Two Jews were murdered in the East Galician village of Hojow yesterday while the death of a watchmaker brought to two the death toll in the May 18 riots in Brzesc (Brest-Litovsk). Josef Bester and his wife, Zisel, both 73 years old, were slain and their house set afire. The murders escaped.
The watchmaker, Baruch Silberberg, 47 years old, died in the Jewish Hospital here of head injuries received when his shop was stoned on May 18. Two operations were unavailing. Before his death he asked to be buried in his native city of Brzesc. He left a wife and two small children.
The authorities refused to permit the transfer of Silberberg’s body to Brzesc. It was decided to bury him instead in the Warsaw Jewish cemetery, and the Jewish community assigned a grave of honor.
Meanwhile, a Jewish woman, Gitel Gruenberg, who was seriously injured in the rioting, was brought to a Warsaw hospital for an operation.
The Socialist organ, Robotnik, continuing a fund-raising campaign for the riot victims in Brzesc, announced a half-zloty (ten-cent) contribution from the well-known writer-peasant Josef Lukomel “because I cannot afford more.”
A court sentenced twelve Jewish youths to jail terms of eight to forty days each for disorderly conduct during last week’s two-hour protest strike against the Brzesc disorders.
A Cracow district court acquitted 24 Christian youths accused of participating in anti-Jewish excesses during which a number of Jews were beaten up.
The Warsaw newspaper Dziennik Narodowy urged Polish traders to haste to Brzesc and set up business before the Jews, many of whose wares were destroyed during the riots, would have time to obtain new goods.
Polska Zbrojna, reflecting army sentiment, urged that Jews be ousted from trade. Jutra Praty, organ of ex-Premier Slawek, founder of the Government Party, demanded the ousting of the Jews from banking, trade and industry.
The Jewish Community of Czechanowiec appealed to Jewish traders not to appear at market day today “owing to the present tension in our district” of Zloczow in East Galicia.
AUTHORITIES ACCUSED OF ‘INDIFFERENCE’ IN BRZESC RIOTS
Senator Jacob Trockenheim demanded that Premier Skladkowski take disciplinary action against Governor de Tramecourt and other officials of Polesia Province for failure to suppress the Brzesc excesses.
In an interpellation in the Senate, Senator Trockenheim charged the Polish authorities with maintaining “an indifferent attitude that served to encourage the peasant mob as well as the so-called intelligentsia in the belief that Jewish life and property were no longer under protection of law.”
The authorities, he declared, were frequently warned by Jewish leaders of excesses but preventive measures were not taken.
“When representatives of the perplexed Jewish community, ” the Senator said, “visited the District Chief immediately the disturbances began, to ask for protection, they were informed the Jews must have given provocation. When the Jewish representatives handed him a list of names of police officials who had stood by during the morning scenes of robbery and violence, he did not even trouble to make note of the names.
“The Jewish representatives then went to Governor de Tramecourt, who did not receive them until six in the evening. Then the Governor began a discussion of the question of kosher meat. Following the interview with the Governor, robbery and violence grow worse, because of the continued indifference of the authorities.
“At one a.m., sixteen hours after the beginning of the excesses, police patrols deigned to say to the pogromists: ‘Please do not stand about in groups.’ At that time there was nothing left to pillage.”
Besides disciplinary action against officials of the province and city, Senator Trockenheim asked immediate Government relief for the victims of the pogrom.
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