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Friday, Ma ----71111
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DETROIT JEWISH CHRONICLE and The regal Chronlchi

Page Two

,
Rose Wasserman Plays Detective Role
Jewish Religious Objects Looted by Nazi Terrorists

N A SELF-IMPOSED search happened to the Torahs and other criminals. I hope that they will
for Jewish religious objects objects. He said he thought that have to answer to the crime com-
aside from her arduous duties there was an old man in town mission, as well as having to
as a welfare officer in UNRRA's who had bought some of the hang- r epair what they destroyed."
Next, Miss Wasserman and her
Displaced Persons Division, Miss
escort questioned a Catholic priest
Rose Wasserman has located 250
and the Burgomeister, visited the
Torahs which had been hidden in
Rathaus, and were about to give
Germany. Just returned to UN-
up after many fruitless calls when
RRA's Washington headquarters
she insisted on going to the last
after a year in Goppingen and
possible place, . the home of the
Llucnster, Miss Wasserman brought
old n.an rumored to have bought
back many tragic stories uncov-
the hangings. In a ragshop they
ered in line of duty.
found a man of 55 or 60 remodel-
Visited Cemetery
ing German military clothing into
One, in Dieburg, she visited a
civilian clothes. He was startled,
Jewish cemetery in which most
and said that he had nothing.
of the headstones had been over-
"Again I insisted, and he finally
turned by the Nazis. Later sha.
stated that he had promised not
found a shell of a synagogue in
to show what he had to any liv-
one of the streets of the old city.
ing human being. I kept on insist-
All of the windows had been bro-
ing, and finally the lieutenant
ken, and the furnishings and wood
snapped an order. Then the old
paneling were gone.
man took us down into a (lark
cellar, and we found about 250
"I immediately started to look
Torahs!"
for someone who would know
what had happened to our cere-
Bought from a Jew
monial objects, the Torah," she
According to the old man, they
says. "I was directed to the home
had been bought from a Jew for
of an elderly couple, and found
800 marks. "But we have since
that the husband was the care-
ROSE WASSERMAN
learned," Miss Wasserman cor-
taker of both the synagogue and ings in exchange for a pair of rects his story, "that they were
the cemetery, ,and that he had re- shoes."
placed with him by the Nazis with
cently been appointed by the Am-
the instruction to use the parch-
Replace Headstones
erican Military Government to
ment for slippers. That was in
have the headstones replaced.
Starting her investigation from 1938. We placed an 'off limits' sign
"He told me that he had buried there, Miss Wasserman and a on his door, and went on to ar-
four sacks of books, talisim, and special lieutenant revisited the range for better protection for the
so forth, in the cemetery — torn cemetery, where they saw eight Torahs. I might add that the only
things that had been left on the Nazis trying to replace the head- reason the synagogue was not
floor of the synagogue by the stones. "It is hard for me to de- burned in 1939 wasAue to the fact
Nazis. He is a Christian, but he scribe my feelings," she recalls. that the city held a 6,000 mark
had done this during the night "Those same eight men had taken mortgage on it, and felt that the
and had told no one about it. But part in demolishing the stones. I building, being new, was worth
he could not tell me what had had an impulse to strike those it."
At present, the Torahs are in
the vestry of a Catholic church
under the protection of the mili-
tary, but it is planned to place
them before long in a synagogue
in Offenbach. The average syna-
gogue boasts but seven Torahs
each, since it takes nearly a year
to write one, by hand on parch-
ment in India ink, and each costs
around $600.
Made Friends with Nun
In Muenster, Miss Wasserman
made friends with a nun who ask-
ed her to talk with a young Jew-
ish boy who was dying of heart
trouble. And small wonder! He
had been forced by the Germans
to push, the button in the gas
chamber where, his own parents
had been murdered.
Through him she met a 17-year-
old Jewish lad who looked 12 in
size and 100 in years. With his
father, mother, and two sisters,
some 4 years earlier, he had been
loaded on a cattle car en route to
Oscwiecsm. His parents, who
seemed to sense where they were
going, tied their jewelry inside
his cloths, told him to jump from
the train, never to forget who he
was, and to spend his life serving
others. The boy could not bring
himself to jump. And so they
pushed him off. Bruised, dazed,
heartbroken, he wandered aimless-
ly, until the Germans caught him
and placed him in a concentra-
tion camp. After liberation, he
wound up at Muenster—a shrewd,
hard, calculating youth who WaS
frequently guilty of looting.
"J told him that he was doing
just the opposite of what his par-
ents would have wanted him to
Services to occupation forces, to the thousands
do," says Rose Wasserman, "but he
of hospitalized soldiers and sailors, to returned
would only reply: 'Why not? The
Nazis took everything, I'm only
veterans—these are the three continuing "bat-
taking things.'"
A third boy, 17, had seen all of
tle fronts" upon which your Red Cross must
his relatives killed. These lads
haunt Mies Wasserman because
continue to carry on. It is our obligation as
she understands, and is worried
because the outside world does
good citizen's" to see that the services of the
not understand, that their imme-
diate problem is not food nor clo-
Red Cross continue for as long as any need
thing nor a roof over their heads,
but a complete lack of hope.
for them exists. And the (acts bear out that
"You who are rearing children,
who have a future, can you un-
some Red Cross work has actually increased
derstand what it means to have
no plans, no place to go, no stand-
since the cessation of World War II fighting.
ards, nothing to go back to?" she
cries.
Your Red Cross is the heart of the people. It

It

REPORT FROM
GERMANY

I

Your

RED
CROSS

Must Carry On

Your Help Is Needed!

