Scenes resembling those of the medieval ages when the Talmud was tried and burned in the public market places, were enacted in the Jugoslavian courts when the Jewish community took legal action against a defamer. The court imposed a prison sentence on the man who repeated in writing the old libel. He was sentenced to spend eight days in prison.
The decision was rendered in the case of the Jewish community of Brod versus Attorney Goulubic, who alleged in an article published that the Talmud expressly “permits Jews to abuse and swindle in their dealings with non-believers.” The proceedings lasted seven hours, and the state attorney agreed with the Jewish solicitor who declared, speaking on behalf of the entire Jugoslavian Jewry, that Goulubic offended a legally recognized religion. The crowded and stuffy courtroom was reminiscent of the atmosphere of the Middle Ages when clergymen and robed Franciscan priests, on one side, and Rabbis with lay Jewish representatives on the other side stood before the Judge to present expert opinion on the subject. The huge volumes of the Talmud and numerous reference works were brought into the courtroom. The Catholic experts repeated the old allegations against Rabbinic Judaism. The court disregarded these opinions as unfounded.
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.
