“Sholom Schwartzbard, the assassin of Petlura, is no murderer at heart. He is no rogue and his record of decency leaves nothing to wish for. I look upon him as an idealist of the highest order, who sacrificed himself upon the altar of human liberty and equality,” declared Dr. Samuel Buchler, Former Deputy Attorney General of the State of New York and President of the Federation of Hungarian Jews in America, in a sermon delivered on Saturday morning. before the Congregation Kol Israel of Harlem, New York City.
“Schwartzbard undoubtedly deserves the sympathy of all who are disgusted with conditions prevailing in Ukraine, Poland, Roumania and Hungary.
“Although the assassination as such is punishable under all laws of our system of Constitutional Government the Jews of the United States of America should raise a large sum of money to defend Schwartzbard and to save him from the gallows for an act over which he had no control. Perhaps this incident will serve as a notice to other numerous pogromists, who still ply their miserable trade of outrage and pillage without fear of retribution at the hands of justice. There are enough liberty-loving Jews and non-Jews in this country to understand the significance of clearing Schwartzbard’s name, who will contribute liberally towards a fund. If Schwartzbard is to pay the supreme penalty for his act of idealism it will reflect ###### his entire race; if, on the other hand, he is to be saved for avenging the death of hundreds of thousands of his sisters and brethren, we will be covered with glory and sanctification,” Dr. Buchler declared.
The “Jewish Daily Forward” announces that many of its readers, whose relatives were killed in the pogroms in the Ukraine, are spontaneously sending in contributions to a fund for the defense of Schwartzbard.
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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.
