Sixty Jews were injured, three of them critically, in anti-Jewish riots which took place in the city of Grodno on Friday, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency has established upon investigation in Grodno.
The Mayor of Grodno issued an appeal to the Polish youth “not to disgrace Polish tradition” and not to provoke further excitement. A Jewish delegation was assured by the district chief of police that steps have been taken to preserve peace in the city.
CALL RIOTS ‘SPONTANEOUS’
An official communique issued by the Grodno authorities says that the anti-Jewish riots were of a spontaneous nature and were not instigated by political parties. In addition to attacking Jews on the streets, the windows of many Jewish houses were smashed.
The anti-Jewish attacks started on Dominanski Street, which is the main street of Grodno. They lasted over an hour and the gendarmerie had to be called to assist the police in restoring order. In the evening the riots were repeated on the outskirts of the city. Of the sixty Jews injured, eight are now in local hospitals.
DANCE HALL CLASH
The riots came as a result of a clash between Jewish and non-Jewish youngsters at a dance hall. The clash took place on Tuesday night and resulted in the stabbing of Wladislaw Kuscz. The victim died the next day in a local hospital.
During the funeral on Friday an organized group of Poles began to attack Jewish pedestrians and to smash the windows of Jewish houses. Two Jewish underworld characters, Samuel Steiner and Melech Kantorowicz, were arrested as the alleged murders of Wladislaw Kuscz.
A statement issued today in official Polish quarters declares that during the anti-Jewish riots windows of Christian houses were also smashed. There are other clues which indicate that the riots were started for the purpose of robbery, the statement says.
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.
