Language:
English
Year of publication:
2014
Titel der Quelle:
Jewish Culture and History
Angaben zur Quelle:
15,3 (2014) 173-187
Keywords:
Kasztner, Rezső Rudolf,
;
Yad ṿa-shem, rashut ha-zikaron la-Shoʼah ṿela-gevurah.
;
Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945) Archives
;
Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945) Influence
Abstract:
After World War II, attempts began in various European countries to collect documents pertaining to the Holocaust. It was clear that Holocaust research and commemoration would be expedient only if conducted within a vibrant Jewish setting. In the view of many survivors, Eretz Israel was the best place for these purposes; thus, the foundation was laid for the Yad Vashem memorial site (before its official establishment by the State of Israel in 1953). Discussions on the issue of documentation began in earnest in 1947. At this stage, the nascent Yad Vashem sent an envoy to Europe to collect documents - Rezső Rudolf (Israel) Kasztner. Kasztner had been highly respected by the International Military Tribunal at Nuremberg as a leader of Hungarian Jewry, and attended several trials held in Nuremberg. Recommended by archivist Sarah Friedlander (one of the 1,684 Jews rescued by Kasztner in1944), Kasztner received a warm welcome at Yad Vashem. In 1948 he was sent to Germany to purchase and copy documents. His mission ended in failure, probably because Kasztner saw his participation as a witness at the Nazi war crimes trials as his top priority. In the mid-1950s, when Kasztner's name became tainted by the "Kasztner trial", Yad Vashem preferred to obscure its cooperation with him.
DOI:
10.1080/1462169X.2014.970789
URL:
Locate this publication in Israeli libraries
Permalink
