Schwarcz was born in
Komárno, then in the
Austro-Hungarian Empire, to a Jewish family, one of 14 children. Over the objections of his parents he made
aliyah in 1933. He joined the
Palestine Police Force, and like most Jewish police officers, also joined the
Haganah. Schwarcz was one of the policemen stationed at the High Commissioner's summer camp in
Atlit to guard against bandits during the
1936–1939 Arab revolt in Palestine. On the night of September 1, 1937, he shot dead Mustafa Khoury, an Arab policeman with whom he shared a tent. Khoury was sleeping when he was killed. Schwarz was arrested the following day. It has been claimed that Khoury was a "fanatical nationalist" who mocked Schwarcz and expressed satisfaction over Jews being killed during the rebellion. One of Schwarcz's friends testified that the Khoury had entered the tent drunk, boasting about having raped and murdered Jews and that "Schwarcz's turn would come." The Supreme Court of Mandatory Palestine upheld the conviction and sentence, the Privy Council in
London refused to intervene in the case, and High Commissioner
Harold MacMichael confirmed the sentence. One justice on the Supreme Court of Mandatory Palestine dissented in the decision to uphold Schwarcz's conviction,
Gad Frumkin, who was later a nominee for the
Supreme Court of Israel. Appeals for clemency came from Justice Trusted, as well as American and international Jewish organizations.
Moshe Sharett, the director of the Jewish Agency's Political Department, wrote a letter to MacMichael, requesting a pardon, but he refused to commute the sentence. While awaiting execution, Schwarcz confessed to the murder. However, he claimed it was not done "maliciously and intentionally," saying Khoury had provoked him."The truth is that I did the deed, but I'm not to blame for his death, because he was to blame. I've always been opposed to shedding the blood of an innocent man. But he brought me to the point where I did what I did without realizing it. He told me, 'Just as four Jews were killed today in Hadera, we'll kill you all. We'll annihilate all the Jews, not one of you will be left here.' And thus he provoked, threatened and mocked me for two nights. Out of both sorrow and fear, I didn't sleep the night before the deed. I was in a daze the whole day afterward. On the second night he again began to provoke me." As he walked to the gallows, he cried out, "
Shema Yisrael." On the day before his execution he wrote the following to the newspaper
Davar.I should like you to publish these lines after my death. My final requests of the Jewish public in this country and abroad is not to take any action likely to lead to violence and disturbance in connection with my execution.In order to prevent this opportunity from being exploited by certain persons for provocative purposes which may lead to innocent bloodshed, I wish to say that I have no connection with that movement, and my conceptions are opposed to terrorism and bloodshed.My own case I regard as a private mistake in a moment of temporary aberration. I profoundly regret whatever I have done and willingly accept my fate.My regards to all my friends in Ramat Gan and Sh'chunath Borochow. I hope they will forgive me for having proved false to my education and our movement.Do not try to emulate me. Goodbye all. ==Aftermath==