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Imprisonment for Jew Who Refused to Take Oath Because He Does Not Believe in Religion: Appeal Court

May 18, 1931
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Ex-Deputy Dr. Abraham Insler, editor-in-chief of the Polish language Jewish daily “Nowe Slowo”, ex-Senator Davidson, ex-Deputy Gruenbaum, ex-Deputy Schipper, and Mr. Abraham Goldberg, members of the editorial staff, gave evidence to-day before the Appeal Court in Vilna on behalf of Leibel Weinstein, a prominent member of the Jewish Socialist Party Bund, who was sentenced last week to a fortnight imprisonment because he refused to take the oath when he appeared as a witness on behalf of a group of young Bundists. The Appeal Court decided to annul the sentence.

Weinstein told the judge in the lower court that he did not believe in religion and therefore refused to take the oath. When the judge asked him what community he belonged to he replied that since there is no community of “Religionslose” in Poland, he belongs to the Jewish Community. The judge directed that he should take the oath as a Jew. Weinstein refused to do this and the judge thereupon passed sentence of a fortnight’s imprisonment, and he was arrested on the spot.

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