The world’s leading Nazi-hunter has launched a manhunt for the “many dozens” of surviving Holocaust perpetrators, telling the JC he will not rest while a single one still “draws breath”.
Dr Efraim Zuroff of the Simon Wiesenthal Center (SWC) was speaking after 101-year-old former SS guard Josef Schuetz was found guilty this week of the murder of thousands of Jews.
He was sentenced to five years in jail at Neuruppin Regional Court in eastern Germany for the “cruel and insidious” murder of 3,518 prisoners.
The SWC is now in a race against time to hunt down the remaining Nazis before they die.
Dr Zuroff told the JC the surviving perpetrators number “at least many dozens”.
He said: “Germany has a generally abysmal record of bringing Nazis to justice.
“There was even a concerted effort against trials like the Josef Schuetz trial even going ahead.
“But this has now changed. We, however, have never stopped fighting and even though time is fast running out, we will not give up. My work is not done while a single unprosecuted Nazi perpetrator draws breath.”
He explained that there are three main parts to his work. “Basically, part of what I do is being a detective, tracking down these Nazis hiding today,” he said. “Another part is being a historian, evaluating all the evidence, military records, witness statements and interview and so forth.
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Dr Efraim Zuroff: “My work is not done while a single unprosecuted Nazi perpetrator draws breath.” (Photo: Flash90)
“But the final part is acting as a political lobbyist, creating the political will, creating the climate whereby people want to see these people brought to justice.”
Germany has managed to prosecute some Nazis, but very few, and for incredibly short sentences given the serious nature of the crimes committed.
Reflecting on the failure of both West Germany and East Germany to bring prosecutions during the Cold War, Dr Zuroff says “precious years” have been lost.
“The people at the Central Office in Ludwigsburg know what they are doing but they cannot bring these cases to trial, they just conduct a preliminary investigation then pass on their findings to the prosecution offices in the towns or municipalities where the Nazis live – and it is then just pot luck what these prosecution offices do with this.“
“Some of them over the years have been awful. Others have just taken their sweet time to do precious little. The public prosecution office in Itzehoe, for example, wasted five years just deciding if it was going to put Irmgard Furchner, the Nazi camp secretary, on trial or not. So, if convicted, that is five more years of escaping prison.”
Furchner’s trial began last year. A typist who worked as the secretary to the SS commander at Stutthof, she denies being an accessory to the murders of 11,412 people at the camp.
Dr Zuroff said: “Now so many precious years have been lost for no good reason. The Nazis are now very old. This means, even if convicted, the Nazis just appeal and while it goes back through the courts and all this lengthy, complicated, drawn-out processes, the Nazis continue to escape justice.”
He added: “In four recent cases, just one received a suspended sentence. The other three were convicted but appealed, then died before it went back to trial so they never served a day in prison.”
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SS guard Josef Schuetz, face covered, being tried in court (Photo: Flash90)
Speaking to the JC in court as Schuetz was convicted, prosecution lawyer Thomas Walther said it is highly unlikely that Schuetz will serve any prison time soon.
“If Schuetz now appeals this verdict, he has one week to do this with the supreme court. But then they will have to organise hearings. I think it will be at least 12 months before Mr Schuetz actually serves any prison time.”
Speaking to the Jewish Chronicle, Jerusalem-based lawyer David Schonberg said: “The bestiality of the German regime during the 12 years, from 1933 to 1945, will forever be corrosive to essential human values and society – and needs be addressed whenever, and also by whatever remaining trials are possible.
“Full public access, publicity and disclosure of identity of name and current photo of accused need be provided, unlike today in Germany. These are important to underscore the reality that was, and serve also to prevent denial and distortion today.”
“These few remaining trials cannot bring justice as there are too few and too late, but they are still necessary – and needed in particular are trials against remaining Death Squad soldiers, none of which have taken place so far.”
“The decision in the case against Josef Schuetz is an important decision, as it sets a standard of prison, also for an aged convicted person – due to the enormity of serving a bestial regime in a factory, whose goal was debasement, torture and murder.
“Such a case is important to me, both as a member of the Jewish people, who were victims to the most terrible crimes in history, conducted on a mass scale by a modern state and as a lawyer, in that the rule of law in society needs to express its principles in the face of such acts.”
