GUILTY Germany - Oskar Gröning, 'The Accountant of Auschwitz', goes on trial, age 93

[Momoffourboys]

Daisymae, thank you for sharing these amazing tidbits. I think there are, probably, so many more that your father never shared.

I have always been fascinated with these stories. Passed down from generation to generation. My mother in law was hidden in a convent in Nice for two years, while, her parents were in Dachau and Mathausen. Once liberated, they went back to get her and her brother and moved to Israel. My MIL has gone back to the convent and even got to thank a few of the nuns that were, still, alive. They are the real life saints.

 

[daisymae]

google says sauberhalton means to keep clean.

bier glocke is a beer bell

waschbecken is a sink

klossett is a toilet

kassen is plural for cash register, cash desk

guess dear old dad went into the bathroom.

 

[daisymae]

have any of you seen the movie of the Ten Boom family, The Hiding Place? google corrie ten boom for more information.

this family saved hundreds of jews. i saw it in 1974 at the movies. it's probably on youtube somewhere.

 

[daisymae]

thanks, mom, for sharing your in-laws experience.

 

[SophieRose]

Daisymae, thank you for sharing these amazing tidbits. I think there are, probably, so many more that your father never shared.

I have always been fascinated with these stories. Passed down from generation to generation. My mother in law was hidden in a convent in Nice for two years, while, her parents were in Dachau and Mathausen. Once liberated, they went back to get her and her brother and moved to Israel. My MIL has gone back to the convent and even got to thank a few of the nuns that were, still, alive. They are the real life saints.

I worked with a man whose Jewish father and aunt were hidden in a convent in Belgium, his grandparents were killed in one of the concentration camps. His father and aunt remained Catholic after the war.

I helped someone with their Jewish ancestry, found that the town in modern day Ukraine from where ancestors came had 10,000 Jews before the war, only 600 after the war ended.

 

[heartfortruth]

have any of you seen the movie of the Ten Boom family, The Hiding Place? google corrie ten boom for more information.

this family saved hundreds of jews. i saw it in 1974 at the movies. it's probably on youtube somewhere.

Yes! and the book (same name) was wonderful as well!

 

[Momoffourboys]

I worked with a man whose Jewish father and aunt were hidden in a convent in Belgium, his grandparents were killed in one of the concentration camps. His father and aunt remained Catholic after the war.

I helped someone with their Jewish ancestry, found that the town in modern day Ukraine from where ancestors came had 10,000 Jews before the war, only 600 after the war ended.

Incredible.
Did you use Jewishgen for your research?
I have come across some very interesting information on the search engine.
My Mom's family is from a town that is now the Ukraine. They all perished in the Holocaust. Not one survived. While researching her family and the town, I found a memorial that has been erected by survivors from the town. Ironically, the memorial is about 1/2 a mile from my home in NY.

 

[SophieRose]

Incredible.
Did you use Jewishgen for your research?
I have come across some very interesting information on the search engine.
My Mom's family is from a town that is now the Ukraine. They all perished in the Holocaust. Not one survived. While researching her family and the town, I found a memorial that has been erected by survivors from the town. Ironically, the memorial is about 1/2 a mile from my home in NY.

I used some of these below and ancestry and familysearch. I found where they came from a passenger list, at least the mother's last destination, father came before mother and children. It was difficult reading the document but I finally figured it out. Then I went to a Jewish website, can't remember the name but not a genealogy site, and was able to find info on Jews in that town.

http://genealogy.about.com/od/jewish/tp/free_jewish.htm

I checked the father's last name and mother's maiden name on this with location and there were many listed that perished in the holocaust. These ancestors came to America in 1900.
http://db.yadvashem.org/names/search.html?language=en

 

[LinasK]

I used some of these below and ancestry and familysearch. I found where they came from a passenger list, at least the mother's last destination, father came before mother and children. It was difficult reading the document but I finally figured it out. Then I went to a Jewish website, can't remember the name but not a genealogy site, and was able to find info on Jews in that town.

http://genealogy.about.com/od/jewish/tp/free_jewish.htm

I checked the father's last name and mother's maiden name on this with location and there were many listed that perished in the holocaust. These ancestors came to America in 1900.
http://db.yadvashem.org/names/search.html?language=en

You've given me alot to further research my family...thanks!

