Language:
English
Year of publication:
2013
Titel der Quelle:
Holocaust Studies
Angaben zur Quelle:
19,1 (2013) 81-100
Keywords:
Holocaust survivors
;
Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945) Psychological aspects
Abstract:
In 1994-96 a criminal case against a man who called himself Ernst Müller, which ended with a court trial held in Berlin and a two-year prison term, drew the attention of journalists in Germany. This man, an undisputable swindler, had a long record of criminal activities even before 1994. Remarkably, since the 1950s "Ernst Müller" had successfully presented himself as a Jew and an Auschwitz survivor; even after 1996 he continued to play this role publicly and succeeded in receiving compensation as a Holocaust victim. Focuses on the question of how this man could be taken for a bona fide Holocaust survivor in Berlin, especially in light of the numerous historical errors he made in his public narratives. Notes that his story became acceptable due to his skillful exploitation of the feeling of German guilt, his use of the purported "Holocaust syndrome" he had acquired in the Nazi camps, his distortions of history in the direction which the German public awaited (e.g. his claims that the SS guards were not so bad), the reconciliatory spirit of his public narratives, and also his ability to speak smoothly. The "Ernst Müller" story shows how the Holocaust is being dealt with in Germany by the media, the courts, the medical establishment, and the agencies that determine elegibility for compensation.
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