The anti-Jewish disturbances in Lemberg which began on November 26th and spread throughout Poland, causing injuries to more than 400 Jews, were discussed yesterday at a special session of the Municipal Council.
Dr. Emil Schmorak, editor of the Polish Jewish daily, “Chwila”, termed the excesses a disgrace to the city. He called for punishment of conductors of the trolley cars who remained passive while Jewish passengers were attacked, or participated in the onslaught. Dr. Schmorak also demanded to know the measures taken by the authorities to prevent repetition of the occurrences.
The Club of Jewish Deputies in its memorandum to the Polish Sejm on the excesses, emphasized the part played by the conductors of the trolley cars in the attacks. “Special emphasis must be placed on the number of Jewish passengers attacked in the trolley cars,” declared the memorandum. In many instances the car mechanics and conductors deported themselves in no better fashion than the attackers, remaining either completely passive or taking part in the attacks.
“David Ber and Clara Ber in their deposition to the management of the car company declared that a mechanic of line No. 4, nuumber 156, stopped his car before it arrived at its station in order to permit students to board it, who fell upon and severely wounded the Bers. In the melee a purse carried by Ber, containing 800 zlotys disappeared,” the memorandum pointed out.
A representative of the anti-Semitic National Democratic Party followed the Jewish councillor and wanted to know what measures the authorities were taking to prevent the repetition of the provocation of the students.
A non-Jewish engineer, Kroll, who was mistaken for a Jew and wounded during the riots, wrote to the rector of Lemberg University yesterday seeking to ascertain the name of his assailant.
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.
