The Kastner affair
Monday was Holocaust Memorial Day eve (erev Yom Hashoa) here. This is dated from the start of the Warsaw Ghetto uprising, although international Holocaust Day is dated from the liberation of Auschwitz. There was a moving national ceremony broadcast from Yad Vashem in Jerusalem and many programs on TV about the Shoah.
One focused on the twins who were experimented on in Auschwitz, and some ironically survived because they were kept in special quarters by Dr. Mengele. Another featured movies such as "The Pianist," and yet another was a documentary on the "Kastner Affair." Many of you will not have heard of Kastner, and how his activities during the Shoah divided Israel and lead to his trial and assassination, a very complex philosophical and political issue.
Israel Kastner was a leader of the Hungarian Jewish community in Budapest, which was invaded by the Nazis late in WWII, because they were unhappy with the cooperation of the Hungarian Fascist Government led by Admiral Horthy. Horthy stopped the deportations of Jews from Hungary for reasons that are unclear, some say that he saw that Germany was losing the war and was scared that he would be tried for collaboration and for war crimes, others that he was bribed by the Allies, but whatever the reasons the Germans invaded and occupied Hungary in 1943.
The Jewish population of Hungary, mostly in Budapest, was 800,000, the largest remaining in Europe. Adolf Eichmann was sent in to ensure the speedy destruction of Hungarian Jewry. He worked out of the famous Dohany Street Synagogue (which is why it wasn't destoyed) and as elsewhere he worked with the organized Jewish Community that he forced to cooperate with him. One of the leaders of this group was Kastner, who headed a small organization called "The Aid and Rescue Committee." For some reason Eichmann and Kastner got along, some said it was because Kastner was arrogant and had ice-cold blood.
Kastner had visited Bratislava soon after two Slovakian Jews, Rudolf Vrba and Alfred Wetzler, escaped from Auschwitz and wrote the first detailed Report on the workings of the extermination camp. It was then being prepared for the murder of hundreds of thousands of Hungarian Jews and Kastner was given a copy of their Report (that was also sent to the US, Britain and the Vatican) and he was asked to warn the Hungarian Jews of their impending fate on his return, but he did not do so, and kept the Report secret. This may have been part of his "deal" with Eichmann, for which Kastner received consideration.
The two of them concocted a scheme to exchange 100,000 trucks for 1 million Jews. Some say that Kastner realized that the Germans were losing the war and that they would be prepared to exchange Jews for war materiel that they desperately needed. Kastner kept these negotiations secret too, so that it was not a general Jewish proposal, and he sent an emissary to the West via Turkey. Although the British and Americans sent back vague responses, stringing Kastner and Eichmann along, they imprisoned his emissary and had no intention of giving the Germans any trucks, even for the lives of Jews. As the war progressed and hundreds of thousands of Jews were being murdered by the Nazis and their Hungarian collaborators, it became clear that no deal would be forthcoming. However, Kastner now had personal relations with many SS officers, and came and went from SS Headquarters in Budapest without hindrance. In order to repay him for his help (in the truck affair or other matters) Eichmann allowed a train to be filled with Jews of Kastner's choice, which included his family, friends and the Satmer Rebbe and his Hasidic followers, totalling 1,684 people. In 1944, this "Kastner train" was allowed to leave Hungary for Switzerland.
In exchange, it appears that Kastner wrote affidavits to protect several high ranking SS officers, including Kurt Becher, who was in charge of disposing of the wealth of the Hungarian Jews who were forcibly deported to Auschwitz and murdered. Some allege that Kastner also received some of this money from Bucher in exchange, although that was never proven. It is also alleged that in response for the help he gave to the SS leaders in Hungary, Kastner was allowed to have ca. 15,000 Jews shipped not to certain death in Auschwitz, but to other camps where many of them survived. Some people emphasize that Kastner saved many Jewish lives, others that during his "negotiations" with the SS ca. 600,000 Hungarian Jews were murdered.
