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Histoirevivante 16-01-15 8HISTOIRE VIVANTE LA LIBERTÉ VENDREDI 16 JANVIER 2015 Le juif qui racheta 1685 vies à Eichmann HOLOCAUSTE • En 1944 en Hongrie, le juif Rudolf Kasztner a réussi à négocier avec le haut dignitaire nazi Adolf Eichmann l’organisation d’un «train de la liberté» vers la Suisse. Il sera accusé d’avoir vendu son âme au diable. REPÈRES Accueil suisse et refoulements > La Suisse a accueilli près de 300000 réfu- giés durant la guerre, dont 104000 militaires internés, 67 000fronta- liers et 60000 enfants venus pour se refaire une santé pendant des séjours limités. Elle a abrité 60000 réfugiés civils, dont environ 30000juifs. Ces chif- fres émanent du rap- port de la Commission indépendante d’experts présidée par l’historien Jean-François Bergier. > La Commission Ber- gier n’a pu établir le nombre de refoule- ments de juifs aux frontières suisses. Par recoupements, elle a estimé à un peu plus de 20 000 le nombre total de refoulements, toutes origines et reli- gions confondues. Jusqu’au printemps 1944, une grande par- tie des refoulés étaient juifs. En 2013, le chas- seur de nazis Serge Klarsfeld a estimé que la Suisse avait refoulé environ 3000 juifs pendant la guerre. Un chiffre «minimaliste» contesté par d’autres Enfants juifs à bord du «train Kasztner» en 1944, en route pour la Suisse. Les passagers de ce convoi exceptionnel ont été accueillis au Caux Palace, au-dessus de Montreux (en haut à dr.), avant historiens. PFY de pouvoir rejoindre Israël. Leur bienfaiteur, Rudolf Kasztner (avec sa fille), a été assassiné en 1957, après avoir été accusé de collaboration avec les nazis. WEINBERG/KASZTNER/NOBLESSE OBLIGE/DR PASCAL FLEURY Face à l’immense pression des nazis, ment et «avec des nerfs d’acier», selon Le voyage du «train Kasztner» vers la Constance au bord du Léman pour re- C’est l’un des épisodes les la communauté juive est désemparée. Ladislaus Löb, qui a longuement enquêté liberté s’avérera pénible. D’abord huit joindre Caux, les militaires qui portaient plus étonnants de l’his- Mais un avocat et journaliste dyna- sur ce juif «au culot inouï» qui lui a sauvé jours jusqu’au camp de concentration des casques comme les Allemands et toire de la Shoah. A la mi- mique, militant sioniste dans sa jeu- la vie alors qu’il n’avait que 11 ans. Fina- de Bergen-Belsen, en Basse-Saxe dans le parlaient allemand, le faisaient sans 1944, alors que la dépor- nesse, décide de s’engager pour sauver lement, Kasztner obtient que soit affrété nord de l’Allemagne. Puis une longue crier et étaient courtois et polis. Une tation des juifs de un maximum de ses coreligionnaires. un train entier de passagers juifs, le période d’attente en transit. Les 318 pre- tasse de chocolat chaud a de suite été Hongrie vers les camps de Rudolf Kasztner, qui est originaire de 30 juin 1944, vers un pays neutre (il est miers juifs –surtout des enfants –débar- distribuée, ainsi que des tablettes de la mort se déroule à un rythme d’enfer – Transsylvanie, a déjà participé à la fon- d’abord question de l’Espagne). Coût du quent en Suisse à la fin août. Des pour- chocolat aux enfants», raconte Cornelio à raison de quatre trains de 3000 per- dation, en janvier 1943 à Budapest, d’un marchandage: 1000 dollars par personne. parlers ont ensuite lieu à plusieurs Sommaruga. L’ancien président du CICR sonnes par jour –, un convoi ferroviaire, Comité de sauvetage et de secours pour reprises avec le représentant suisse et du mouvement Initiatives et Change- avec 1685 juifs à bord, prend le chemin assister les juifs réfugiés de Pologne et Eichmann était prêt de l’organisation caritative juive ment international a eu l’occasion de inverse… vers la Suisse et la liberté! de Slovaquie. (JDC) Saly Mayer, l’officier SS Kurt rencontrer plusieurs survivants du Dès l’occupation de la Hongrie par à «vendre» un million Becher et Rudolf Kasztner, sur le «train Kasztner», venus en pèlerinage l’Allemagne, en mars 1944, Adolf Eich- Odieux marchandage pont de St. Margrethen, à la fron- dans les hauts de Montreux, où les réfu- mann, l’architecte de la «Solution fi- Au nom de ce comité, il mène coura- de juifs contre 10000 tière Suisse - Autriche. Ce n’est que giés avaient été logés dans l’ancien Caux nale», s’était rendu à Budapest pour acti- geusement des négociations avec Adolf le 7décembre que le reste des resca- Palace, renommé Hôtel Esplanade. ver les déportations, qui étaient en Eichmann, qui lui propose alors un camions militaires pés peuvent débarquer en Suisse. «Plusieurs édifices, à Caux, avaient retard dans ce pays par rapport au reste odieux marché, «des marchandises Parmi les passagers, le médecin- été réquisitionnés