The Rabbi and The Rebbetzin (28 page)

Andrea
replied fearlessly, “I am a famous woman who wrote three novels about nosey and
sexist detectives who ask questions they shouldn’t be asking. This is not the
time or place for you to admire my beauty, even though it is flattering.”

She
then turned to Perkins and began updating him. She told him the whole story as
Amanda had told it three times earlier. She explained that two victims were in
Philadelphia General, and the Rebbetzin was being treated for shock on the
floor behind the desk. They heard Nurse Greenberg speak to Shulamit.

“
Badi
she’at mevulbelet, acheret ya’atzru otach
” (“Pretend you are confused,
otherwise they will arrest you”).

Shulamit
knew Hebrew quite well after twelve years in the Pittsburgh Day School and two
summers in Israeli camps. Sarah Greenberg had her M.D. degree from the Hebrew
University and had served in Israeli army camps for a number of years. Her
Hebrew was perfect.

Shulamit
had studied drama and had acted in many plays. She was an expert actress. She
let out a deep groan and asked, “What happened, where am I?” in a manner that
would convince anyone that she was confused.

Perkins
was angry that the nurse was talking to Shulamit in a strange tongue. He said
to her, “We are two senior detectives from the Philadelphia police department.
We came to arrest this lady for striking an innocent man with a deadly weapon.
That’s a felony in this state under Section 251 of the Criminal Code. As a
nurse, you should not interfere with police officers.”

Sam
Leonard had heard enough. “Listen, Perkins,” he said, “Don’t act in a
highfalutin way in a firm which has 450 lawyers. 150 of them deal with criminal
law, and I manage the department. If you act like an idiot, the firm will see
to it that you will return to pounding a beat in south Philly on the night
shift. Nurse Greenberg is really Dr. Sarah Greenberg, who was a specialist in trauma
and in internal medicine at Philadelphia General. She also worked in Israeli
army bases, where she saw more trauma cases than you will see in a lifetime.
She will let you know when this lady is well enough to be arrested.

“Don’t
forget,” he continued, “you can’t arrest anyone without a Miranda warning, and
you can’t administer a Miranda to a person who is in shock. She spoke to her
patient in Hebrew and that’s how she communicates with Hebrew-speaking people
because it is easier for her.”

Perkins
was subdued after Sam Leonard spoke to him. Sam added, “For your information, the
Rebbetzin, as this patient is known, is about five months pregnant. There will
have to be some ultrasound testing to see that the baby is all right before the
doctor allows you to speak to her. And if you saw Mrs. Pearson’s ghastly injuries,
you wouldn’t call John Pearson an innocent man.” Not having any other options,
the two detectives left the office.

Meanwhile,
Albert Nash had told Andrea Cohen to put in an article as soon as possible in
defense of the Rebbetzin. Andrea gathered up her staff to work with her to get Shula’s
defense to all television stations and newspapers right away. The headline read:

HERO
REBBETZIN FOILS VIOLENT WIFE-BEATER

The
sub-headline read:

Pregnant Rebbetzin Subdues Wife-Beater

Saves Life of Victim and Her Own

“The Finkel Nash law firm released an account of
the incident which ended up with two seriously injured victims hospitalized at
Philadelphia General, and one treated for shock in her office by the head of
the firm’s medical department, Dr. Sarah Greenberg.

At 10:30 AM this morning, John and Virginia
Pearson came to the law firm to discuss their case with lawyer Michael Wolf of
the Criminal Law department. Pearson, who was out on bail for a charge of ‘disturbing
the peace,’ had been tried before Judge Eva Handle on the charge. The judge
deferred sentencing because she wanted the defendant to be investigated for
wife-beating. Since Pearson was indigent and was entitled to a lawyer, the
judge asked Finkel Nash to provide him with legal services pro bono. Attorney
Wolf sent the two up to be interviewed by Rebbetzin Adler, who is an associate
in the Family Law department. He asked her to help determine whether Pearson
had been previously involved in such acts. He told her that Finkel Nash would
not defend a perennial wife-beater pro bono.