 

[daisymae]

zweibel, is there anything new going on this week in the trial?

 

[zwiebel]

I am really struggling to find up-to-date, daily coverage of this trial. Lots of opinions pieces like this though:

At the trial, Mr. Gröning said that from his perspective, the killing of the Hungarian Jews, which had been meticulously planned and for which several new gas chambers had been built in Auschwitz, was “routine.” What shocked him were merely individual outbursts of violence, like an SS man beating a crying infant to death. The killings in the gas chambers, he said, were “orderly” and “clean.” He rarely said the word “murder.” “In 24 hours you could take care of 5,000 people,” he said. “After all, that’s how things went in a concentration camp.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/01/opinion/why-old-nazis-are-still-useful.html

 

[RR0004]

I am really struggling to find up-to-date, daily coverage of this trial. Lots of opinions pieces like this though:



http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/01/opinion/why-old-nazis-are-still-useful.html

Although I agree with many of the comments, some are downright frightening.

 

[daisymae]

There is an update I just found. The trial has been delayed due to the health of the accountant.

http://www.algemeiner.com/2015/05/2...al-postponed-as-ss-guard-considered-too-sick/

 

[daisymae]

Bump the last post.

http://www.kansascity.com/living/tr...s=820262004719891&fb_action_types=og.comments

 

[daisymae]

Tonight on the National Geographic Channel is a new show about Anne Frank. Anne Frank's Holocaust - new findings and rarely seen photographs and footage.
9-11 PM EST.

 

[zwiebel]

Oskar Gröning again publically acknowledged his complicity in the crimes, but disappointed survivors for failing to apologize:

http://mobile.nytimes.com/2015/07/0...skar-groening-trial-in-germany.html?referrer=

Lawyers for the victims heavily criticized prosecutors for their request of a three and a half-year sentence for Gröning's role in the murder of over 300,000 people:

http://www.dw.com/en/lawyers-critic...e/a-18571758?maca=en-TWITTER-EN-2004-xml-mrss

Today, he has been found guilty and sentenced to four years in jail.

http://news.sky.com/story/1519209/auschwitz-bookkeeper-jailed-over-mass-murder

 

[zwiebel]

Statement issued by the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust:

A German court has convicted a 94-year-old former guard at the Nazi death camp at Auschwitz of being an accessory to the murder of at least 300,000 Jews.

In response to the guilty verdict Olivia Marks-Woldman, Chief Executive of the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust said:

The Holocaust Memorial Day Trust welcomes this verdict, very likely one of the last times someone who helped perpetrate the Holocaust will be judged. Even 70 years after the end of the Holocaust, the need for justice remains powerful. British survivors Susan Pollack and Ivor Perl showed huge courage and determination by travelling to Germany to testify about their experiences of Auschwitz. Oskar Groening was part of the Nazi killing machine which murdered six million Jewish people, and it is right that a court has judged him for his role. He chose to stand by and be complicit in the killing. Holocaust Memorial Day is an opportunity to consider our responsibility not to stand by when evils like this are perpetrated

- See more at: http://hmd.org.uk/news/hmdt-statement-oskar-groening-trial-verdict#.dpuf

 

[zwiebel]

As the proceedings wrapped up on Tuesday with the defence calling for an acquittal, the 94-year-old Gröning had seized a last opportunity to address the judges and said he was "very sorry" for his time stationed at the Nazi death camp.

"No one should have taken part in Auschwitz," he said.

"I know that. I sincerely regret not having lived up to this realisation earlier and more consistently. I am very sorry," he said, his voice wavering.....

However, few observers expect he will actually serve jail time given his advanced age and failing health, which led to several delays in the proceedings.

http://www.thelocal.de/20150715/auschwitz-bookkeeper-faces-judgement-day

 

[LinasK]

http://www.thelocal.de/20150715/auschwitz-bookkeeper-faces-judgement-day

Well, I think he should be given a life sentence, which would effectively be a death sentence for him, he'd die in prison. Fitting, since he helped perpetrate the Holocaust!!! Let him see what imprisonment feels like, he had no qualms about it for others, or stealing their valuables and belongings!
He should feel grateful that he's not being gassed or tortured to death!:furious::stormingmad:

 

[pigpen000]

What ever jail time he may serve will be a palace compared to the existence in the camp that he was somewhat in control of . NJMO