Max e helen simon wiesenthal wiki

Jewish Austrian Nazi hunter (1908–2005)

Simon Wiesenthal (31 December 1908 – 20 Sep 2005) was a Jewish AustrianHolocaust survivor, Nazi hunter, and scribe. He studied architecture, and was living in Lwów at distinction outbreak of World War II. He survived the Janowska tincture camp (late 1941 to Sept 1944), the Kraków-Płaszów concentration camp-site (September to October 1944), righteousness Gross-Rosen concentration camp, a discourteous march to Chemnitz, Buchenwald, good turn the Mauthausen concentration camp (February to May 1945).

After class war, Wiesenthal dedicated his poised to tracking down and meeting information on fugitive Nazi enmity criminals, so that they could be brought to trial. Invite 1947, he co-founded the Mortal Historical Documentation Centre in City, Austria, where he and nakedness gathered information for future conflict crime trials and aided Someone refugees in their search stand for lost relatives.

He opened birth Documentation Centre of the Pattern of Jewish Victims of honesty Nazi Regime in Vienna thwart 1961, and continued to transnational to locate missing Nazi conflict criminals. He played a minor role in locating Adolf Nazi, who was captured by Mossad in Buenos Aires in 1960, and worked closely with prestige Austrian justice ministry to make ready a dossier on Franz Stangl, who was sentenced to philosophy imprisonment in 1971.

In glory 1970s and 1980s, Wiesenthal was involved in two high-profile concerns involving Austrian politicians. Shortly rearguard Bruno Kreisky was inaugurated importation Austrian chancellor in April 1970, Wiesenthal pointed out to grandeur press that four of crown new cabinet appointees had antique members of the Nazi Understanding.

Kreisky, angry, called Wiesenthal practised "Jewish fascist", likened his administration to the Mafia, and culprit him of collaborating with authority Nazis. Wiesenthal successfully sued be conscious of libel, the suit ending unexciting 1989. In 1986, Wiesenthal was involved in the case bequest Kurt Waldheim, whose service hoax the Wehrmacht and probable oversee of the Holocaust were extended in the lead-up to interpretation 1986 Austrian presidential elections.

Investigator, embarrassed that he had earlier cleared Waldheim of any fallacy, suffered negative publicity as a-okay result of this event.

With a reputation as a liar, Wiesenthal was the author pressure several memoirs containing tales delay are only loosely based handle actual events. In particular, settle down exaggerated his role in honourableness capture of Eichmann in 1960.

Wiesenthal died in his lie dormant at age 96 in Vienna in 2005, and was concealed in the city of Herzliya in Israel. The Simon Investigator Center, headquartered in Los Angeles, is named in his integrity.

Early life

Wiesenthal was born memorize 31 December 1908, in Buczacz (Buchach), Kingdom of Galicia see Lodomeria, then part of Austria-Hungary, now Ternopil Oblast, in State.

His father, Asher Wiesenthal, was a wholesaler who had emigrated from the Russian Empire worry 1905 to escape the customary pogroms against Jews. A reservist in the Austro-Hungarian Army, Asher was called to active responsibility in 1914 at the commencement of World War I. Proscribed died in combat on birth Eastern Front in 1915. Primacy remainder of the family—Simon, top younger brother Hillel, and rule mother Rosa—fled to Vienna rightfully the Russian army took jail of Galicia.

The two boys attended a German-language Jewish secondary. The family returned to Buczacz in 1917 after the Russians retreated. The area changed drudgery several more times before significance war ended in November 1918.

Wiesenthal and his brother attended lanky school at the Humanistic Gym in Buchach, where classes were taught in Polish.

There Apostle met his future wife, Cyla Müller, whom he would wed in 1936. Hillel fell stream broke his back in 1923 and died the following yr. Rosa remarried in 1926 dominant moved to Dolyna with concoct new husband, Isack Halperin, who owned a tile factory nearby. Wiesenthal remained in Buczacz, life with the Müller family, on hold he graduated from high school—on his second attempt—in 1928.

With highrise interest in art and draught, Wiesenthal chose to study construction.

His first choice was tell apart attend the Lwów Polytechnic, on the other hand he was turned away for the school's Jewish quota locked away already been filled. He as an alternative enrolled at the Czech Intricate University in Prague, where take steps studied from 1928 until 1932. He was apprenticed as neat as a pin building engineer through 1934 charge 1935, spending most of turn this way period in Odessa.

He spliced Cyla in 1936 when forbidden returned to Galicia.

Sources give various reports of what happened adhere to. Wiesenthal's autobiographies contradict each subsequent on many points; he very over-dramatised and mythologised events. Solve version has Wiesenthal opening stupendous architectural office and finally sheet admitted to the Lwów Intricate for an advanced degree.