After the war, Kastner and his family emigrated to Israel and he became a member of the Labor Party, a supporter of David Ben Gurion and had a Government position. Many of the Hungarian Jews who survived who also came to Israel regarded Kastner as a collaborator, who had worked with the SS and saved his family and friends at the expense of others. A pamphlet was published by one of them, Malchiel Grunewald, accusing Kastner of such collaboration, and an article was published in a popular right wing magazine Haolam Hazeh (This World) in 1954 published by Shlomo Avineri.
The Israeli Government then sued Gruenewald on behalf of Kastner for libel. The crucial evidence were copies of the affidavits that Kastner wrote and signed for Eichmann and Becher. The judge (there are no juries in Israel) found him guilty of collaborating with the Nazis, of having "sold his soul to the devil."
In Israel at that time, 1957 (just after the 1956 Suez Campagn), this was tantamount to giving him a death sentence. Soon after, a group of right wing extremists shot Kastner dead at night outside his apartment. The shooter Zeev Eckstein 21 and his driver and the organizer of the killing were captured and tried. The police said that the bullet that killed Kastner matched the gun found on Eckstein. To many in Israel at the time, Eckstein was a hero who did what had to be done.
However, questions were soon raised about the verdict, and on appeal before three judges the finding was reversed soon after Kastner's death. Only in 2006 did Yad Vashem accept the Kastner archives, that are now available for researchers. Many questions still remain about this "affair": why did the Israeli Labor Government sue on Kastner's behalf?; were international Zionist organizations aware of some of Kastner's activities?; why did Kastner write affidavits for several other arrested SS officers?; how much ransom money was paid to the SS officers by Jews to get on the "Kastner train"?; were the right wing extremists infiltrated by Israeli intelligence?; did the Labor Party/Government of Israel want to get rid of him because he was a severe embarrassment?; why were Eckstein and the other conspirators quickly released?; did Eckstein actually fire the bullet that killed Kastner (he now claims that he did not)? The main thing that the Kastner case proves is that dealing with the devil leaves a permanent tarnish.
One focused on the twins who were experimented on in Auschwitz, and some ironically survived because they were kept in special quarters by Dr. Mengele. Another featured movies such as "The Pianist," and yet another was a documentary on the "Kastner Affair." Many of you will not have heard of Kastner, and how his activities during the Shoah divided Israel and lead to his trial and assassination, a very complex philosophical and political issue.
Israel Kastner was a leader of the Hungarian Jewish community in Budapest, which was invaded by the Nazis late in WWII, because they were unhappy with the cooperation of the Hungarian Fascist Government led by Admiral Horthy. Horthy stopped the deportations of Jews from Hungary for reasons that are unclear, some say that he saw that Germany was losing the war and was scared that he would be tried for collaboration and for war crimes, others that he was bribed by the Allies, but whatever the reasons the Germans invaded and occupied Hungary in 1943.
The Jewish population of Hungary, mostly in Budapest, was 800,000, the largest remaining in Europe. Adolf Eichmann was sent in to ensure the speedy destruction of Hungarian Jewry. He worked out of the famous Dohany Street Synagogue (which is why it wasn't destoyed) and as elsewhere he worked with the organized Jewish Community that he forced to cooperate with him. One of the leaders of this group was Kastner, who headed a small organization called "The Aid and Rescue Committee." For some reason Eichmann and Kastner got along, some said it was because Kastner was arrogant and had ice-cold blood.
Kastner had visited Bratislava soon after two Slovakian Jews, Rudolf Vrba and Alfred Wetzler, escaped from Auschwitz and wrote the first detailed Report on the workings of the extermination camp. It was then being prepared for the murder of hundreds of thousands of Hungarian Jews and Kastner was given a copy of their Report (that was also sent to the US, Britain and the Vatican) and he was asked to warn the Hungarian Jews of their impending fate on his return, but he did not do so, and kept the Report secret. This may have been part of his "deal" with Eichmann, for which Kastner received consideration.
