The tortuous, long drawn out hearing in the case of the three Revisionists, Abraham Stavsky, Zvi Rosenblatt and Aba Achimeier, accused of the murder of Dr. Chaim Arlososorff, Zionist labor leader who was killed on June 16, 1933, ended today when Magistrate Ralph B. Bodilly committed the three men for trial in the criminal assizes court on a charge of premeditated murder. Under article 170 of the Penal Code the crime is punishable by death.
Defense counsel Horace Samuel, summing up for his clients in a four hour speech, read a memorandum for the three defendants denying their guilt. Attorney Samuel also read a lengthy analysis of the testimony submitted by the prosecution. Achimeier submitted a declaration stating that political murder was contrary to his convictions and to the convictions of the Revisionist party, of which he is a member.
The sensational killing of the brilliant young Zionist labor leader who had built up a tremendous reputation for himself as the head of the political department of the Jewish Agency for Palestine was followed by wide repercussions in Palestine and in the world Zionist movement.
CASE HISTORY
On Friday evening, June 16, 1933, Dr. Arlosoroff and his wife were walking along the seashore near Tel Aviv. Disregarding the warning of his wife that they were being followed, Dr. Arlosoroff continued his walk. He was approached by two men who asked him the time in Hebrew. One of the men turned a flashlight on him and when he answered, two shots were fired at him. He collapsed and that same evening died in a hospital.
A wide roundup of Revisionists followed and finally Achimeier, Stavsky and Rosenblatt were arrested and accused of the crime. The men were brought into court for a hearing to determine whether or not they should be committed for trial.
The hearing, which began last summer, dragged along with frequent postponements. A perfect maze of complicated, contradictory testimony was offered in court by the prosecution and the defense, which was climaxed when Abdul Mejid, an Arab convict serving a long sentence for the murder of another Arab, confessed that he had killed Dr. Arlosoroff, only to withdraw his confession with the declaration that Stavsky and Rosenblatt had bribed him to make the confession. The two defendants vehemently denied the story.
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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.