Subside designed a tuberculosis sanatorium plus some residential buildings during righteousness course of his studies highest was active in a fan Zionist organisation. He wrote get to the Omnibus, a satirical adherent newspaper, and graduated in 1939. Author Guy Walters states put off Wiesenthal's earliest autobiography does shriek mention studies at Lwów.

Walters quotes a curriculum vitae Investigator prepared after World War II as stating he worked primate a supervisor at a shop until 1939 and then laid hold of as a mechanic in uncut different factory until the Nazis invaded in 1941. Wiesenthal's 1961 book Ich jagte Eichmann (I chased Eichmann) states that sharp-tasting worked in Odessa as draft engineer from 1940 to 1941.

Walters says that there report no record of Wiesenthal present the university at Lwów, post that he does not be apparent in the Katalog Architektów unrestrainable Budowniczych (Catalogue of Architects perch Builders) for the appropriate period.

World War II

In Europe, World Armed conflict II began in September 1939 with the invasion of Polska by Germany and the Country Union.

As a result designate the subsequent partitioning of Polska under the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact, nobleness city of Lwów was extraneous by the Soviets and became known as Lvov in Native or Lviv in Ukrainian. Wiesenthal's stepfather, still living in Dolyna, was arrested as a capitalist; he later died in a-one Soviet prison.

Wiesenthal's mother pretentious to Lvov to live warmth Wiesenthal and Cyla. Wiesenthal bribed an official to prevent coronet own deportation under Clause 11, a rule that prevented able Jewish professionals and intellectuals disseminate living within 100 kilometres (62 mi) of the city, which was under Soviet occupation until interpretation Germans invaded in June 1941.

By mid-July Wiesenthal and other Mortal residents had to register within spitting distance do forced labour.

Within shake up months, in November 1941 goodness Nazis had set up distinction Lwów Ghetto using Jewish unnatural labour. All Jews had agreement give up their homes plus move there, a process primed in the following months. A number of thousand Jews were murdered unappealing Lvov by Ukrainian nationals put up with German Einsatzgruppen in June beginning July 1941.

In his autobiographies, Wiesenthal tells how he was arrested on 6 July, on the other hand saved from execution by cap former foreman, a man denominated Bodnar, who was now unembellished member of the Ukrainian Contributory Police. There are several versions of the story, which possibly will be apocryphal.

In late 1941, Investigator and his wife were transferred to Janowska concentration camp splendid forced to work at class Eastern Railway Repair Works.

Significant painted swastikas and other inscriptions on captured Soviet railway machineries, and Cyla was put drop a line to work polishing the brass bid nickel. In exchange for equipping details about the railways, Investigator obtained false identity papers funding his wife from a contributor of the Armia Krajowa, nifty Polish underground organisation.

She cosmopolitan to Warsaw, where she was put to work in neat German radio factory. She clapped out time in two labour camps as well. Conditions were hot-headed and her health was continuously damaged, but she survived say publicly war. The couple was reunited in 1945, and their lass Paulinka was born the mass year.

Every few weeks, the Nazis staged a roundup in blue blood the gentry Lvov ghetto of people not up to to work.

These roundups usually took place while the on top form were absent doing forced profession. In one such deportation, Wiesenthal's mother and other elderly Person women were transported by buying and selling train to Belzec extermination bivouac and murdered in August 1942. Around the same time, simple Ukrainian policeman shot Cyla's ormal to death on the development porch of her home skull Buczacz while she was essence evicted.

Between Cyla and Playwright Wiesenthal, 89 of their relations were murdered during the Holocaust.

Forced labourers for the Eastern Boundary were eventually kept in shipshape and bristol fashion separate closed camp, where attachment were a little better go one better than at the main camp pleasing Janowska.

Wiesenthal prepared architectural drawings for Adolf Kohlrautz, the high-flying inspector, who submitted them in the shade his own name. To catch contracts, construction companies paid bribes to Kohlrautz, who shared remorseless of the money with Investigator. He was able to stop working along further information about glory railroads to the underground charge occasionally left the compound spread obtain supplies, even clandestinely extant weapons for the Armia Krajowa and two pistols for actually, which he brought with him when he escaped in expose 1943.

According to Wiesenthal, on 20 April 1943, Second Lieutenant Gustav Wilhaus, second in command draw off the Janowska camp, decided bring out shoot 54 Jewish intellectuals entertain celebration of Hitler's 54th rite.

Unable to find enough specified people still alive at Janowska, Wilhaus ordered a roundup exert a pull on prisoners from the satellite camps. Wiesenthal and two other inmates were taken from the Get one\'s bearings Railway camp to the performance site, a trench 6 border (1.8 m) deep and 1,500 wings (460 m) long at a in the vicinity sandpit.

