Steiger Affair, reflected in Jewish, Polish and Ukrainian periodicals, 1924, 1925, 1924-1928 | Los Angeles Museum of the Holocaust

This Collection contains materials, largely in the form of reportages and articles from the newspapers published in 1924, 1925 and later in regard to the Steiger Trial. There are also personal accounts and interviews. The Stanislaw Steiger Trial in Lviv (Lwow), commonly referred as a Steiger Affair was boradly reflected by Jewish, Polish and Ukrainian periodicals as well as by foereing press.

Assassination attempt on the life of Poish President Stanislaw Wojcechowski took place on September 5, 1924, when President visited the city for the opening ofTargi Wschodni (Eastern Trade Fair). It was a bomb thrown at his open carriage. President had not been hurt and nombody sustained any personal injuiries. The bomb did not go off as deivised. It was accidently crashed by a cortege officers' horse.

Stanislaw Steiger who happened to be among spectators behaived nevrously and began to run into safety. He was arrested by the police becaue several bystanders pointed on his suspicious behavior. Some even testified that they saw hem throwing out a package that could have been a bomb.

Stanislaw Steiger, by no means was a culprit, altoough the summary tribunal commenced. This tribunal did not reach a unanimous decision and the case had been passed for further investigation and for trial by juries.

Here the "Steigeriada" how it was often named had began. It lasted until the end of 1925.

On September 5, 1924, Polish President Stanisław Wojcechowski visited Lviv for the opening of the Targi Wschodnie (regional Eastern Trade Fair). When the presidential cortege was passing through the intersection of Legionów and Kopernika streets, a bomb was thrown at his open carriage. Having rebounded from the carriage, it fell down on the ground. At that same moment, it was crashed  by the horse of a cavalry officer.  It had not detonated under the horse hoofs, nobody was hurt.

The Police made arrest right at the site. They arrested Stanisław Steiger, a Jew, who happened to be at the spot. Two witnesses immediately  testified against him. The authorities held him responsible, relying solely on their testimonies. They stated: he first raised his arm, and then started running away. After a short police investigation, Steiger was put before the summary tribunal.  The had begun on September 15, 1924, ten days after the assassination attempt. The Tribunal consisted of counselor (judges) Dukiet, Huth, Mayer, and Socha.  In the case of  death sentence, their  unanimous decision was required.  Steiger’s defense held Dr. Grek and Dr. Bromberg.

Stanislaw (Szlomo) Steiger was born on 14 December 1900 in Lviv. His family fled Galicia for Vienna at the beginning of the First World War. At the end of the war he was drafted in an Austrian army non-combat unit. Upon return to Lviv, Steiger entered the Jan Kazimierz University to study law. He also had a job at the commercial firm S.A. Koloniale.[i] Being sympathetic to Zionism, he participated  in social activities  of the local [i]Makabea, Karen Kayemet, and Keren Hayesod Funds.[ii]  Having no real affiliation with the Communist movement, Steiger was familiar with its theoretical conceptions.

Communist movement, Steiger was familiar with its theoretical conceptions.

In 1924, summary courts still existed in Poland, especially in eastern Galicia—the home to Ukrainian dissent. By and large the summary courts dealt with political and criminal cases, which fall under the category of capital punishment. The Austrian law from  the 23^rd  of May 1873 on such criminal proceedings had been still in force, providing legitimacy for summary trials, although Polish Legislature was debating its  abolition. Summary proceedings constituted a curtailed version of the normal court proceeding.  Resting on the principles of openness, retaining judicial indictment and the right on defense, the summary courts had no jury and there was no right to appeal the sentence.

            The criminal police built its investigation on the testimonies of two primary witnesses—Maria Pasternak and Wiktoria Loedl. The investigators completely disregarded a good number of other key witnesses who testified differently. All the testimonies, which did not support the police version, had not been taken into account or deliberately misinterpreted. The prosecutor, adherent to the police version, charged Steiger with the planned assassination attempt on the President, also linking him to a communist conspiracy. Defense lawyers Grek and Bromberg had been constantly drawing court’s attention to the drastically controversial circumstances of the case. They emphasized the blatant contradictions in the testimonies, pointing out onto the principal disagreement between the key witnesses.

         On 8 September 1924, three days after the attempt, [i]Ukrains’ka Viiskova Organizatsija or UVO (Ukrainian Military Organization), an underground paramilitary structure committed to the cause of Ukrainian independence issued a statement, claiming responsibility for the attempt on Wojcechowski’s life. The statement delivered to Lviv Jewish daily Chwila (A Moment) revealed the following:

Dear Mr. Editor, assassination attempt, executed around 3 P.M on the 5^th of September in Lviv at Kopernika street, has been organized within a row of other actions by the Ukrainian Military Organization and designed by its members, Ukrainians. Having thrown the bomb, the UVO’s member realized its ineffectiveness. He intended to resolve the task with  a revolver, remaining for a while at the place. Although not being able to accomplish that, he involuntarily saved himself. Whereas he was remaining on the site, the other, not connected to the action, began to flee. At that moment absolutely innocent Steiger was arrested by the Polish police … We regret that the UVO’s action unintentionally brought serious harm to a completely innocent person of Jewish nationality and caused the new attacks on the Zionist party and the Jewish community.[ii]

[i] Ibid., 33.

Dr. Leon Reich, head of the Eastern Galicia Zionist Organization and Member of Parliament together with Henryk Hescheles, editor in chief of Chwila, immediately intervened, notifying all relevant authorities about the obvious clarification in the Steiger case, although to no avail.  The court dismissed these new evidences on the ground of the prosecution’s objection to its authenticity. The summary court was anything, but not interested in any circumstances that could shed light on the case and provide for an alternative interpretation. The court’s primary goal was to determine whether or not Stanisław Steiger had to be indicted.

On behalf of Polish Republic, the District Criminal Court in Lviv, acting as Summary Court, after having concluded two days of  deliberation, in the view of not reached unanimity,  has referred  the case to the regular proceeding. The Court also rules to hold Steiger incarcerated in the pre-trial  jail. [i]

Three judges admitted Steiger guilty, voting for conviction, while the only one judge voted against it, thus saving his life. If not him, the only remaining hope for life would be a presidential pardon. The new phase of the Steiger Affair began. A day earlier, Steiger’s father, his fiancée Józefa, and his friend Fichtman were released from incarceration. Stanisław Steiger would spend another 15 months in jail until after the new ten-weeks trial, on the 17^th of December 1925, the jury delivered the final verdict.

The new investigation coincided with a number of crucial for Jewish society political developments. Firstly, the Polish-Jewish relations on the governmental level had reached a culminating point: whether or not Jewish political representation would carry on an anti-Polish policy of the Bloc of National Minorities or it will be prone to conform with the Polish Government and make itself independent  from the Bloc of National Minorities. After tormenting for the Jews negotiations the Jewish Parliamentary Representation, headed by Dr. Leon Reich, signed the Agreement with the Polish in July 1925 (widely known as Ugoda).

[i] Chwila (Lviv), September 18, 1924, 1.