'I'm the Only Jew in the World Who Pra for Th Good of Na
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Profile ‘I’m the only Jew in the world who prays for the good health of Nazis’ 38 17 October 2020 | The Telegraph Magazine ‘I’m the only Jew in the world who prays for the good health of Nazis’ Efraim Zuroff has devoted his life to hunting down Nazi war criminals, bringing 40 of them to justice. But the clock is ticking on his quest to find the last surviving perpetrators before they die. With the net closing in on his next target, he speaks to Miranda Levy. Portrait by Yaakov Israel The Telegraph Magazine | 17 October 2020 39 ate September 2020, and a disturbing ity of the horrors perpe- says Zuroff. But he does post on Facebook: ‘Working very hard trated by ‘willing local col- not expect a prosecution. Lon an investigation concerning the par- laborators’. ‘The witness is dead, and ticularly brutal murder of Jewish babies in the In the German-occu- without a witness you Lithuanian town of Raseiniai in 1941,’ writes pied countries of Western can’t go to trial.’ The best Efraim Zuroff. ‘A young female “student” Europe, Nazi collabora- he can hope is to expose smashed their heads with a large boulder… tion usually meant identi- this woman, who will now Anyone from Raseiniai or with contacts with fying, informing on and be 97. ‘I will demonstrate people who were alive at that time, please preparing people to be in front of her house,’ he contact me. This request is URGENT!!!!’ deported to the East – to says. ‘The most painful Not the typical post, but he’s not your typ- the ghettos and the gas thing for these people is to ical poster, either. Zuroff, 72, is a director of chambers, as represented be publicly exposed.’ the Simon Wiesenthal Center (Israel Office in films like Schindler’s Brooklyn-born Zuroff ERNA WALLISCH and Eastern European Affairs). He is widely List. If possible, the Baltic was named after his known as the ‘last Nazi hunter’. Of his swash- story is even more grue- great-uncle, who was Wallisch, a concentration camp buckling nickname, Zuroff says, ‘You know, some. ‘The Lithuanians guard during the war, was murdered in Lithuania I’m not exactly doing ambushes in the jun- didn’t put people on described as ‘the she-devil of the during the war. He gles of South America, here. I’m one third trains,’ says Zuroff. ‘They women’s camp’ dreamed of being a bas- detective, one third historian, one third polit- got their hands dirty. ketball player before mov- ical lobbyist.’ Yet the moniker is accurate. In They personally killed ing to Israel, where he 42 years, Zuroff has submitted the names of their Jewish neighbours, usually by shoot- undertook a PhD in Holocaust history. Since more than 3,000 suspected Nazi war crimi- ing them and throwing them, one on top of 1986, he has run the Jerusalem office of the nals to 20 countries. In 40 cases, legal action each other, into pits dug in the forest.’ Simon Wiesenthal Center, named for the was taken against a Holocaust perpetrator. Ninety per cent of victims were killed near legendary Nazi their homes. ‘This was no easy feat to organ- hunter, who ‘They had no sympathy for their ise,’ says Zuroff. ‘The local populations hap- died in 2005. pily supplied the manpower.’ The majority of Zuroff has writ- victims, some of whom were perpetrators got away in the confusion at the ten 450 articles older then than they are now’ end of the war, many to English-speaking and four books countries, as refugees escaping the Russians. on the Holo- Nine years ago, Zuroff relaunched Opera- One Jewish survivor of the summer of 1941 caust, and in tion Last Chance, a campaign to find the was Dina Flum, who ran away during a mas- 2008 was nomi- remaining Nazi war criminals. He works in sacre. ‘While I was hiding in the hay, I saw nated for the Jerusalem with just an office manager and a very clearly two women at the pit murdering She was under Nobel Peace part-time researcher. The organisation is Jewish babies by smashing their heads with investigation in Austria Prize. mostly funded by private donations. And with a rock,’ she testified. ‘One of them was the when she died in 2008 He is dogged the hunt for living Nazis ‘in injury time’ – an student, [K].’ The other was not identified. in his quest to 18-year-old in 1939 would be 99 now – Zuroff Many Baltic war criminals fled to Canada, bring war crimi- employs social media to track his prey. Proud where Zuroff recently resumed the chase. nals to justice, even if this is just through of his 8,000-plus Twitter followers, he uses Sick of local authorities prevaricating, he exposure of their crimes. ‘I’m the only Jew in modern methods to solve historical crimes. teamed up with a Canadian associate who fol- the world who prays for the good health of The pursuit of ‘Student K’ – Zuroff doesn’t lowed up leads on two immigrant sisters Nazis,’ he says. want to reveal her name, in case it alerts her, called ‘K’. In 1941, they would have been aged Zuroff admits his career has been beset ‘and the fake witnesses start coming out’ – 16 and 18. The ‘K’ represents a common Lithu- by ‘frustration and disappointment’. The started in 1989, when he anian surname, so their Simon Wiesenthal Center has no right to came across the testimo- guilt is not obvious. Only prosecute, only to hand names over to nies of dozens of Lithua- the older sister can be authorities in the relevant countries. Some, nian survivors. He identi- traced, but Zuroff needs to such as the UK and Germany, can prosecute fied 1,284 potential war find the perpetrator’s on their own soil. Others, such as Canada criminals. Christian name to make and America, can only denaturalise the old Lithuania had one of the the connection. Nazis, and deport or extradite them. To say worst reputations for Jew- During our interview, that most countries have dragged their feet ish murders in the Second Zuroff has to stop the is a gross understatement. It is not unusual World War. Out of a popu- Zoom call because his for murderers to die while justice meanders. lation of 220,000 Jews, researcher has been to Take, for example, concentration camp just 8,000 survived. Ein- knock on the woman’s guard Erna Wallisch. In the pre-social media satzgruppen, or mobile door and is reporting age of 2004, Zuroff placed an ad in Kronen death squads, accompa- back. No one was home. Zeitung, an Austrian tabloid, saying, ‘The nied the Baltic invasions of ANTON GECAS If she turns out to be murderers are still among us.’ Among the June 1941, but according to the murderer? ‘The first crank calls and anti-Semitic hate mail he Wanted for war crimes in Zuroff, there were only Lithuania at the time of his death thing I will do is jump for received in response, was a letter from one 1,000 Germans present in 2001, in Edinburgh, Gecas joy and it will take me a Frau Waninger of Vienna, detailing the during the occupation of never faced trial month to come down from address of ‘the she-devil of the women’s PA PHOTOSPA Lithuania, with the major- the reaches of heaven,’ camp’. This was Erna Wallisch of Majdanek, elsewhere described as give up. But by the time people to justice. ‘These monsters had no ‘the monstrous pregnant Lithuania submitted a sympathy for their victims, some of whom Nazi’. Despite the evidence request for Gecas’s extra- were older then than they are now.’ against her, Austrian dition in 2001, he was on According to Zuroff, the defence, ‘I was authorities were hesitant, his deathbed. just obeying orders,’ has only once been and she died in 2008, accepted by a court, during Canada’s sole while under investigation. hen asked for criminal trial (suspects were extradited after Wallisch, who became his biggest vic- that). Most alarmingly, he insists that no Nazi pregnant by a fellow guard Wtory, Zuroff war criminal has ever said they were sorry. No in 1943, was notorious for cites the case of Dinko remorse, ever? ‘Two Germans expressed being involved in selec- Sakić, the sadistic com- regret, one just before he was sentenced. tions and escorting mandant of the Jasenovac Sakić said, “I would do it again; let’s finish the DINKO SAKIC inmates to gas chambers. concentration camp in job.” I know this is hard to believe, but the war One witness saw her beat a Pictured with his wife in 1945, the Croatia, responsible for created a set of geopolitical circumstances child and ‘throw his body Croatian former concentration the murder of 2,000 peo- that allowed normal people to become killers. away like a piece of wood’. camp commandant was ple. He was found living in And the reason there are so many left is In his book Operation prosecuted in 1998 Argentina and prosecuted because people without a conscience don’t Last Chance, Zuroff writes in 1998. When he received feel stress, and they tend to live longer.’ of her death, ‘It would be his 20-year sentence, Despite his bullish attitude, Zuroff accepts incredibly hard to describe the emotion that Sakić laughed maniacally. that the age of the perpetrators means ‘we are engulfed me, a combination of deep anger, Zuroff was there to see the fruits of his almost finished’. Still, he points out the case of frustration and helplessness.’ work.