Anyway, in December 1965, George Lincoln Rockwell was scheduled to speak at Columbia and in addition to Youth Against War & Facism, a Communist front-group, all the Zionist youth groups and movements were out in force.
Betar planned something special. Basically, we were going to end Rockwell's life on the stage of the hall. A diversion was fixed in the form of cherrybombs while on the other side of the stage, in a bathroom, about eight of us were to be waiting so that we could take advantage of the pandemonium. We even practiced a day before in the stalls, changing around the seating arrangements, two to a stall, so that anyone checking would see different pants in different stalls. Someone was to extinguish the electricity, another 3-4 were to physically attack the Nazi and at least I was one who was supposed to protect the inner circle from attempted police attacks. I was 18 at the time and so while I still think we were right, at least I can always say "there's a youthful experience for you".
As luck would have it, someone we never knew phoned in a bomb threat while we were on the way from the Manhattan Moadon by bus. The campus was shut down and even an attempt by us to enter the grounds through the underground passageways failed (with me and BR just avoiding arrest due a very quick retreat).
Betarim never giving up, we got in through the Morningside Drive entrance, attempted to rush the side entrance to the hall but were rebuffed by New York's finest. Eli Solomon was thrown to the ground and stayed there long enough for a reporter to ask him what he was doing on the ground in a snow bank and he replied: "I am representing my Jewish brethren killed in the Holocaust".
Oh, we never accomplished our mission as the Nazi was arrested trying to crossover the George Washingston Bridge.
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