During the course of the interview, Mrs. Adler
received a call from the managing director. While answering the phone behind a
partition, the couple got into a violent argument. John Pearson was loudly ordering
his wife not to reveal any previous beatings, and, when she refused to
cooperate, he slapped her. Mrs. Adler screamed at him and told him emphatically
to stop hitting his wife. Pearson fell into a rage and threatened to finish his
wife first and then to finish the ‘Jew lawyer’ as well. He then punched his
wife in the face and she fell to the floor bleeding profusely from the nose and
mouth. Before he could turn upon Mrs. Adler, she grabbed a tack hammer from her
desk and struck John Pearson on the top of his head. Pearson fell to the floor
unconscious.

Mrs. Adler managed to push the alarm buttons alerting
the security office and the medical director’s office who responded at once.
Overcome by the incident, Mrs. Adler, who is pregnant, fainted and went into
shock. Nurse Jones treated Mrs. Pearson, Nurse Klein treated John Pearson, and
Dr. Greenberg and a student nurse treated Rebbetzin Adler for shock.

Captain Casey of the security department asked Lieutenant
Wolfson to call two ambulances for the victims and Sergeant Jerome Warner to
call the city police for reinforcements. Two detectives arrived on the scene
with four patrolmen. When one of the detectives tried to arrest Mrs. Adler, the
director of the Criminal Law department at Finkel Nash refused to allow him to
do so on the grounds that Mrs. Adler was in shock and unable to understand the
required Miranda warnings. He also advised the detectives that Mrs. Adler was
in delicate condition and five months pregnant. He warned them to be careful in
what they were doing.

In a statement, Albert Nash, managing director of
Finkel Nash, claimed that it was outrageous for the police to seek to arrest a
woman who was protecting the life of her client and her own life as well from a
vicious criminal.”

The
papers and TV stations combined material from their own reporters with the
statement from Finkel Nash. Andrea Cohen had sent many photographs of the
events that took place in Shulamit’s office and the media used them all. Andrea
had taken pains to send copies of all the material to the women’s organizations
in Philadelphia and they achieved the desired result. Particularly effective
were the pictures of Mrs. Pearson, whose face and clothing were covered with
blood, and Shulamit lying on the floor with feet upraised being treated by the
doctor and the nurse.

The
D.A. said, “You can use my name in the statement.”

“We
do not believe that attorney Shulamit Adler should be arrested for defending the
wife of a client, Mrs. John Pearson, who was being attacked by a wife-beater
and for acting in self-defense in subduing the same criminal. Unfortunately, the
men named in this statement are entitled by law to act independently and are
protected by waiting periods before they can be removed from government
service.” The mayor’s statement eased some of the tension in the city but did
not help Shulamit.

Sam
Leonard then issued a statement of his own. He claimed that he was advised by
the medical staff that Mrs. Adler would need a week to recover from her
experience and check the health of her fetus. She would be willing to remain at
home until she was allowed to travel by her doctor.

After
sitting in an easy chair for the next few hours, Shulamit felt she was
sufficiently clear-headed to venture home. She asked Dr. Greenberg to rent a
private ambulance for her to transport her to her home. Dr. Greenberg said, “I
would be glad to do that, but I am going home with you in the ambulance and I
will take Nurse Jones with us.”

When
the ambulance arrived and was parked before the Finkel-Nash building, Dr.
Greenberg asked one of her nurses to bring up a stretcher. The freight elevator
was cleared and Shulamit and her escorts entered the ambulance. Dr. Greenberg
cautioned the driver to drive slowly and carefully to Shulamit’s home on Sansom
Street. Shulamit had to be helped up the stairs to her second floor bedroom,
where Dr. Greenberg set up the bedroom as a hospital room. Shulamit rested in
bed for five more days until she was ready to be arraigned.

By
now Perkins had secured a warrant for her arrest on the charge of felonious
assault upon an innocent party. The D.A. decided to supervise the court hearing
himself because he was afraid to entrust the proceedings to the assistant D.A.

