Beating the signatures of sixteen leading Palestine rabbis, headed by Rabbis A. I. Ha Cohen Kook, Jacob Meir and B. Z. Uziel, posters were distributed throughout the country today appealing to the Jewish population to aid the fight of Abraham Stavsky for reversal of his conviction for the murder of Dr. Chaim Arlosoroff.
Basing their action on the decision of Judge Moshe Valero, member of the Court of Assizes, who, in opposition to the majority vote of the court, held Stavsky innocent, the rabbis signing the appeal declared:
“The signatories can testify before God and man that Stavsky had nothing to do with the Arlosoroff murder.”
WORLD-WIDE CALL ISSUED
Following the appeal of the sixteen rabbis, a call “to the Yishub and the Jewish nation in the diaspora,” was issued over the signatures of 110 prominent Jewish leaders.
“We deeply believe that the court has passed a seriously mistaken judgment,” the statement asserted. “An innocent man has been sentenced to death under a majority decision. Stavsky is the victim of a terrible mistake.
“We see it our duty to awaken Jewish public opinion to save the innocent. The defense activities for truth and justice should be continued.
“We believe and hope the truth will conquer.”
Among the signers of the plea were M. Dizengoff, Mayor of Tel Aviv, and Vice Mayor Rokeach, M. Smilansky, farmer-writer, Dr. Saul Chernichovsky, Herschel Farbstein, Mizrachi, leader; Rabbis Kook, Uziel, Meier Berlin and Fishman; leaders of the Mizrachi, General Zionists, Jewish State party, prominent poets, writers, journalists, industrialists and merchants and the presidents of the Jewish communities of Jaffa, Tel Aviv, Recho-both, Petach-Tikvah and Rishon le-Zion.
WISE RECEIVES APPEAL FOR STAVSKY DEFENSE AID
Dr. Stephen S. Wise yesterday announced receipt of a cable from Professor Joseph Klausner of the Hebrew University, Jerusalem, in which he asserted the innocence of Abraham Stavsky, Revisionist Zionist condemned to die for the murder of Dr. Chaim Arlosoroff, and urged a fight to save the condemned man from death.
The cable, which was received June 15, reads as follows:
“Abraham Stavsky sentenced to death in Jerusalem is innocent. In the name of justice, fight with all power to save him from death. The time is short.”
Commenting on the cable, Dr. Wise said: “It is extraordinary to find that Professor Klausner does not say that Stavsky has not been fairly tried or that his guilt has not been adequately proven, but that he is innocent.”
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.
