39 years later, US arson conviction overturned due to antisemitism at trial – Barry Jacobson has fought conviction for four decades; now, case to be dismissed because a juror called him ‘one of those New York Jews’; racism in courts must be fought, he says | Timesofisrael

BOSTON (JTA) – Barry Jacobson spent 40 days in prison in 1983 after being convicted of setting a fire at his Massachusetts vacation home.
He spent the next 40 years pressing for his innocence and arguing that his conviction was tainted by antisemitism.
Now, Jacobson’s quest has been answered. A Massachusetts district attorney is set to announce Tuesday that Jacobson, who is Jewish, was wrongfully convicted by a jury whose forelady reportedly referred to him as “one of those New York Jews who think they can come up here and get away with anything.”