Purely Commentary

Ex-Nazis Go on Trial for Killing 20,000 Pinsk Jews

Clara Asscher-Pinkhof, the
FRANKFURT (JTA) — The by the court to be deprived of
arrest and scheduling of early civic rights for 12 years, includ- Dutch-born Israeli author, won
trials for four Nazi criminals, ing the right to vote, or to be the award for her book, "Chil-
By PHILIP SLOMOVITZ
charged with killing 20,000 Jews elected to public office or to dren of the Star," but she de-
Jews ARE news—Some Non-Jews Create Ugly Conditions in Nazi-occupied Byelorussian practice his profession. The clined to come to West Ger-
to accept it. She said then
In the darkest days of the Hitler era, there were Jews who city of Pinsk during World War court also ordered the confisca- many
"I cannot cross that border
became unduly sensitive when Jewish news dominated the head- II, was announced h ere by tion of one-fifth * of * his property. again."
lines and there was an avalanche of stories about Jewish suffer- Prosecutor Heinz Wolff.
The men were arrested at the German Book Award
ings. There were many in our ranks who complained that too
A 400-page paperback volume
much space is being given to Jewish stories, that too much at- request of the Central Office Winner Declines Visit
containing carefully selected
tention is provided by emphasis that was then given to the for the Investigation of Nazi
FRANKFURT (JTA) — A eyewitness accounts of Jewish
Crimes in Ludswigsburg. The survivor of the Bergan-Belsen persecution by the Nazis in
status of Jews in Germany and in all of Eastern Europe.
When one of the editors to whom this complaint was ad- four men were either members concentration camp, who won various occupied countries dur-
dressed was faced with the issue, he replied: "Jews ARE News." of the Nazi Police Battalion 306 the 1962 German Youth Book ing the war will be published
That's how it seems to be, especially when the news is ugly. or attached to the SS Security prize with a book on the life soon. The book, "We Have Seen
There are no headlines about creative Jewish efforts: are these Service in the Pinsk area.
and fate of Jewish children in It," was written by Gerhard
Three of them were public the Nazi camps, has contributed Schoenberner, a German who
taken for granted? There is little emphasis to the establishment
of cultural institutions: is it because we are assumed to be the officials. They are Heinrich the cash award of 4,000 marks has become well known for an
people of the book and of a great faith and therefore anything Plantius, 47, a police chief in- ($1,000) to dependents of other earlier b o o k on the subject
spector in Frankfurt; Joseph survivors.
called "The Yellow Star."
related to these fields is assumed to be the normal factor?
Jews are in the very center of activities in support of racial Kuhr, 46, also a police inspector
• 1.1
equality, for better housing, for elevated standards of living in that city; and Rudolf Eckert,
among all peoples. Why isn't more said about it? But Jews also have a similar police official in Ham-
Boris Smolar's
taken a stand on the principle involving the separation of church burg. The fourth man, Adolf
Petch,
57,
is
a
worker
in
Bue-
and state, and the Catholic church, which, only two or three
generations ago, similarly fought for the separation principle, dingen. The prosecutor said
now has reversed its stand. Out of this difference of opinion -has that Pletch already had con-
emerged a battle which once again has placed the Jews in the fessed that he personally "shot
with his own hand" between
limelight. Suddenly, we are the tools of demons!
There is room for differences of opinion, but there is never 6,000 and 7,000 Jews.
(Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Inc.
The prosecutor said that in
justification for a battle among differing religions. Therefore,
Copyright, 1962)
when Jews again become subjects of extravagant headlines, it 1942, on o rd e r s of Gestapo L'Shanah Tovah
chief
Heinrich
Himmler,
about
inevitably involves unpleasantness.
The new Jewish year will mark the 25th anniversary of the
Added to the unfortunate situation which Jews and Catholics 20,000 Jews were marched from
have become involved in this country, there is another struggle the Pinsk Ghetto to a spot sev- existence of the United Jewish Appeal . . But before the start
between the two elements -- in Argentina. The wave of anti- eral miles away where they of the 25th anniversary, American Jews must straighten out their
Semitism in that country seems to have been traced to three ele- were all killed.
record for the concluding year and pay close to $34,000,000 in
The arrests came as a great
ments — the Buenos Aires chief of police and to six priests, as
cash to cover outstanding pledges to UJA . . . The time to do
surprise
to
local
authorities
who
well as the military clique in the land. This triple combination
it
is during the High Holyday season . . . The need for speedy
of antagonists appears to have inspired a wave of hatred that had not been aware of the in-
has not diminished since the swastika carvings on the bodies tensive investigations which had collections of pledged contributions this year is greater than ever
been underway for some time because of a number of developments . . . It is a year when the
of victims who were attacked by a Jew-baiting element.
