Much comment was caused here by the absence of the usually large number of Jewish music-lovers from the concert here Friday night by Fritz Kreisler.
The Baltimore Sun, reporting on the concert, said: “It was noted whereas Jews as a rule form a considerable portion of the audiences of musical and theatrical events, inspection of the orchestra last night revealed only about a dozen.”
The story recalled the violinist’s reputed association with Germany brought out in testimony filed in the United States District Court in the course of investigations into the Black Tom and Kingsland munitions blasts. The violinist denied the accusation.
The newspaper’s comment created some interest among Baltimore Jews and subsequently the Sun stated that “prominent Baltimore Jews yesterday pointed out that an absence of many Jewish music lovers from Fritz Kreisler’s concert at the Lyric Friday night was not due to any antipathy to the famous violinist, but to observance of their Sabbath.”
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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.
