Tag: Jewish

Vilna Shul: Last Synagogue Standing (episode 257)

The West End and the North Slope of Beacon Hill have gone through extreme transformations over time. At the turn of the 20th century, these neighboring communities welcomed Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe, though very few signs of those vibrant communities remain today. As the last of the purpose-built immigrant synagogues still standing in downtown Boston, the Vilna Shul is a unique building with a rich history of immigration, community, and the evolving American identity. Vilna Shul Executive Director Dalit Horn joins us this week to talk about the history and future of this unique synagogue.


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Literal Nazis (episode 215)

They stockpiled guns and ammunition.  They built homemade bombs.  They had a hit list of a dozen members of Congress who were targeted for assassination.  They believed themselves to be patriots, with soldiers and police officers among their ranks.  They rallied under the motto of America First, but they planned to overthrow our Constitutional government and install a fascist dictatorship.  Believe it or not, I’m not talking about the insurrection on January 6, 2021, but instead a plot that the FBI uncovered in January 1940.  The subsequent investigation threw a spotlight on a group called the Christian Front that made its headquarters at Boston’s Copley Plaza hotel, promoting violent attacks on Jewish Bostonians while accepting covert funding and support from a Nazi spymaster who flew the swastika proudly from his home on Beacon Hill.


Continue reading Literal Nazis (episode 215)