There is no doubt that official Catholic opinion does not in this area on the Nazi records Jewish community in Algeria was reduced from 135,000 to 10,000
condone the Latin American occurrences. From the Ecumenical of the four defendants.
Plans were reported pro- with many of the Algerian Jewish refugees in dire need of
Conference in Rome are expected to come declarations that
will repudiate anything resembling anti-Semitism. Yet, the bitter- gressing, meanwhile, on the assistance in France . . . During the year Israel faced the largest
ness that accompanied the battle over the separation idea cer- forthcoming trial of Dr. Werne immigration in a decade . . . These factors alone are sufficient
tainly smacks of anti-Semitism and only a handful of American Heyde, charged with having reason for each Jew in this country to ponder whether he, living
Catholic dignitaries have repudiated such an approach. And the been a key figure in the Nazi in comparative affluence, is doing his duty to the UJA .. . The
leadership among Argentina's anti-Semites which sterns from euthanasia program during the
Catholic ranks is yet to be rebuked for its failure to recognize war. Hesse officials, who will ancient Biblical tradition of "Maaser" — of giving 10 percent of
the late Pope Pius' assertions regarding "the sin of anti- try Heyde at Limburg, an- the income to charity — had been practiced by such American
nounced that Karl Heinz Zin- Jews as Jacob Schiff and other Jewish philanthropists . . . But
Semitism."
Indeed, Jews ARE News, but unfortunately we can make nail, one of the public prose- it is not being practiced today by many who can afford to do it,
the headlines only when the negative elements in life arise to cutors handling the Heyde case, although the need of Jews overseas is greater than in the years
had been promoted to the rank of Jacob Schiff . . . The High Holyday season, with its atmosphere
plague rather than bless us.
of chief public prosecutor.
of prayers and meditation, may stimulate Jewish givers to think of
the fate and the needs of the Jewish refugees from Algeria as
David Ben Gurion and the Jews of Denmark
David Ben-Gurion's "advice" to the Jews of Denmark did Munich Municipal Body well as of those who are now coming in large waves to Israel . .
It is the hope of the UJA leadership that these givers will, in the
not differ from that he had on earlier occasions offered to the Votes Pension for
spirit of the traditional Tzedakah — which reaches its high point
Jews of America. It is the "personal" conviction of Israel's Prime
during the High Holydays — not only redeem fully their pledges
Minister that Jews, regardless of their citizenship origins, can be Hitler Collaborator
happiest in Israel. He is a strong believer in the total ingathering
MUNICH (JTA) — The per- to the UJA of this year, but will also increase their gifts in the
of the Jews of the world within Israel and he says so. Most Jews sonnel commission of the City light of the increased needs.
*
*
*
disagree with him and they prefer to remain where they are.
of Munich, meeting in a secret
Too much emphasis is being given to this divergence of session, has voted to grant a UJA Anniversary
views. Ben-Gurion is entitled to his opinions. He believes Israel pension of 450 Deutschmarks
Speaking of the forthcoming 25th anniversary of the WA,
can absorb all Jews, but most Jews do not have such an absorptive ($112) monthly to Munich's one- it is appropriate to emphasize that the UJA has during the years
time Mayor Karl Fiehler, one of its existence performed not only a gigantic service in making
capacity and they do not believe they are absorbable.
Yet, there should be recognized a difference of conditions of Hitler's oldest and closest possible the saving of hundreds of thousands of Jews . . . It has
between those in the United States and those in Denmark. There collaborators.
indirectly performed a notable service for the prestige of American
Fiehler was convicted of Jewry among non-Jewish Americans . . . Indeed, the standard
are more than five million Jews in the United States, and there
are only about six thousand in Denmark. It is inconceivable that Nazism after World War II. of individual giving which supports the UJA consistently has
five million people could be transplanted from a rich land like He served a two-year term in elicited the awe and admiration of the American community at
ours into a struggling country like Israel. It is not outside the a labor camp, and was ordered large . .. The UJA receives at least the third largest sum made
realm of possibilities that a few thousand people can be taken
available to any American fund raising body, sectarian or non-
out of a European country and settled in Israel.
background in his family, but sectarian . . . Only the U.S. Community Chest movement, with a
Certain factors must be taken into consideration. There is it sems as if all the children in potential audience of some 60,000,000 Americans economically
a measure of intermarriage among American Jews, but there is the family that had roots in able to give, and the American Red Cross, with the same broad
a vast amount of mixed marriages in Denmark. There may be Jewish traditions became linked audience and semi-governmental in character, raise greater funds
one or two per cent of intermarriages between Jews and non- to destructive and n e g a t i v e than UJA, and even then not always . . . The potential audience
Jews in this country, but the percentage is above the fifty—pos- forces.
of the UJA, largely limited by sectarian considerations, may be
sibly the sixty—per cent mark among Danish Jewry.
