Friday, June 27, 1969
JEWISH WESTERN BULLETIN
Page Seven
mHAN'S DimSE ATTORNiY
Defense team resisted Arab attempts to focus on Mid-east
Editor's Note: Now that the jury's verdict in the Sirhan B. Sirhan trial is history, the principals in the case are able to express their thoughts more freely. White House correspondent Trude B. Feldman attended court sessions of the trial from the outset in Los Angeles, and has interviewed the personalities involved. The following is the second of a series of exclusive, in-depth interviews recently conducted by Miss Feldman at Bel Air Sands hotel, liOS Angeles.
by TRUDE B. ^LDMAN
White House Correspondent Exclusive to The Bulletiit
EMILE ZOLA HERMAN, who
served as one of the defense attorneys for Sirhan B. Sirhan, recently told his reasons for accepting the case, and also talked about his famous client as well as the trial.
During an exclusive interview over lunch at Bel Air Sands hotel in West Los Angeles, "Mr, Herman said he assisted in defense of Sirhan in the "interest of a full and fair trial—not because I ^3nnpathize with Sirhan nor with his deed."
Mr. Herman said he is completely indifferent to criticism of his involvement in the case.
"The fact that I'm Jewish had no direct bearing on my professional responsibility, and it had nothing to do with the Sirhan case," he emphasized. "I am a , trial lawyer who cannot be gov-j emed by what other people think while I'm attempting to save a life."
Mr, Herman went on to tell that he decided to associate himself in the case because he believes every man has a right.to be defended, despite the griie-spmeness of his crime.
"I did not, nor do I today, consider it a Jewish issue at all, but an assassination of a public figure, the results of which, in my view, have changed the course of politics in this country, at least for the pi:esent," he said.
Herman, who assisted the defense without fee, further expounded on his fundamental philosophy in taking the case.
"I have a passion, for the notion that once a man's rights are tampered with, trifled with, or ignored, that all men's rights are in jeopardy," he stressed. "We had to stand for this man's rightsi no matter how horrendous an act lie committed.
"IT WAS AN IMPORTANT CASE to me, because I believe the public had to be informed, no matter what views one has on social positions—or even political positions. Fundamentally, one ought to believe in the Hill of Rights — which is for the public's protection as well as the
a Jew had not affected his relations with Sirhan.
"We had a good rapport and Sirhan seemed to respect me as a lawyer," Herman observed. "There was no personality conflict. We concentrated on the case and not on his political philosophy."
While attending a meeting of the American College of Trial Lawyers last August, Herman met an old friend, Grant Cooper, chief defense counsel for Sirhan.
"At that tune," Herman recalled, "Mr. Cooper asked me to come aboard and help out in the Sirhan case, which he (Cooper) termed a 'rough one'."
BY ACCEPTING COOPER'S
invitation, Herman was thus placed in a position of having to defend the man who killed Robert Kennedy. Ironically, Herman — who was acquainted with Kennedy — assisted in his Senatorial campaign in New York.
I asked Herman why Sirhan had been allowed — during his courtroom testimony — to propagandize i;he Middle East conflict and allow his statements to stand
on the public I'ecord without b'e-i ing answered.
The Defense Attorney admitted that such propoganda had no place in the courtroom and that it was not the time to bring lip the Mideast situation.
"It was just an explosion on Sirhan's part, and proved how bizarre his mind really is," Herman said. "It further proved how little he understood the Mideast situation. His outbursts just happened to conie in his testimony on the witness stand and it came in, NOT on his political posture, but to show how irrational his writings and his subsequent act really were.
"The defense team was not focusing on nor did we intend to focus on — the history of the Mideast. The only time it came up was when Sirhan's diary was being read as testimony, and his crazy rantings were displayed.
"Hut it was definitely not a trial based on the Israel-Arab situation, except as it affected Sirhan's disorderly mind."
Herman added that no one ever knew when, or how, Sirhan would blow up.
"THERE ARE TWO SIR-HANS," he remarked. "No one was able to have a normal conversation with him. Sirhan told us he felt betrayed. He loved Robert Kennedy, and when he advocated the sending of 50 bombers to Israel, Sirhan blew up to the point that he wanted to murder him—and he did."
The New York defense attorney hinted that there were many intimations from Arabs who
Issue Lioii of Israel Peace medallion
one who is being defended."
Herman,^plained that a lawyer takes an oath to do his best in respect to whatever clients he has, and a lawyer also ought to represent the indigent and the oppfesscK^. He added that the highest function of an attorney is to defend those who are accused of a capital crime and whose lives are at stake. He further said that a lawyer also believes in the jury system and the right of every individual to a defense.
In Herman's view, Sirhan's trial was conducted in a fair manner and in the best tradition of American jurisprudence.
Herman, at 66, is a bald, slender man, who was born in New York City to Russian immigrant parents. His mother, Liza, named him after Emile Zola, the French journalist who made the Dreyfus case a cause celebre. The Hermans and Emile Zola were close friends.
A graduate of New York University law school, Herman has practiced since 1926. He is now a lecturer and author on legal subjects, and devotes much time to lecturing at law schools, bar associations and to young lawyers. He is recognazed as an able and trainel trial lawyer.
Herman's children, Eli, now 20, and Eliza, now 21, attended Hebrew and Sunday school in Rosilyn, Long Island, where Eli was Bar-Mitzvah.
ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS, Herman spoke on behalf of the United Jewish Appeal and for Bonds For Israel. He said he has purchased — and still has in his possession — those bonds, and continues to support Bonds for Israel. He is also a member of
the Federation of Jewish Phil- I NEW FINE SILVER LION OF ISRAEL PEACE MEDALLION has anthropies in New York. been issued, both in tribute to the 21st Anniversary of the founding
Since he has been accused of of the State of Israel and in commemoration of the Second Anniver-being anti^Zionist, J asked that sary of the Six-Day War. Limited in mintage to 1,000 serially num-bluht question of him. bered, hallmarked .999 Fine Silver strikes, the Medallions are pre-
"I don't know what it is to be rented in specially designed custom cases. Each medal is accompanied anti-Zionist," he answered, "sndl^^^ ^JJ^'^'Z^^ of re^stration Sculptured by the award-winning I don»t consider mvself an anti- Elizabeth Weistrop, Fellow of the National Sculpture Society and ii?^?J»' ■ creator of the famed Frankenhuis "Tribute to the Six MilUon Holo-
2?; u ■ * <^"st Medal", the MedaUion is IH" in diameter and of double thick-
He al«) said he IS ijot a mem- ness and weight. The obverse dramatically displays the Lion of ber of the American Council for Israel proudly guarding the nine branch Menorah, symbol of freedom Judaism, another accusation of worship and independence. To the right is the traditional Star of tossed at him by some elements David. The reverse portrays Moses descending from Mt. Sinai with in the Jewish community. *he Ten Commandments, revealing to the IsraeUtes the revelation
Mr. Herman told me that bemg God through the Law.
wanted/to have the trial turned into a forum for the merits of the Israeli-Arab conflict.
"We adamantly refused," he revealed. "We had no interest in such propaganda. We were there only to defend a man for his life."
As to whether Sirhan had really killed Robert Kennedy solely because of the Senator's pro-Israel sympathies, Mr. Herman said:
"Sirhan killed him because Sirhan had an unsound mind, which was triggered from his grandiose notion of what a hero he could be in Jordan."
Asked what he (Herman) had learned from the Sirhan case, he responded:
"How deep hostilities do run."
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