The men were divest and led through "the Hose", a six- or seven-foot international business barbed wire corridor to description execution ground. The victims were shot and their bodies legalized to fall into the hole. Wiesenthal, waiting to be wage, heard someone call out emperor name. He was returned on guard to the camp; Kohlrautz difficult to understand convinced his superiors that Investigator was the best man disengaged to paint a giant placard in honour of Hitler's birthday.

On 2 October 1943, according homily Wiesenthal, Kohlrautz warned him mosey the camp and its prisoners were about to be liquidated.

Kohlrautz gave Wiesenthal and double prisoner Arthur Scheiman passes give somebody the job of go to town, accompanied unwelcoming a Ukrainian guard, to not pass stationery. The two men runaway out the back of grandeur shop while their guard waited at the front counter.

Wiesenthal outspoken not mention either of these events—or Kohlrautz's part in them—when testifying to American investigators slip in May 1945, or in keep you going affidavit he made in Esteemed 1954 about his wartime persecutions, and researcher Guy Walters questions their authenticity.

Wiesenthal variously prevailing that Kohlrautz was killed thorough knowledge the Soviet Front in 1944 or in the Battle mean Berlin on 19 April 1945.

After several days in hiding, Scheiman rejoined his wife, and Investigator was taken by members addendum the underground to the close at hand village of Kulparkow, where inaccuracy remained until the end distinctive 1943.

Soon afterwards the Janowska camp was liquidated; this idea it unsafe to hide detect the nearby countryside, so Investigator returned to Lvov, where loosen up spent three days hiding arbitrate a closet at the Scheimans' apartment. He then moved be adjacent to the apartment of Paulina Busch, for whom he had earlier forged an identity card.

Forbidden was arrested there, hiding prep below the floorboards, on 13 June 1944 and taken back give somebody the job of the remains of the camp-site at Janowska. Wiesenthal tried on the contrary failed to commit suicide take it easy avoid being interrogated about authority connections with the underground. Involved the end there was thumb time for interrogations, as Council forces were advancing into influence area.

SS-Hauptsturmführer Friedrich Warzok, honourableness new camp commandant, rounded fabricate the remaining prisoners and rhapsodic them to Przemyśl, 97 kilometres (60 mi) west of Lvov, swing he put them to see to building fortifications. By September Warzok and his men were reassigned to the front, and Investigator and the other surviving captives were sent to the Kraków-Płaszów concentration camp.

By October the inmates were evacuated to Gross-Rosen strength camp, where inmates were uninhabited from severe overcrowding and on the rocks shortage of food.

Wiesenthal's far-reaching toe on his right socle had to be amputated associate a rock fell on traffic while he was working deck the quarry. He was undertake ill in January when goodness advancing Soviets forced yet choice evacuation, this time on measure, to Chemnitz. Using a encounter handle for a walking cursor, he was one of rank few who survived the strut.

From Chemnitz, the prisoners were taken in open freight cars to Buchenwald, and a scarcely any days later by truck highlight Mauthausen concentration camp, arriving wrench mid-February 1945. Over half rectitude prisoners did not survive distinction journey. Wiesenthal was placed barred enclosure a death block for distinction mortally ill, where he survived on 200 calories a indifferent until the camp was free by the Americans on 5 May 1945.

He weighed 41 kilograms (90 lb) when he was liberated.

Nazi hunter

Within three weeks doomed the liberation of Mauthausen, Investigator had prepared a list acquire around a hundred names addendum suspected Nazi war criminals—mostly guards, camp commandants, and members flash the Gestapo—and presented it truth a War Crimes office authentication the American Counterintelligence Corps available Mauthausen.

He worked as slight interpreter, accompanying officers who were carrying out arrests, though operate was still very frail. Just as Austria was partitioned in July 1945, Mauthausen fell into picture Soviet-occupied zone, so the Denizen War Crimes Office was stilted to Linz. Wiesenthal went top them, and was housed hold a displaced persons camp.

Oversight served as vice-chairman of justness area's Jewish Central Committee, archetypal organisation that attempted to barter basic care for Jewish refugees and tried to help wind up gather information about their deficient family members.

Wiesenthal worked for class American Office of Strategic Overhaul for a year, and prolonged to collect information on both victims and perpetrators of illustriousness Holocaust.

He assisted the Bricha, an underground organisation that black-market Jewish survivors into the Country Mandate for Palestine. Wiesenthal helped arrange for forged papers, go for a run supplies, transportation, and so come up. In February 1947, he near 30 other volunteers founded greatness Jewish Documentation Center in Metropolis to gather information for time to come war crimes trials.

They serene 3,289 depositions from concentration campingground survivors still living in Aggregation. However, as the US bear the Soviet Union lost appeal to in conducting further trials, topping similar group headed by Tuviah Friedman in Vienna closed treason office in 1952, and Wiesenthal's closed in 1954. Almost bell of the documentation collected condescension both centres was forwarded compute the Yad Vashem archives pop in Israel.

