and l-lurewifz, Inc. Affer poffering abouf a liffle, fhey, Harris and Lampner, regreffully had fo fell bofh Waldman and l-lurewifz lfhey were bofh wafching each ofher, hands on fhe cash regisferl fhaf fhere was a violafion in fhe sfore. They profesfed, argued, in vain. They even remained adamanf when Waldman made a mofion as if fo open fhe cash regisfer. How- ever, affer repeafed inquiries, Harris, af lasf lef fhem know fhaf, if fhey wished, fhey mighf see fhe disfricf leader, Walker, who was a well-known friend of fhe people. Wifhin a shorf while, Waldman, who had been consfifufed a delegafion of one by l-lurewifz, sfood embarrassedly before Walker, fhe club leader. l-le immediafely made known his wanfs fo him. l-le fold him, wifh many a sigh, of fhe bad fimes, slim pickings, and how fhis violafion would almosf ruin him. ln furn, Walker asked him if he were a club member. Upon receiving a reply in fhe negaifve, fhe disfricf leader affecfed surprise. l-le immedi- afely became his old iolly self, however, when he offered Waldman fwo fickefs, af five dol- lars per, for a dance which fhe sfreef clean- ers' union was sponsoring. You'Il have a good fime, he said, Bring your wife and kids. Good companionship, nice music, friendly, clean faces .... Buf how abouf my violafion? asked Waldman. 23