AltaiCall 7ewish Periodical Coder
Friday, May 31, 1946
CLIPTal AVENUE - CINCINNATI 20, 01110
DETROIT JEWISH CHRONICLE and The Legal Chronicle
r -
REPORT FROM
GERMANY
The Voice of the
Man in the Street
By IRVING HAVErf
Jewish Chronicle Foreign Correspondent
(Copyright 1916. All Rights Reserved)
iP
This series of articles tells of the War Crimes
Trials in Frankfurt, Germany.
Time: Sunday afternoon.
Place: Boston and Linwood.
Question: If you could have one
wish granted, what would you
wish for?
(Photos by Eric Bennett)
11ILMA FOLBE, 3793 Carter.
I think I'd wish that I could al-
ways be happy. Of course one al.
ways wants health. What I think
I need to make me happy is a
Weeks ago, I wrote about the many defendants in the Mauthausen good husband. Then later on I'd
case. -Of the couple of hundred that were originally slated for trial, want a family.
,sixty-one were selected. The others are either still not in custody or And I suppose
arc in custody but the Prosecution did not have a strong enough case one always
against them.
wants to have
I did not get to report this case until just before the end. Th , a good time.
Prosecution called as its first witness, Commander Jack H. Taylor,
I'm working
who was a prisoner in the Mauthausen Camp from April 1, 1945, to now but I'd
V-E Day. He testified to the atrocities that he saw committed in the like to go to
vamp. He told of the sluggings, the beatings, and the brutality. He college. I think
told of the terrible beatings that occurilki if one of the prisoners did that would
not obey an order quickly enough, even though the prisoners did not make me very
understand German. He told how two wagonloads of Jews were haul- happy.
Of course no-
ed out of the Lager every day. He testified that many of the prisoners
were driven like herds of cattle into the electrified fence so that they body can be really happy unless
had to take hold and were electrocuted. He testified that from his the difficulties of the world are
own investigations at Mauthausen he determined that a group of 150 settled and there is some pros-
pect of permanent and lasting
Dutch Jews were forced to jump over a quarry and that those not
peace.
—
killed in the first fall were taken hack up and made to jump again
He testified that a prominent Czech general was taken into a shower
1)R. DAVID II. FAUMAN, 3200
room and a hose forced down his throat and thus he wan drowned. Boston Blvd.
That one of the methods of some of •the guards to get rid of prisoners
If there is one thing I would
was to force them to drink a lot of water and then to make them lie want more than anything else it
down, after which they jumped on their backs. He testified that there would be to see an end to overt
was a shooting gallery designed to represent a photo studio. The pris- and secret anti-Semitism. I would
oners were brought in to have their pictures taken and shot in the
wish for the
hack of the head.
complete equal-
ity of every
Following Commander Taylor, other former inmates of the Maut-
Jew the whole
hausen camp and its by-camps were called to tell of the atrocities
and various barbaric means of disposing of prisoners that were used.
world over. I
Dr. Martin of Czechoslovakia, former Director of the Gas Works in
would like to
Innsbruck; Dr. Joseph Podhala, a university professor, University of
see Jews hay-
Brno in Czechoslovakia, a professor of surgery. Dr. Podhala testified
ing actual
that in 1942 ten castrated prisoners were selected and sent to the
equality with
brothel, after receiving hormones, by injection and tablet form, for
all the nation.
six weeks, and that the experiment lasted six months and that 11 -;
als of the coun-
was told by other inmates that the experiment was a failure. Dr. Felix
try in which
Hurdes, Minister of Education for the Austrian Government, testified
they live. And
that he was confined in a cell one meter wider than his outstretched
to cap it all, I
hand and about one meter longer than that and that 20 people were would like to see a successful
put in that cell with him. Dr. Wolfgang Saner was called as a Prose- Jewish state in Palestine.
cution witness, and then Dr. Bratislav Busak, Professor of Law a'
I firmly believe that as long as
University of Prague. The witnesses came on and on, former inmates. anti-Semitism exists in the world,
former guards, former SS men, and they all told of atrocities, bruta:- the rest of the world will suffer
Ries, killings by gas and injections and the crematorium.
only a little less than the Jew
During the testimony of Dr. Busak he was asked the following does. For anti-Semitism is the
cancer of civilization.
question and gave the following answer:
I'm sorry to say that I don't
Q. Will you describe to the Court what transpired in the sick
camp the last day before the Americans came and the day that the think I'll ever see my wish ful-
filled in my lifetime.
Americans came?
The Mauthausen Case ( Completed )
A. The Americans came in on the 5th of May 1945 exactly at 1:11.
Five armored ears drove up past the front gates of the concentration
camp. I know this exactly because for the last day and the last hours
I had continued looking from the hill on which Mauthausen was locat-
ed to see what was going on on the battlefield. The front line was
quite near then on the other side of the Danube about 15 kilos away
next to Linz and St. Poelten, so that the first American armored cars
could conic on the road from Gusen and past Brellerhof. That was a
building which belonged to the administration of Camp Mauthausen .