The two of them concocted a scheme to exchange 100,000 trucks for 1 million Jews. Some say that Kastner realized that the Germans were losing the war and that they would be prepared to exchange Jews for war materiel that they desperately needed. Kastner kept these negotiations secret too, so that it was not a general Jewish proposal, and he sent an emissary to the West via Turkey. Although the British and Americans sent back vague responses, stringing Kastner and Eichmann along, they imprisoned his emissary and had no intention of giving the Germans any trucks, even for the lives of Jews. As the war progressed and hundreds of thousands of Jews were being murdered by the Nazis and their Hungarian collaborators, it became clear that no deal would be forthcoming. However, Kastner now had personal relations with many SS officers, and came and went from SS Headquarters in Budapest without hindrance. In order to repay him for his help (in the truck affair or other matters) Eichmann allowed a train to be filled with Jews of Kastner's choice, which included his family, friends and the Satmer Rebbe and his Hasidic followers, totalling 1,684 people. In 1944, this "Kastner train" was allowed to leave Hungary for Switzerland.
In exchange, it appears that Kastner wrote affidavits to protect several high ranking SS officers, including Kurt Becher, who was in charge of disposing of the wealth of the Hungarian Jews who were forcibly deported to Auschwitz and murdered. Some allege that Kastner also received some of this money from Bucher in exchange, although that was never proven. It is also alleged that in response for the help he gave to the SS leaders in Hungary, Kastner was allowed to have ca. 15,000 Jews shipped not to certain death in Auschwitz, but to other camps where many of them survived. Some people emphasize that Kastner saved many Jewish lives, others that during his "negotiations" with the SS ca. 600,000 Hungarian Jews were murdered.
After the war, Kastner and his family emigrated to Israel and he became a member of the Labor Party, a supporter of David Ben Gurion and had a Government position. Many of the Hungarian Jews who survived who also came to Israel regarded Kastner as a collaborator, who had worked with the SS and saved his family and friends at the expense of others. A pamphlet was published by one of them, Malchiel Grunewald, accusing Kastner of such collaboration, and an article was published in a popular right wing magazine Haolam Hazeh (This World) in 1954 published by Shlomo Avineri.
The Israeli Government then sued Gruenewald on behalf of Kastner for libel. The crucial evidence were copies of the affidavits that Kastner wrote and signed for Eichmann and Becher. The judge (there are no juries in Israel) found him guilty of collaborating with the Nazis, of having "sold his soul to the devil."
In Israel at that time, 1957 (just after the 1956 Suez Campagn), this was tantamount to giving him a death sentence. Soon after, a group of right wing extremists shot Kastner dead at night outside his apartment. The shooter Zeev Eckstein 21 and his driver and the organizer of the killing were captured and tried. The police said that the bullet that killed Kastner matched the gun found on Eckstein. To many in Israel at the time, Eckstein was a hero who did what had to be done.
However, questions were soon raised about the verdict, and on appeal before three judges the finding was reversed soon after Kastner's death. Only in 2006 did Yad Vashem accept the Kastner archives, that are now available for researchers. Many questions still remain about this "affair": why did the Israeli Labor Government sue on Kastner's behalf?; were international Zionist organizations aware of some of Kastner's activities?; why did Kastner write affidavits for several other arrested SS officers?; how much ransom money was paid to the SS officers by Jews to get on the "Kastner train"?; were the right wing extremists infiltrated by Israeli intelligence?; did the Labor Party/Government of Israel want to get rid of him because he was a severe embarrassment?; why were Eckstein and the other conspirators quickly released?; did Eckstein actually fire the bullet that killed Kastner (he now claims that he did not)? The main thing that the Kastner case proves is that dealing with the devil leaves a permanent tarnish.
posted by Jack Cohen at 11:24 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home