Language:
English
Year of publication:
1994
Titel der Quelle:
Studies in Contemporary Jewry
Angaben zur Quelle:
10 (1994) 211-230
Keywords:
Kasztner, Rezső Rudolf,
;
Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945) Influence
;
Israel History
Abstract:
Kasztner, the Hungarian Zionist leader who conducted negotiations with Eichmann in order to save Hungarian Jews, was accused in 1952 by Malkiel Gruenwald of having collaborated with the Nazis. In the libel suit brought by Kasztner against Gruenwald in 1954, Gruenwald's acquittal was seen as corroboration of Kasztner's guilt. In 1957 Kasztner was murdered on a Tel-Aviv street. The Kasztner case evoked various responses in Israel. The Hakibbutz Hameuchad movement and the liberal paper "Haolam Hazeh" concurred with the Jerusalem court's viewpoint. However, some prominent persons, such as Ben-Gurion and poets Natan Alterman and Uri Zvi Greenberg, as well as the Mapai party, raised their voices to defend Kasztner and the Judenrat as an institution. After his murder, some Israeli writers stood up for Kasztner's honor, stating that he was a tragic figure who had worked hard to rescue Hungarian Jewry. Eichmann's trial in 1961 elucidated much of Kasztner's motivation. In the 1960s, Kasztner was perceived by public opinion as a responsible Jewish leader who did his utmost in the harsh conditions of Nazi-occupied Hungary.
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