1

is the emblem of humanity, the hand

stretched out in comfort to the homeless and

hungry, the lonely and the troubled all over

the irorld today. So let your heart be generous.

GIVE, to help your Red Cross carry on.

HUDSON'S

THREADBARE HOLLAND
NEEDLED BY NAZIS
Thousands of needles and miles
of thread have been flown to com-
munities in the Netherlands where,
it is reported, the entire populace
is sharing a single needle.
Sent by Amercan Relief for
Holland, which is financed locally
through the Community War
Chest, the shipment was made to
meet an immediate need for the
patching and repairing of warm
clothing. During the occupation of
Holland, the Nazis looted that na-
tion of even the smallest and most
insignificant article s, including
needles and thread.

By HIVING IIAYETT
Jewish Chronicle Foreign Correspondent
(Copyright 1946, All Rights Reserved)
This series of articles tells of the War Crimes
Trials in Frankfurt, Germany.

The Mauthause'n Case

ARTICLE VII
No. 147, Liszerg, Franz. Kapo,
Last week, I wrote of some of This perpetrator is not in cust(A y .
He served as a block leader at
the perpetrators of crimes against Mauthausen
and Gusen C.C. He
humanity who are either now in
custody or who soon will be fer- killed many people by kicking
reted out by the Counter-Intelli- them to - death 'and by putting
gence Corps. Today, I am contin- them under ice cold showers for
hours. A wanted report should be
uing the list.
issued.
Names and Crihies
Killed Americans
No. 48 — Gunther, Fritz, S.S.
No. 154. Seidler, Fritz. S. S.
rank unknown. This perpetrator Hauptsturmfuhrer. This perpetra-
was in custody at Linz, Austria, tor is not in custody. He was the
on July 11, 1945, where his sworn commandant of the Gusen C.C. He
statement was taken. He admits is known to have participated in
that he chased inmates out into the killing of American flyers on
the snow without their clothing July 25, 1944. Commandant Ziereis
on ,and that he beat and slapped in his (lying declaration states
prisoners (page 567). A wanted that Seidler had killed between
report should be issued.
4,000 and 5,000 inmates. He is
No. 62. Ziercis, Ida. This perpe- known to have had book covers,
trator is the wife of the com- lamp shades and other things
mandant of the Mauthausen C.C. made of human skin. He has been
now deceased. She is in custody at seen to chase people into the wire
Linz, Austria as of June 30, 1945, fence, thus electrocuting them.
where her sworn statement was There is some belief that he was
taken. She claims to be innocent killed.
and knew nothing of how the
No. 163. Riemer, Otto. S.S. Ober-
camp was operated nor of the at- sturmfuhrer. This perpetrator is
rocities and conditions that exist- not in custody. He is known to
ed there. She does, however, name have been the commanding °fliers
some of the leaders. A wanted re- of the Ebensee C.C. where he kill-
port should be issued and sly^ ed many people. Whenever he was
should be further interrogated.
drunk, for amusement, he would
go to the work details and shoot
Guinea Pig Experiments
No. 76. Vetter, Hellmuth, S.S. prisoners, especially Czechs. He is
Hauptsturmfuhrer. This perpetra- known to have gone to the arma-
tor is not in custody. He per- ment factory at Steyr and called
formed human guinea pig experi- out all the Czech prisoners and
ments at Camp Gusen, a sub-camp shot them. A wanted report should
of Mauthausen. He is responsible be issued.
So It Goes
for the mass death vats at Gusen
So it goes on and on, one after
C.C. He had a continuing order to
kill all sick people. He made up the other, some killers, some in.
the list of people to go in Group derlings, some sadists, some would.
3, which was the group labeled be scientists — all of them Ger-
for death. A wanted report should man beasts.
It is a personal satisfaction to
be issued.
be an American Jew' in Germany
No. 129. Grimm, Johans. S.S. Ob- taking my small part in bringing
ersturnifuhrer. This perpetrator is
these beasts to justice and mak-
in custody at Civilian Internment ing a
little bit of history. It is a
Enclosure No. 6 at Moosburg, Ger-
personal satisfaction to me, as a
many. He is an ardent Nazi. He
(Continued on page 6)
was the manager of the stone

(Continued)

quarry at Mauthausen C.C. He ad-
mits in his confession that he
gave orders and stood by while
prisoners were beaten to death
and admits he may have beaten
or hit a few (Page 1730). A want-
ed report should be issued.

No. 146. Junge, Walter. Kapo.
This perpetrator is not in custody.
He served as a kapo at Gusen
C.C. and also room supervisor. He
has been seen beating prisoners
to death for their rations. It is
known that he killed hundreds
He is known as a very nervous
person. (Page 1702.) A wanted re-
port should be issued.

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