The
hearing was scheduled to take place in a small courtroom near the district
attorney’s office. Much to the surprise of the D.A., the smaller courtroom was
packed and a few visitors were standing in the back. Apparently the newspapers
had heard that Shulamit was going to be arraigned that morning and that there
would be a general hearing on the case. The courtroom was filled with women who
wished to show solidarity with Shulamit and her cause. Judge Dempsey was
presiding at the arraignment and he called the audience to order. He announced
that Mrs. Shulamit Adler had been arrested by Detective Perkins and her Miranda
rights had been read to her.   

“Mrs.
Adler,” the judge explained, “was arrested on a felony charge of assault with a
deadly weapon against the person of Mr. John Pearson.” The judge then asked
Shulamit how she is pleading to the charge.

“I
plead not guilty,” Shulamit said.

Sam
Leonard rose and said that he was the attorney for Mrs. Adler, and the three
other attorneys from Finkel Nash were assisting him.

The
judge then inquired who was representing the State. Dale Ferrino rose and said,
“Because of the importance of the case, I will personally direct the State and
might require the assistance of a member of the district attorney’s staff.

“In
keeping with the Miranda requirements, an indigent defendant must be provided
with legal counsel. The firm of Finkel Nash was selected to secure a lawyer who
would work pro bono on behalf of the defendant. His name is William Ackerman. I
am asking permission from the court to allow Mr. Ackerman to explain in detail
the charges against Mrs. Adler.”

The
judge said, “Mr. Ackerman, proceed.”

William
Ackerman rose and said, “The charges against Mrs. Adler are quite serious. The
defendant took a tack hammer from her desk and struck my client over the head,
rendering him unconscious. In the Pennsylvania Code of Criminal Law, such an
action is a felony and subject to a prison term of up to three years. If my
client suffers permanent injury or disability, and certainly if my client dies
from his injuries, the defendant could be charged with attempted murder.

“Although
Mrs. Adler comes from a wealthy and well-known family, the State of
Pennsylvania does not regard the higher status of the defendant as an excuse
for irresponsible actions. Both the rich and poor are treated equally in the
courts. While there may have been some extenuating circumstances causing Mrs.
Adler to proceed with her actions, I submit that such circumstances can only be
determined in a court of law where their merit can be judged. I hereby submit a
request for a full jury trial in the courts of Pennsylvania.”  

When
William Ackerman concluded his remarks, Sam Leonard addressed the question of
bail for Mrs. Adler. Leonard rose and asked the presiding district attorney if
Dr. Greenberg could address the court. When permission was granted, Dr.
Greenberg rose and spoke to the audience. “My patient underwent treatment last
week for severe shock and has not yet fully recovered. She is five months
pregnant and the condition of her baby has to be further tested to see that the
fetus was not harmed. Two nurses were with her last night and I was on call in
case of emergency. Under no circumstances must she be allowed to remain in jail
overnight.”

The
judge then turned to William Ackerman and asked if he had any objections to
bail being granted. Ackerman replied that he would like to call upon Detective
Perkins, who had finally come to understand Shulamit’s financial status, to
explain why the prosecution objected to bail. The detective said, “Mrs. Adler
is a fairly wealthy woman and we must consider her a risk to flee the country.
She has spent two summers in Israel and has visited that country ten times over
the last years. If we release her on bail, I’m sure that tomorrow she will be
in the Sheraton Hotel in Tel Aviv.”

Perkins
concluded his testimony and Ackerman resumed his statement. “We object to bail
being granted, and to make sure of equality, I note that there are many
pregnant women in jail. Nevertheless, if the judge feels that bail must be
granted for such reasons, I respectfully request that it may be limited to the
amount necessary to make sure that Mrs. Adler doesn’t flee the country, but it
should not be exaggerated.” Much to his surprise, a chorus of boos came from
the courtroom that was filled with women supporters of Shulamit.

The
judge banged down his gavel and demanded that order be restored in the court. He
threatened to close the courtroom to the public if there were any further
demonstrations. The audience quieted down and realized, that if the courtroom was
closed, Abe Levine, who was present, would be denied an opportunity to help his
daughter with bail arrangements. Abe had left his work on Sunday and had
arrived in Philadelphia before the trial.