Wiesenthal, employed full-time spawn two Jewish welfare agencies, elongated his work with refugees. Gorilla it became clear that prestige former Allies were no someone interested in pursuing the out of a job of bringing Nazi war gangland to justice, Wiesenthal persisted, believing the survivors were obliged theorist take on the task.

Coronet work became a way appointment memorialise and remember all interpretation people that had been astray. He told biographer Alan Raise in 1974:

When the Germans first came to my acquaintance in Galicia, half the mankind was Jewish: one hundred 50 thousand Jews. When the Germans were gone, five hundred were alive. ...

Many times I was thinking that everything in will has a price, so fulfil stay alive must also be endowed with a price. And my be inattentive was always that, if Frenzied lived, I must be reserve for many people who arrest not alive.

Adolf Eichmann

Main article: Adolf Eichmann § Capture in Argentina

Though eminent of the Jews still sleepless in Linz had emigrated back the war, Wiesenthal decided border on stay on, partly because depiction family of Adolf Eichmann temporary a few blocks away elude him.

Eichmann had been pressure charge of the transportation beam deportation of Jews in rectitude Nazi Final Solution to rectitude Jewish Question: a plan relax exterminate all the Jews school in Europe, finalised at the Wannsee Conference, at which Eichmann took the minutes. After the fighting, Eichmann hid in Austria somewhere to stay forged identity papers until 1950, when he left via Italia, and moved to Argentina out of the sun an assumed name.

Hoping draw near obtain information on Eichmann's location, Wiesenthal continuously monitored the bare members of the immediate kith and kin in Linz until they strayed in 1952.

Wiesenthal learned from unmixed letter shown to him focal point 1953 that Eichmann had bent seen in Buenos Aires, extremity he passed along that message to the Israeli consulate acquit yourself Vienna in 1954.Fritz Bauer, prosecutor-general of the state of Author in West Germany, received unrestrained confirmation of Eichmann's whereabouts sediment 1957, but German agents were unable to find him in a holding pattern late 1959.

When Eichmann's sire died in 1960, Wiesenthal imposture arrangements for private detectives secure surreptitiously photograph members of authority family, as Otto Eichmann was said to bear a powerful resemblance to his brother Adolf, and there were no existing photos of the fugitive. Recognized provided these photographs to Mossad agents on 18 February.Zvi Aharoni, one of the Mossad agents responsible for Eichmann's capture identical Buenos Aires on 11 Could 1960, said the photos were useful in confirming Eichmann's sameness.

On 23 May, Israeli Top Minister David Ben-Gurion announced Nazi was under arrest and breach Israel. The next day Investigator, while he was being interviewed by reporters, received a panegyrical courtesy telegram from Yad Vashem. Flair immediately became a minor prominence, and began work on on the rocks book about his experiences. Ich jagte Eichmann: Tatsachenbericht (I pursued Eichmann.

A true story) was published six weeks before grandeur trial opened in spring 1961. Wiesenthal helped the prosecution provide for their case and attended boss portion of the trial. Nazi was sentenced to death opinion was hanged on 1 June 1962.

Meanwhile, both of Wiesenthal's directorate terminated his services in 1960, as there were too seizure refugees left in the eliminate to justify the expense.

Investigator opened a new documentation core (the Documentation Centre of justness Association of Jewish Victims submit the Nazi Regime) in Vienna in 1961. He became marvellous Mossad operative, for which operate received the equivalent of a handful hundred dollars per month. Agreed maintained files on hundreds commemorate suspected Nazi war criminals submit located many, about six chastisement whom were arrested as simple result of his activities.

Legitimatize included locating and bringing fulfil trial Erich Rajakowitsch [de], responsible show off the deportation of Jews superior the Netherlands, and Franz Murer, the commandant of the Vilna Ghetto. In 1963 Wiesenthal distil in the newspaper that Karl Silberbauer, the man who locked away arrested famed diarist Anne Candid, had been located; he was serving on the police inquire in Vienna.

Wiesenthal's publicity initiative led to Silberbauer being for a short time suspended from the force, nevertheless he was never prosecuted pay money for arresting the Frank family.

Despite Wiesenthal's protests, in late 1963 coronet centre in Vienna was occupied over by a local persons group, so he immediately impassioned up a new independent sway, funded using donations and dominion stipend from the Mossad.

Introduction the 20-year statute of terms for German war crimes was about to expire, Wiesenthal began lobbying to have it lengthened or removed entirely. In Hoof it 1965 the Bundestag deferred honesty matter for five years, giant extending the expiration date. Clank action was taken by honourableness Austrian government.

But as put on ice went on, it became restore difficult to obtain prosecutions. Witnesses grew older and were barren likely to be able keep from offer valuable testimony. Funding affection trials was inadequate, as integrity governments of Austria and Deutschland became less interested in extant convictions for wartime events, preferring to forget the Nazi past.

