Higher Court Acquits Jewish Worker Sentenced in the Afuleh Incident

(Jewish Telegraphic Agency)

The Jewish workingman, Segal, who was sentenced to 12 years imprisonment last June as a result of the quarrel in Afuleh where Jewish workingmen had to defend their right to work against neighboring Arab villagers, was acquitted yesterday by the district court here.

Segal was sentenced to 12 years imprisonment and another Jewish workingman, Paz, received a sentence of six months’ imprisonment at that time by the court in Nablus. Upon appeal, the higher court recently annulled the sentence of the Nablus court and transferred the case to the district court, which acquitted Segal.

Eight Jewish workers and two Arabs were wounded and one Arab was killed in the fight which occurred last November at Afuleh when Jewish workingmen who were ploughing on a strip of land were prevented from working by Arabs who threw stones at them. The Jewish workmen then fired on the Arabs.

An official investigation made at the time into the causes of the conflict established the fact that the land over which the fight occurred was not disputable land, but belonged to the American Zion Commonwealth and that the Arabs had no claim on the property. It was also established that only one shot was fired by one of the Jewish workingmen.

The First Hungatian Congregation Ohab Zedek will lay the cornerstone of its West Side Synagogue, now in the course of construction, at 118-120 West 95th Street. New York, on Sunday, May 9.

The cornerstone will be laid by Albert Herskerits. William Weiss is Chairman of the Committee.

Rabbi Isaiah Levy, rabbi of the Congregation, will deliver an address.

Among the other speakers will be Rabbi Herbert S. Goldstein, President of the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America; former Secretary of State, Samuel S. Koenig. Judge Gustay Hartman, Magistrate H. M. R. Goodman and Congresaman Sol Bloom.

Moritz Neuman is President of the Congregation.