In front of the sick camp there is a large Sportzplatz. Along the edge
of the Sportzplatz and up to the main camp there goes the main
street which makes a large curve there. At the moment when the
Americans came in, the gates to the sick camp of Mauthausen were
thrown open by the inmates. I will never in my life forget the fol-
lowing impression: Hundreds of patients ran out on the field of the
entire Sportzplatz. It was terrible. They were chiefly naked people.
They were crawling on all fours and those who had no legs dragged
along their paper bandages with them. They hung to the armored care
like bees. Then the second wave came and that consisted of the wo-
men from the two women's blocks who also had been liberated and
ran out on the Sportzplatz to the Americans. Many of the women
were hysterical and became Unconscious. I remember standing there
and looking on and thought of the misery of the past years. At that
moment I looked up to Camp Mathausen and saw the white flag flying
from it. It was 1:30 and Mauthausen had capitulated. Later on, ap-
proximately at 3 o'clock, the American flag was put up and we were
free.
The Defense then put on witness after witness - all of them t h e
slugged.
accused — who lied like Hell and never saw anyone beaten. sluggt
shot, hung, cremated, injected or torn to pieces by dogs. They lied
and lied. They lied to such an extent that even their fellow accuse('
laughed at some of the statements they made. Then at the conclusion.
of course, character witnesses were brought in.
One of them, Dr. Otto Pelzer. a former inmate of Mauthausen, and
a former Olympic star of 1928 and 1932, came to testify for the good
SS men, the good guards at Mauthausen. The ones who, by their in•
activity, by their silence. by their just standing by. helped the pris-
of show the
oners. He felt it was his duty to conic and testify in order
accused and Germany that the just and right people of the world
can come and say a good word even for those who were on the wron ,,
side of the fence and for those who worked for and did the bidding
of Nazism.
The verdict of the Court: 58 sentenced to death, three to life im-
prisonment.
vex;
"The Court finds that the circumstances, conditions. and the
nature of the Concentration Camp Mauthausen, combined with any
and all of its by-camps was of such a criminal nature as to cause
. employee
every official, governmental, military and civil. and every
thereof, whether he he a member of the SS, Allem:twine SS, a guard
or civilian, to be culpably and criminally responsible.
"The Court further finds that it was impossible for a governmental,
military or civil official. a guard or a civilian employee, M the Concen
tration Camp Mauthausen, combined with any or all of by-cansp-
,sidin-
to have been in control of, been employed in. or present . its re
in, the aforesaid Concentration Camp Mauthausen, combined with an'
or all of its by-camps, at any time during its existence, without hiving
acquired a definite knowledge of the criminal practices and activities
therein existing.
"The Court further finds that the irrefutable record of deaths by
.
shooting, gassing, hanging, regulated' starvation, and other heinous
,
methods of killing, brought about through the deliberate conspirac:
Concentra:
Concentra-
and planning of Reich officials, either of the Mauthausen
N Nazi n-tu
tion Camp and its attached by-camps, or of the higher
hecks.
was known to all of the above parties, together with prisoners, wheth-
er they be political, criminal or military."
(Continued on Page 7)
MRS. FLORENCE SMITH, 2637
Boston Blvd.
There's an old saying about be-
ing healthy, wealthy and wise. I'd
like to be healthy all my life. I've
been pretty lucky so far, ailing
only a little
now and then.
I hope it keeps
up this way.
I'm not weal-
thy but I have
all t h e neces-
sary comforts
of life and who
could really
want any more
than that?
What is wis-
dom? If I knew
the answer to that one, I think
I'd be wise enough already. I've
had a high school education and
though I sometimes wish I might
go to college, I don't really want
that. Education doesn't always
come from books. There's a great
deal to be learned from the school
of life and I'm learning all the
time.
JACK MECHANIC, 3224
dena Ave.
Pasa-
Page Five
/NAN CF 1 -1- 1E IVIEEU
Dignified, soft-voiced, scholarly Rabbi Isaac Stollman, whose
twentieth anniversary of spiritual leadership of Congregation Mishkan
Israel is being celebrated with a banquet this Sunday, is saluted by
the Chronicle and accorded honor as the Man of the Week. Stollman
is also rabbi for Congregation Beth Aaron Y'Israel known as the
Stoliner Shod. He was also spiritual leader of Shaarey Shomaim Syna-
gogue for seventeen years.
Stollman was born in Ruble in the province of MinskersGober-
nier, which at that time was in Russia. Ruble was a small city with
120 Jewish families. Under the regime of the Czar, various anti-Sem-
itic decrees were in effect. Hatred of Jews by the populace was not
very strong but its presence was always felt.
His early boyhood was spent almost entirely in study. At the age
of seven, he was already through with studies in the Bible and knew
all of the Prophets by heart. It was the custom of his rabbi to de-
mand that he recite by heart everything he had learned during the
week.
At the age of eleven, he left home to attend the Yeshiva at
Rovno and a year later, the Yeshiva Chafetz Chains for a year and
a half. He suffered Irons homesickness, but the spirit of study was
strong in him. Five more years were spent in the Slabodka Yeshiva
and then came the rabbinical degree of Smicha.
From childhood on, he had had an urge to create something.
