It Was a Very ? Year

 

It Was a Very ? Year

The year I was born my parents greeted
their first-born child, with three more
to follow at substantial intervals, all
to an immigrant family living in pride and
poverty, escapees from racial bigotry,
social and institutional violence seeing
no possible future for themselves where
they were born. It was, coincidentally the
year that Nazi Germany denied the 
League of Nation having any business
interfering in the way it treated Jews. In
that year of 1936 Britain's King George
died, making way for the ascension of
Edward VIII; Hitler opened the 4th
Winter Olympics; 4 million French workers
went on strike; racists almost beat Leon Blum
to death; the Hindenburg had its first test
flight; Hitler broke the Treaty of Versailles;
Jews were warned of arrest should they
attempt to vote; Italy, Austria and Hungary
signed the pact of Rome; Britain, the U.S.
and France signed a naval accord; Italy
firebombed Harar, Ethiopia; Arab
highwaymen near Nablus killed three Jews;
Anti-Jewish riots broke out in Jaffa;
General Francisco Franco began the
Spanish civil war; The "Nazi Games" of
the 11th Olympic games opened in Berlin;
Benito Mussolini celebrated his "axis"
with Nazi Germany; A British Royal 
Commission investigated the underlying 
cause of anti-Jewish riots which the Arab 
Higher Committee boycotted; Japan and
Nazi Germany signed the Anti-Komintern 
pact; Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, 
Kazakhstan and Kirghistan joined the USSR;
Edward VIII abdicated for Wallis Warfield 
Simpson; and humble me was born.