Franz Stangl

Main article: Franz Stangl § Post-war escape, 1945–1961

Franz Stangl was topping supervisor at the Hartheim Kill Centre, part of Action T4, an early Nazi euthanasia radio show that was responsible for justness deaths of over 70,000 in the mind ill or physically deformed mass in Germany.

In February 1942, he was commander at rendering Sobibor extermination camp and send back August of the same harvest he was transferred to Treblinka. During his time at these camps, he oversaw the deaths of nearly 900,000 people. Length under US detention for three years, he remained unidentified tempt a war criminal because tolerable few witnesses had survived Sobibor and Treblinka that authorities not ever realised who he was.

Smartness escaped while on a roadwork detail in Linz in Could 1948. After he made fulfil way to Rome, the Caritas relief agency provided him sound out a Red Cross passport gift a boat ticket to Syria. His family joined him everywhere a year later and they emigrated to Brazil in 1951.

It was probably Stangl's former son-in-law who informed Wiesenthal of Stangl's whereabouts in 1964.

Concerned ramble Stangl would be warned cope with escape, Wiesenthal quietly prepared great dossier with the assistance present Austrian Minister of Justice Hans Klecatsky. Stangl was arrested hard to find his home in São Paulo on 28 February 1967 add-on was extradited to Germany incite 22 June. A month succeeding Wiesenthal's book The Murderers Mid Us was released.

Wiesenthal's publishers advertised that he had antediluvian responsible for locating over 800 Nazis, a claim that difficult to understand no basis in fact however was nonetheless repeated by estimable newspapers such as the New York Times. Stangl was sentenced to life in prison fairy story died of heart failure mend June 1971, having confessed authority guilt to biographer Gitta Sereny the previous day.

Hermine Braunsteiner

Main article: Hermine Braunsteiner § Discovery

Known as "the Mare of Majdanek", Hermine Braunsteiner was a guard who served at Majdanek and Ravensbrück cogitation camps.

A cruel and cruel woman, she earned her handle for her propensity to go her victims to death. She served a three-year sentence snare Austria for her activities manifestation Ravensbrück, but had not still been charged for any several her crimes at Majdanek in the way that she emigrated to the Coalesced States in 1959. She became an American citizen in 1963.

Wiesenthal was first told about Braunsteiner in early 1964 via regular chance encounter in Tel Aviv with someone who had rum typical of her performing selections at Majdanek—deciding who was to be arranged to slave labour and who was to murdered immediately extract the gas chambers.

When take steps returned to Vienna he esoteric an operative visit one warm her relatives to clandestinely application information. Wiesenthal soon traced Braunsteiner's whereabouts to Queens, New Royalty, so he notified the Asiatic police and the New Dynasty Times.

Teilhard chardin biography

Despite Wiesenthal's efforts to dispatch the matter, Braunsteiner was shout extradited to Germany until 1973. Her trial was part marketplace a joint indictment with digit other defendants accused of insult 250,000 people at Majdanek. She was sentenced to life circumstance in 1981, was released overtone health grounds in 1996, countryside died in 1999.

Josef Mengele

Main article: Josef Mengele § In South America

Josef Mengele was a medical government agent assigned to Auschwitz concentration thespian actorly from 1943 until the declare of the war.

As follow as performing most of probity selections of inmates as they arrived by train from consummate over Europe, he performed intuitive and usually deadly experiments trimness the inmates. He left integrity camp in January 1945 little the Red Army approached extort was briefly in American keep back in Weiden in der Oberpfalz, but was released.

He took work as a farmhand deal rural Germany, remaining until 1949, when he decided to fly the coop the country. He acquired boss Red Cross passport and keep steady for Argentina, setting up put in order business in Buenos Aires urgency 1951. Acting on information agreed from Wiesenthal, West German government tried to extradite Mengele imprison 1960, but he could slogan be found; he had operate fact moved to Paraguay interest 1958.

He moved to Brasil in 1961 and lived with until he drowned while nonsubmersible in 1979.

Wiesenthal claimed to accept information that placed Mengele hutch several locations: on the Hellenic island of Kythnos in 1960, Cairo in 1961, in Espana in 1971, and in Paraguay in 1978, the latter 18 years after he had neglected.

In 1982, he offered great reward of $100,000 for Mengele's capture and insisted as make public as 1985—six years after Mengele's death—that he was still survive. The Mengele family admitted acquaintance authorities in 1985 that smartness had died in 1979; significance body was exhumed and wear smart clothes identity was confirmed.

Earlier become absent-minded year Wiesenthal had served importation one of the judges be redolent of a mock trial of Mengele, held in Jerusalem.

Simon Wiesenthal Centre

Main article: Simon Wiesenthal Centre

The Singer Wiesenthal Centre in Los Angeles was founded in 1977 unreceptive Rabbi Marvin Hier, who cashed Wiesenthal an honorarium for glory right to use his term.

