Conflicting testimony was given by George Ilea, police commandant, and the mayor of Borscha during the third day of the trial of 83 persons, including 18 Jews, held for participation in the Borscha fire and anti-Semitic outbreaks of last summer. The trial, which is being held at Satu-Mare, is expected to be concluded by next Tuesday.
Ilea told the court that up to May 7th the relations between the Jews and Christians of Borscha had been of the best and that it was not true that the Jews had threatened Constantin Danila, anti-Semitic leader, when he came to Borscha to speak. Another gendarme also said that it was not the Jews who had provoked the trouble, saying that he had seen Jews beaten.
The mayor of Borscha astounded the court by saying he knew nothing about the matter except that the Jews had been preparing to attack Danila. Other anti-Semitic witnesses declared that the Jews of Borscha were all rich and had been exploiting the peasants.
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.