par la Confédération, du Reich. La Hongrie comptait alors contre du sang», comme le relate le res- La plupart des passagers étant désar- psychiatre Léopold Szondi et sa famille, ce qui permettait – malgré la présence plus de 800000 juifs de diverses nationa- capé Ladislaus Löb dans l’ouvrage «L’af- gentés, Kasztner met aux enchères 150 le grand rabbin hassidique hongrois Joël de beaucoup d’autres internés – l’héber- lités. Une partie d’entre eux a pu bénéfi- faire Kasztner» (Ed. André Versaille), pu- places pour des juifs fortunés. Le pro- Teitelbaum, fondateur de la dynastie de gement en discrétion de ces juifs hon- cier de lettres de protection et de sauf- blié en 2013. Concrètement, le haut duit de la vente permet d’embarquer des Satmar, le futur homme d’affaires cana- grois», explique Cornelio Sommaruga. conduits, délivrés en particulier par le dignitaire SS est prêt à «vendre» un mil- juifs modestes et des orphelins. L’officier dien Peter Munk, des militants sionistes, Depuis la fin des années 1990, un diplomate suédois Raoul Wallenberg, le lion de juifs contre 10000 camions mili- SS Kurt Becher, chargé des transactions, des réfugiés slovaques et polonais, ainsi chêne et une plaque commémorative vice-consul suisse Carl Lutz ou le délé- taires destinés au front de l’Est, qui se- y ajoute d’autres conditions, doublant le que la femme et les proches de l’organi- évoquent, dans le parc de l’établisse- gué pour le Comité international de la raient fournis par les Alliés. Autrement prix des billets et imposant une liste de sateur du voyage, Kasztner. ment, la mémoire de ces réfugiés juifs Croix-Rouge Friedrich Born. Mais la ma- dit, «un camion pour cent juifs». passagers juifs avec lesquels il était déjà hébergés à Caux pendant la guerre, mais jorité, soit plus de 437000 juifs, ont été Les négociations échouent devant le en affaire. Selon les sources, l’équivalent Accueil au palace de Caux aussi celle des juifs qui ont été refoulés à déportés en quelques semaines, dont refus britannique. Mais Rudolf Kasztner de 3 à 8,6 millions de francs a été versé «Certains réfugiés s’étonnaient que, la frontière suisse. On peut y lire: «Nous 275000 ont été gazés à Auschwitz. revient à la charge, rusant intelligem- aux nazis, en dollars, or et bijoux. dans le train qui les amenait du lac de ne les oublierons pas.» I SEMAINE PROCHAINE LA SHOAH EN 8 ÉPISODES Diffamé, assassiné, blanchi, jamais réhabilité… Ces deux prochains dimanches et lundis, RTS2diffuse le docu- Héros ou collabo, Rudolf Kasztner? La question a en Hongrie, d’avoir été complice de l’officier nazi Kurt mentaire en 8 volets «Jusqu’au fait couler beaucoup d’encre –et même le sang –de- Becher pour la spoliation de biens juifs et d’avoir té- dernier –La destruction des juifs puis la fin de la Seconde Guerre mondiale. C’est que moigné en sa faveur lors du procès de Nuremberg. d’Europe». Cette série TV, riche le «Schindler juif», qui avait émigré en 1947 en Israël, Kasztner fait alors recours en diffamation mais est en documents d’archives inédits, avait rejoint le parti travailliste Mapai et était devenu débouté, le juge estimant qu’il a «vendu son âme au explique, au travers de commen- le porte-parole du ministre du Commerce et de l’in- diable», au terme de dix mois d’un procès politique taires d’historiens de tous hori- dustrie en 1952, a dû jouer un jeu très ambigu pour virulent, largement relayé par la presse. Deux ans zons, comment la Shoah a pu parvenir à sauver 1685 juifs des camps de la mort et à plus tard, le 15 mars 1957, il meurt à Tel-Aviv, assas- être pensée, mise en place et les emmener en Suisse. siné par un jeune homme de 22 ans, Zeev Eckstein, exécutée, alors que les Alliés, «Kasztner a dû affronter des situations horribles qui n’était «qu’un pion sur un échiquier», manipulé pourtant très vite au courant, ne et d’épouvantables dilemmes. Il n’avait ni le temps ni par l’extrême droite et les services secrets, selon le do- sont pas intervenus. Un film aux le caractère pour se plonger dans de longues ré- cumentaire «Killing Kasztner» (2008) de Gaylen Ross. images dures, mais incontourna- flexions sur les implications éthiques de ses actes. Il a ble dans le contexte de racisme compris que des vies étaient en jeu, et il a agi aussi Rudolf Kasztner est innocenté l’année suivante par et d’antisémitisme d’aujourd’hui. vite et résolument qu’il l’a pu pour les sauver», assure La scène du meurtre de Rudolf Kasztner, en 1957 à la Cour suprême d’Israël. En 2007, sa famille lègue ses le rescapé Ladislaus Löb, dans son livre témoignage Tel-Aviv, en Israël. GOLDMAN/NOBLESSE OBLIGE/DR archives privées au Mémorial de Yad Vashem.
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