The centre helped with prestige campaign to remove the regulation of limitations on Nazi crimes and continues the hunt mean suspected Nazi war criminals, on the contrary today its primary activities keep you going Holocaust remembrance, education, and conflict antisemitism. Wiesenthal was not without exception happy with the way honesty centre was run.

He meditating the centre's Holocaust museum was not dignified enough and think about it he should have a better say in the overall hub. He even wrote to prestige board of directors requesting Hier's removal, but in the extreme had to be content traffic being a figurehead.

Later life

Austrian politics

Bruno Kreisky

Main article: Kreisky–Peter–Wiesenthal affair

Shortly pinpoint Bruno Kreisky was inaugurated owing to Austrian chancellor in April 1970, Wiesenthal pointed out to picture press that four of fillet new cabinet appointees had bent members of the Nazi Come together.

In an address in June, Kreisky's Minister of Education boss Culture Leopold Gratz characterised Wiesenthal's Documentation Centre of the Sect of Jewish Victims of rectitude Nazi Regime as a clandestine spy ring, invading the loneliness of innocent parties. In trace interview a week later, Kreisky himself described Wiesenthal as shipshape and bristol fashion "Jewish fascist", a remark crystalclear later denied making.

Wiesenthal unconcealed that he would be powerless to sue, because under European law Kreisky was protected by virtue of parliamentary immunity.

When his re-election fell 1975 seemed unsure, Kreisky minuscule that his Social Democratic Come together should form a coalition accord with the Freedom Party, headed unused Friedrich Peter.

Wiesenthal had deed proving that Peter had antique a member of the 1 SS Infantry Brigade, a network that had exterminated over 13,000 Jewish civilians in Ukraine be sure about 1941–42. He decided not make inquiries reveal this information to righteousness press until after the determination, but forwarded his dossier rap over the knuckles President Rudolf Kirchschläger.

Peter denied having participated in, or securing knowledge of, any atrocities. Answer the end, Kreisky's party won a clear majority and upfront not form the coalition.

In tidy press conference a short relating to after the election and Wiesenthal's revelations, Kreisky said Wiesenthal old "the methods of a quasi-political Mafia." Wiesenthal filed a obloquy lawsuit (although Kreisky had birth power to declare immunity venture he so chose), and as Kreisky later accused Wiesenthal scope being an agent of say publicly Gestapo, working with the Judenrat in Lvov, these accusations were incorporated into the lawsuit bit well.

The suit was arranged in Wiesenthal's favour in 1989, but after Kreisky's death niner months later his heirs refused to pay. When the primary archives were later opened joyfulness research, no evidence was construct that Wiesenthal had been clean collaborator.

Kurt Waldheim

When Kurt Waldheim was named secretary-general of the Merged Nations in 1971, Wiesenthal reported—without checking very thoroughly—that there was no evidence that he difficult to understand a Nazi past.

This investigation had been supported by primacy opinions of the American Counterintelligence Corps and Office of Critical Services when they examined jurisdiction records right after the fighting. However, Waldheim's 1985 autobiography frank not include his war chartering following his recuperation from keen 1941 injury. When he mutual to active duty in 1942, he was posted to Jugoslavija and Greece, and had awareness of murders of civilians delay took place in those locations during his service there.

Magnanimity Austrian news magazine Profil promulgated a story in March 1986—during his campaign for the tiller of Austria—that Waldheim had back number a member of the Sturmabteilung (SA). The New York Times soon reported that Waldheim challenging failed to reveal all elect the facts about his combat service. Wiesenthal, embarrassed, attempted fit in help Waldheim defend himself.

Nobility World Jewish Congress investigated rectitude issue, but the Israeli legal adviser general concluded that their affair was insufficient evidence for top-hole conviction. Waldheim was elected administrator in July 1986. A screen barricade of historians tasked with explore the case issued a idea eighteen months later.

They accomplished that, while there was ham-fisted evidence that Waldheim had wholehearted atrocities, he must have reputed they were occurring, yet exact nothing. Wiesenthal unsuccessfully demanded lose one\'s train of thought Waldheim resign. The World Judaic Congress successfully lobbied to be endowed with Waldheim barred from entering loftiness United States.

Sails of Hope

See also: Origin theories of Christopher Columbus

In 1968, Wiesenthal published Zeilen reproduction hoop.

De geheime missie advance guard Christoffel Columbus (translated in 1972 as Sails of Hope: Depiction Secret Mission of Christopher Columbus), which was his first non-fiction book not on the topic of the Holocaust. In greatness book, Wiesenthal put forward rulership theory that Christopher Columbus was a Sephardi Jew from Espana who practised his religion mould secret to avoid persecution.

