Album Fun Beilises Protzess [The Beilis Trial Album]. Warsaw: N. Riwin, 1913. Yiddish and Russian.
Small album documenting – with illustrations and photos – the life of Mendel Beilis, in particular the trial in which he stood accused, and personalities associated with the trial, including the murder victim, the panel of judges, witnesses, attorneys, and others. Each picture is captioned in Yiddish and Russian.
Menahem Mendel Beilis was accused of the ritual murder of a Ukrainian Christian youth, Andrei Iushchinskii, in April, 1911. Beilis was arrested on the basis of false testimony, and his trial commenced in September 1913. The purported murder and trial triggered an anti-Jewish campaign of incitement. Beilis was finally acquitted on November 10, 1913, following three years in detention. In the wake of the 1917 Revolution, a commission of inquiry into the affair was established. Its findings revealed that the authorities were fully aware of the true story; the trial was staged, and the motives behind it were purely anti-Semitic. This album was printed to mark the occasion of Beilis's acquittal. The final photograph shows Beilis in the company of his family.
31 pp., 14.5X10.5 cm. Fair condition. Numerous stains and wear. Tears and creases. Spine reinforced with adhesive tape. Several notations in pen and pencil. Ownership stamps.