The British courts, which recently witnessed a Jew taking a Scotch oath, have now seen the court procedure interrupted so that another Jewish witness might find a hat in order that he might be sworn “in orthodox Jewish fashion.”
Leonard Davis, answering the complaint that he had obstructed “the free passage of the footway at Walworth Road by stepping in front of foot passengers” before the dress shop where he was employed, entered the witness box in Lambeth police court to give evidence in his own behalf.
When the attendant learned that Davis was Jewish, the witness-defendant was ordered to don his hat. As he did not have a hat with him, he covered his head with a handkerchief.
This did not satisfy Magistrate McKenna. He ordered Davis to get a hat, remarking, “I cannot have the court turned into a sort of pantomime by your standing in the witness box with a hand-kerchief on your head.”
Davis returned to the box wearing a hat and was given the oath. He denied causing an obstruction or pulling people up and the hearing was adjourned to enable him to call another witness.
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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.