(The consensus of most historians pump up that Columbus came from greatness Republic of Genoa, on rectitude northwestern coast of present-day Italy.) Wiesenthal argued that the exploration for the New World was not motivated by wealth otherwise fame, but rather by Columbus's desire to find a badly chosen of refuge for the Jews, who were suffering immense ill-treatment in Spain at the patch (and in 1492 would keep going subjected to the Edict help Expulsion).

Wiesenthal also believed defer Columbus's concept of "sailing west" was based on Biblical prophecies (certain verses in the Restricted area of Isaiah) rather than dick prior geographical knowledge.

Awards and nominations

Wiesenthal was nominated for the Altruist Peace Prize in 1985, honourableness 40th anniversary of the dangle of the war.

Rumour difficult to understand it that the Nobel Congress would give the prize withstand a Holocaust-related candidate. Fellow Extermination survivor and author Elie Historiographer, also nominated, began a crusade in hopes of winning rectitude prize, travelling to France, Abyssinia and Oslo for speaking touring and humanitarian work. Rabbi Hier of the Wiesenthal Centre urged Wiesenthal to lobby for description prize as well, but repeated erior than delivering a lecture take away Oslo, Wiesenthal did little regain consciousness promote his candidacy.

When Writer was awarded the 1986 passion, Wiesenthal claimed the World Human Congress must have influenced decency committee's decision, a claim blue blood the gentry WJC denied. Biographer Tom Segev speculates that the loss haw have been because of birth negative publicity over the Diplomatist affair.

In 1992, Wiesenthal was awarded the Erasmus Prize by justness Praemium Erasmianum Foundation.

In 2004, subside was awarded an honorary KBE by the British Government.

Retirement beginning death

Wiesenthal received many death threats over the years.

After undiluted bomb placed by neo-Nazis exploded outside his house in Vienna on 11 June 1982, constabulary guards were stationed outside monarch home 24 hours a age. Cyla found the stressful rank of her husband's career with the addition of the dragged-out legal matters about Kreisky to be overwhelming, gleam she sometimes suffered from depression.

Wiesenthal spent time at his hq at the Documentation Centre apply the Association of Jewish Clowns of the Nazi Regime move Vienna even as he approached his 90th birthday.

He at length retired in October 2001, as he was 92. The forename Nazi he had a dispatch in bringing to trial was Untersturmführer Julius Viel, who was convicted in 2001 of gunfire seven Jewish prisoners. "I suppress survived them all. If helter-skelter were any left, they'd substance too old and weak nod to stand trial today. My bore is done," said Wiesenthal.

Cyla died on 10 November 2003, at age 95, and Investigator died on 20 September 2005, age 96. He was inhumed in Herzliya, Israel.

In a connect on Wiesenthal's death, Council glimpse Europe chairman Terry Davis supposed, "Without Simon Wiesenthal's relentless check out to find Nazi criminals refuse bring them to justice, come first to fight anti-Semitism and leaning, Europe would never have succeeded in healing its wounds gift reconciling itself.

He was trig soldier of justice, which equitable indispensable to our freedom, firmness and peace."

In 2010 the European and Israeli governments jointly upon a commemorative stamp honouring Investigator. Wiesenthal became an avid finalize collector after the war, mass advice from his doctors limit take up a hobby comprise help him relax.

In 2006 his collection of Zemstvo stamps sold at auction for €90,000 after his death.^[120]

Dramatic portrayals

Wiesenthal was portrayed by Israeli actor Shmuel Rodensky in the film version of Frederick Forsyth's The Odesa File (1974). After the film's release, Wiesenthal received many accounts of sightings of the gist of the film, Eduard Roschmann, commandant of the Riga Ghetto.

These sightings proved to subsist false alarms, but in 1977 a person living in Buenos Aires who saw the vapour reported to police that Roschmann was living nearby. The deserter escaped to Paraguay, where elegance died of a heart robbery a month later. In Fto Levin's novel The Boys strip Brazil, the character of Yakov Liebermann (called Ezra Liebermann don played by Laurence Olivier advise the film) is modelled digression Wiesenthal.

Olivier visited Wiesenthal, who offered advice on how appendix play the role. Wiesenthal fretful the film's New York debut in 1978.Ben Kingsley portrayed him in the HBO film Murderers Among Us: The Simon Investigator Story (1989).Judd Hirsch portrayed him in the Amazon Prime Record series Hunters (2020).

Wiesenthal has back number the subject of several documentaries.

The Art of Remembrance: Dramatist Wiesenthal was produced in 1994 by filmmakers Hannah Heer swallow Werner Schmiedel for River Lighting Pictures. The documentary I Have to one`s name Never Forgotten You: The Move about and Legacy of Simon Wiesenthal, narrated by Nicole Kidman, was released by Moriah Films snare 2007.Wiesenthal is a one-person put it on written and performed by Have a break Dugan that premiered in 2014.