When he discovered he had a
talent for speaking, he determined
that the rabbinate was really to
be his field but connected with it
must he the creation of a real
house of study. Accordingly, he
became connected with the Novor-
odok Yeshiva in the city of Khar-
kov as its dean, young as he was.
Still desirous of creating his
own Yeshiva, Stollman took some
of his students from Novorodok
to the little town of Mower
which was near his home. There
he started a Yeshiva of his own.
Soon he had 150 boys as students.
At this time, he was only twenty
years old.
Then came the Russian Revo-
lution. Starvation stalked the
land. A pound of bread sold for
millions of roubles. It was up to
him to secure maintenance for his
Yeshiva from people in cities
nearby who had no food for
themselves. It was a monumental
job but he did it. Every Sabbath,
Stollman preached in all the
nearby cities and made appeals
for bread.
RABBI ISAAC STOLLMAN
About this time, the notorious and bloodthirsty Petlura began
his counter-revolution against the Bolsheviks. He and his bandits
swept through this part of Russia with fire and sword and wherever
they went they massacred the Jews first.
Word came to Stollman that the Balachovzes, as the bandits were
called, were headed for Mozeer. On Friday night, the blessing for the
Sabbath candles was recited early and there was no light in any
house when the Balachovzes arrived. Somehow, they missed the
Yeshiva in their attack although many of the boys were robbed and
killed in their homes.
In the middle of the night, Rabbi Stollman awoke and found
the bandits in his room. He offered them the little money he had
and they took that. Then one of the bandits pulled out a pistol and
put it to Stolfman's heart. The rabbi closed his eyes and waited foe
the shot that was to put him out of this world. But the shot never
came. There was a shout from outside. Someone was calling the
bandit to give him something. The bandit went out and, his attention
being engaged elsewhere, never returned.
"It was a miracle," said Stollman with a shudder. "I still don't
understand how it happened. I rushed out to the cemetery where I
hid in a mound until the bandits left.
"Some of the good gentiles in the neighborhood gathered all of
us Jews and hid us in a synagogue from which they fought off all
attacks. It was the only place in the vicinity that I know of where
gentiles not only helped Jews but encouraged them with constant
expressions of sympathy and brotherhood."
Some time later, the Bolshevik' decreed that no youth under
eighteen could receive any religious instruction. Then Rabbi Stoll-
man understood that Russia was no place for him and in 1924, he
came to Detroit. He is still the rabbi of the Stoliner Congregation
which arranged for him to come.
He gave much of his time to Young Israel, became affiliated with
N7itional Mizrachi, was active in the United Hebrew Schools. In 1936,
he became president of the Yeshivath Beth Yehuda which had then
only 20 students. Under his leadership, a new building was erected.
He was president for six years and is now honorary president.
He is a member of the Community Council, the American Jewish
Congress, and practically all Jewish organizations on the national
scene.
Next to his work in the Yeshivoth, he takes pride in his two
books which were published in 1934 and 1939. The third in the series
is now in print and will be out in a few weeks. The book deals with
the Bible but it is not a commentary. It is rather an analysis of the
various religious, national and ethical problems of Jewry today as
based on an exhaustive study of the Torah. The hooks have been
proclaimed as classics. They are written in Hebrew and have not.
been translated.
Rabbi Stollman has artistic leanings. On his office wall hangs a
portrait of himself which he drew in one evening. It is a charcoal
sketch and shows remarkable talents. The rabbi dabbles a bit in
sculpture but his main medium is charcoal and he finds this method
of relaxation very satisfactory.
He is now president of the Central Region of the National Miz.
rachi comprising four states, Michigan, Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky.
"As a member of Mizrachi," he said, "I feel that our claim on
Palestine sooner or later to he crystallized, must he based on the
promise in the Bible. The Jews of the world must recognize this ai
the basis of all their claims. Then they must present it to the world.
It cannot be denied."
That's hard to say. Right now,
there's no one thing I can think
about that I want more than
anything else.
I'd like to see
all this unrest
and uncertainty
in the world
settled. I'd like
to see the world
become the
kind of place
where a person
could be happy
and contended.
I suppose
that would
mean that the
strife between capital and labor
would have to he ironed out some
way to the satisfaction of every- Dear Editor:
In a recent visit to your community I notified the various hospi-
body. More than that, it would
mean that all nations would have tals there that the National Home for Jewish Children at Denver hail
to get together on some sort of developed a program for the care and rehabilitation of under-privi-
leged children suffering from chronic bronchial asthma and other re-
basis of permanent peace.
I've toyed a bit with the idea fractory allergic diseases. This service is available to Jewish families
of being a millionaire but I don't without charge.
The office of Mr. Harry Silver, Executive Secretary of the Jewish
think I'd really want that. It
would mean too much responsi. Social Service Bureau, 5737 Second Ave., your city, will furnish all In-
formation desired and will assist in the placement of such children
bility.
On the whole, I have just about in our Home.
everything I want. When I really
Very truly yours.
want something, I make a habit
BENJAMIN M. WINITT,
of going after it and getting it.
Asst. Executive Director.
Li rcrLE0 Lox
Service for Children