Frightened Mothers Surround the Neighborhood: Tonsil Riots

The Echo of the Białystok Pogrom

The scene that played out yesterday on the East Side will not be forgotten for a long, long time. Tens of thousands of people ran, elbowed their way, and screamed, though many of them did not know what had happened. Many Jewish women screamed, “Vey iz mir! Woe is me, Jewish children are being slaughtered!”

Others ranted, “My Jakie, my Sammy, my Jenny, slaughtered and killed by the criminals!”

The story happened like this:

The Board of Health recently ordered an investigation among the schoolchildren of the East Side. Their doctors discovered that a considerable percentage of the children suffered from “tonsils,” that is, from a growth in the esophagus that causes hoarse speech, pain in the nose and ears, and also attacks the eyes. It was decided to cut out the children’s tonsils.

The oper is insignificant, and the children can go to school again right after the oper. But at the outset, the doctors did not want to perform the oper without permission, so the parents were sent for and their consent was requested.

A lot of oper were performed starting at [Public] School No. 100, on Broome St. at the corner of Cannon St. But then the doctors saw that it was impossible to wait for the parents who did not have the time and they began to operate independently.

Many children, slightly bloodied, came home, and announced that their “throats had been cut.”

“They are cutting the throats of Jewish children!” terrified mothers began to scream.

Kishinev, Homel, Odessa, Zhitomir, and Białystok appeared before their eyes. Not taking into consideration that this is America, they began to run, scream, shriek, and rant.

Seventeen of the biggest schools on the East Side were besieged. The screams echoed those of a pogrom. Mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, and even friends came to take away the children from the schools “before their throats were cut.”

A scuffle ensued. Principals, doctors, and janitors were beaten and extra police had to be sent out to quell the riot, which lasted from 10 am till noon.

Only a few arrests were made during this whole riot. Even the police had pity on the foolish Jewish women. They only arrested Leo King, age 15, of 264 Stanton St. for jumping over the benches and causing a panic in Public School No. 22. The judge fined him five dollars.

Also arrested was a certain David Stern, of 156 Orchard St. for making a speech in front of the Public School at Hester and Christie Sts., stating that New York had become a Białystok, where Jewish children were being killed. The judge in Essex Market Court fined him three dollars.

Mr. Gottlieb, who owns a jewelry store on Grand St., was arrested while knocking on doors at the Essex St. school, making the panic even greater. The judge fined him a dollar.

A couple of women were also arrested, but the judge let them off with a warning and sent them home.

According to an investigation conducted by Warheit, it turns out that the Board of Education made a mistake. It ought to have printed forms in Yiddish explaining what the children were suffering from, that the oper for “tonsils” is insignificant, and requesting the signature of the parents in order to perform such an oper.

Instead of that, they sent out forms in English that the unknowing parents did not understand. The whole turmoil stems from that.