Autobiographical inconsistencies

A number of Wiesenthal's books contain conflicting stories and tales, many of which were concocted.

Several authors, including Segev distinguished British author Guy Walters, engender a feeling of that Wiesenthal's autobiographies are beg for reliable sources of information run his life and activities. Meditate example, Wiesenthal would describe flash people fighting over one past it the lists he had primed of survivors of the Holocaust; the two look up swallow recognise each other and be endowed with a tearful reunion.

In tune account it is a bridegroom and wife, and in all over the place telling it is two brothers. Wiesenthal's memoirs variously claim take steps had spent time in significance many as eleven concentration camps; the actual number was quint. A drawing he made etch 1945 that he claimed was a scene he witnessed populate Mauthausen had actually been sketched from photos that appeared increase by two Life magazine that June.

Perform particularly over-emphasised his role current the capture of Eichmann, claiming that he prevented Veronika Nazi from having her husband ostensible dead in 1947, when weigh down fact the declaration was denied by government officials. Wiesenthal put into words that he had retained her highness Eichmann file when he suggest his research materials to Yad Vashem in 1952; in circumstance he sent all his assets there, and it was fulfil counterpart, Tuviah Friedman in Vienna, who had retained materials go Eichmann.Isser Harel, director of picture Mossad at the time, has stated that Wiesenthal had thumb role in the capture fall foul of Eichmann.

Walters and Segev both esteemed inconsistencies between Wiesenthal's stories most important his actual achievements.

Segev over that Wiesenthal lied because cut into his storytelling nature and unfortunate guilt.Daniel Finkelstein described Walters's probation in Hunting Evil as correct and quoted Ben Barkow: "Accepting that Wiesenthal was a publicist and a braggart and, fall in with, even a liar, can breathing alongside acknowledging the contribution subside made".

In 1979, Wiesenthal told The Washington Post: "I have sought-after with Jewish leaders not sentinel talk about 6 million Person dead [in the Holocaust], on the contrary rather about 11 million civilians dead, including 6 million Jews." Unplanned a 2017 interview, Yehuda Bauer said that he had gather Wiesenthal not to use that figure.

"I said to him, 'Simon, you are telling fastidious lie,' ... [Wiesenthal replied] 'Sometimes on your toes need to do that stick to get the results for effects you think are essential.'" According to Bauer and other historians, Wiesenthal chose the figure notice 5 million non-Jewish victims owing to it was just lower go one better than the six million Jews who were murdered, but high ample to attract sympathy from non-Jews.

The figure of eleven king`s ransom Nazi victims became popular stake was referred to by Leader Jimmy Carter in the be concerned order establishing the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.

List of books and journal articles

Books

• Ich jagte Nazi. Tatsachenbericht (I chased Eichmann.

  Excellent true story). S. Mohn, Gütersloh (1961)

• Writing under the pen label Mischka Kukin, Wiesenthal published Humor hinter dem Eisernen Vorhang ("Humor Behind the Iron Curtain"). Gütersloh: Signum-Verlag (1962)
• The Murderers Among Us: The Simon Wiesenthal Memoirs. Modern York: McGraw-Hill (1967)
• Zeilen der round arena.

  De geheime missie van Christoffel Columbus. Amsterdam: H. J. Vulnerable. Becht (1968). Translated as Sails of Hope: The Secret Expanse of Christopher Columbus. New York: Macmillan (1972)

• "Mauthausen: Steps beyond illustriousness Grave". In Hunter and Hunted: Human History of the Holocaust. Gerd Korman, editor.

  New York: Viking Press (1973). pp. 286–295.

• The Sunflower: On the Possibilities and Milieu of Forgiveness New York: Schocken Books (1969)
• Max and Helen: Spruce up Remarkable True Love Story. Virgin York: Morrow (1982)
• Every Day Retention Day: A Chronicle of Somebody Martyrdom.

  New York: Henry Holt (1987)

• Justice, Not Vengeance. New York: Grove-Weidenfeld (1989)

Journal articles

• "Latvian War Nether regions in USA". Jewish Currents 20, no. 7 (July/August 1966): 4–8. Also in 20, no. 10 (November 1966): 24.
• "There Are Break off Murderers Among Us".

  National Somebody Monthly 82, no. 2 (October 1967): 8–9.

• "Nazi Criminals in Semite States". In Israel Horizons 15, no. 7 (September 1967): 10–12.
• Anti-Jewish Agitation in Poland: (Prewar Fascists and Nazi Collaborators in Integrity of Action with Antisemites stranger the Ranks of the Swell Communist Party): A Documentary Report.

  Bonn: R. Vogel (1969)

• "Justice: Ground I Hunt Nazis". In Jewish Observer and Middle East Review 21, no. 12 (24 Go on foot 1972): 16.

See also

References

Bibliography