In a period of comparative reckoned at about 2,000,000 Jews in an economic position to give
When this Commentator studied Danish conditions on home calm for Israel, in the new — excluding children, most women and those without means . . . A
ground in Denmark, several years ago, he was confronted by two nation's relations with the out- number of sympathetic non-Jews contribute to the UJA . . . In
opinions. A number of young Jews were training for settlement side world, this man undertook relation to its more limited potential audience, it is clear that
in Israel, and were assisted in their planning by Zionist leaders. to drag in an innocent people the UJA has enjoyed a greater degree of success than any volun-
Some 200 of them were either on the way to Israel or were into an international scandal. tary campaign in American history . . . During its existence UJA
undergoing hachsharah—training for such settlement. The Chief As a result of his machinations, has raised a total of $1,400,000,000, rendered survival aid to
Rabbi of Denmark, Phil Marcus Melchior, who now leads the many newspapers fell victims to 3,000,000 Jews, and transferred and resettled 1,500,000 Jews, in-
critics in their repudiations of Ben-Gurion's assertions, then said a hoax which resulted in an un- cluding 1,200,000 in Israel . . . What a marvelous record!
that it was wrong to send young Jews to Israel; that they repre- precedented abuse of Israel and
*
*
sented the best element in Danish Jewry and should have been the Jewish people out s i d e
Past
and
Present
encouraged to remain in Denmark and strengthen Danish Jewry Israel's borders. Many news-
The United Jewish Appeal is also considered by many as the
internally. Whereupon the Zionist leaders who related the argu- papers reached a new low in
ment to us said that he had told the Chief Rabbi: "When a boat judging Israel in this unfortun- symbol of Jewish unity . . . Where else do American Jewish
is sinking, you must rescue all who can be saved, and that is ate case. It took some two leaders of all groups and shades sit at the same table, imbued
what we are doing when we send young Jews to Israel."
weeks for the issue to be re- with the same spirit, and united for the same purpose? . .. The
It is in this context that one must judge the situation of solved—and even the final reso- UJA came into being as the major fund raising instrument of the
the Jews in Denmark. The Zionists say that the boat is sinking, lution that has resulted in the American Jewish community for overseas needs on the eve of
campaigns
that within the admitted framework of freedom in Denmark Jews spy's death has not completely World War II through a merger of the independent
are disappearing and the people will vanish, and as many as finished the fiasco, primarily be- of the Joint Distribution Committee and the United Palestine
marked by both
possible should be rescued. The differing group wants the dedi- cause so many Jews were mis- Appeal . . . It has served since through a period modern
times —
led by the repulsive incidents. the greatest catastrophe that befell the Jews in
cated Jewish group to remain.
Hitler's
mass
murder
of
6,000,000
Jews
—
and
the
miraculous
This is the situation that Israel's Prime Minister has judged.
Those who know how to re-
While Ben-Gurion is soured on Zionists, he followed their line spect their heritage as Jews restoration of a Jewish state . . . During that turbulent period of
of thinking in the views he uttered in Copenhagen. He should could never become involved in Jewish history, UJA and its agencies — the Jewish Agency, JDC,
be judged within this context of debate over the future of a revulsion like the Soblen United Hias Service, ORT — have brought direct aid to millions
to speak of the aid
matter. It is when the heritage of Jews in more than 50 countries . . ..Not
Danish Jewry.
is abused and reviled that the given to the hundreds of thousands who were enabled to come
guilty can sink as low as one to Israel and settle there . . . Some of the Jewish community
Soblen Revulsion: End of a Deplorable Case
welfare funds, which represent the UJA effort in the larger local
Why should there be mourners over Soblen? A man who who first abandons his spiritual American communities, had their beginnings 50 years ago and
ties
and
then
tries
to
capitalize
besmirched the Jewish name when he sought refuge from justice
even earlier . . . But the UJA today is the most cherished anti
under the guise of being a Jew has passed on ignominously, and on his accident of birth when all-embracing Jewish communal enterprise in which all elements of
life
is
at
stake.
For
such,
there
all that he had stirred up was sheer trouble for the people he
American Jewry are united.
finally claimed to have sprung from. There was a good Jewish are no mourners in Israel.

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'Between You
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