It is, as your editorial points out (The Argus, January 28), vital to communicate the horrors of the Holocaust meaningfully to younger generations and nothing does this more eloquently than the direct experiences recounted by the survivors themselves. A task made more difficult as their numbers diminish.
I was particularly interested in your article about the experiences of Holocaust survivor Professor Ladislaus Löb and the description of the efforts of Rezsö Kasztner, the controversial Hungarian Jew who was instrumental in saving his life.
I was, however, concerned at some of the assertions made in the article which are simply not factually correct.
It asserts (twice) that Rezsö Kasztner was "executed" which would imply the outcome of a judicial process.
The article also suggests he was labelled a traitor by the "Jewish people", the "Jewish people" simply do not have a single opinion-making body and in any event the article makes it clear this issue sharply divides opinion - Jewish, Israeli and non-Jewish alike.
As I understand it, Rezsö Kasztner, was NOT executed. He WAS convicted by an Israeli court for "collaboration with the Nazis", which was overturned on appeal by a court which unanimously found that his actions could not be regarded as "collaboration".
Rezsö Kasztner did not live to hear this ruling because, as I understand it, he was gunned down by a Holocaust survivor, who was subsequently found guilty of his murder.
I think the saying goes: "The first casualty of war is the truth" and if we are to genuinely learn the very complex lessons of the Holocaust, the best chance is by starting with the facts.
- Clare Dimyon, Chester Terrace, Brighton
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