The publisher of an anti-Semitic almanac, Victor Jegzajewski, was found guilty by the District Court at Groudzionz, Pomerania, today of insulting the Jewish religion and was sentenced to seven days’ imprisonment. The court rejected the Jewish Community’s demand for symbolic damages of one zloty (about 20 cents). Jewish circles regarded the verdict as a victory for the Jewish population despite the mildness of the sentence. The maximum penalty for insulting an established religion is three years.
The defendant, publisher of the almanac Samoobrona, a year ago put out an issue which contained a sketch portraying a Jew in the shape of a devil writing the code of the Talmud and bore the caption: “The books of Israel are written by the devil with the blood and tears of Christians.” The almanac was confiscated.
The publisher, in his defense, asserted that the Talmud could not be considered an object of religious devotion. He presented, as his expert witness to this effect, Father Trzeciak, notorious anti-Semite. The defense contended that the almanac was directed not against the Jewish religion but the Jewish people. Leib Landau, counsel for the Jewish Community as civil plaintiff, attacked Father Trzeciak as an expert, pointing out that he did not know Hebrew or Aramaic. Chief Rabbi Moses Schorr was expert witness for the prosecution.
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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.
