European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - January 20, 1992, Darmstadt, Hesse Monday january 20, 1992 the stars and stripes a Page 3nazi-like racism lives on official says by de re a vis staff writer Berlin a Rita Siihsmuth president of Germany s parliament compared growing German racism to the mentality of the men who met Here 50 years ago to plan the extermination of european jews. Siihsmuth made her remarks sunday morning at the ceremonial dedication of the Villa where top nazi officials held the so called wan see conference which sealed the Fate of the jews. A we shall always face the danger of falling into inhumanity exclusion and persecution a a a Siihsmuth said. A it happens All Over the world and also Here in Germany. More than 2,300 crimes were committed against foreigners and political refugees in the past year. In addition there were attacks on synagogues and jewish Siihsmuth called such crimes the litmus test of German society and democracy. The German reaction to these crimes will prove if germans have Learned the lessons of history she said. At the same ceremony Heinz Galinski chairman of German jewish Council said the new la opened archives in the former soviet Union indicate More jews were murdered by the nazis than originally thought. Historians have said 6 million jews were murdered during the holocaust. Galinski said he could not enter the Villa on the Shore of berlins Lake Grossen wan see without a feeling of grief and horror. Quot he called for increased honesty in facing the facts of history and called for an end to comparing nazi atrocities with other crimes of history in attempts to diminish the enormity of the holocaust. Galinski deplored the findings of the latest German Survey which revealed 8 percent of the population openly Call themselves anti semites. A is no to it frightening anti semitism in a country without jews a Galinski said. Germany has a current population of about 50,000 jews. The population of the unified Germany is about 80 million. Berlins lord mayor Eberhard Diepgen reminded the Small invited audience attending the ceremony that the extermination of the jews was not the work of the is alone but also that of the German state. The wan see conference held Jan. 20, 1942, was a meeting of 15 High officials from the is the nazi party s special police and the government. The meetings Host was is chief Rinhard Heydrich and the meetings minutes were prepared by Adolf Eichmann who handled jewish deportation. The meetings purpose historians claim was not to decide on resorting to the holocaust to solve the a jewish problem a the holocaust was already in Progress. Heydrich called the meeting to Tell these officials How he planned to finish the task with the a spinal As Siihsmuth pointed out in her speech the wan see conference was a link in a Chain of events that added up to the holocaust. The permanent exhibition at the wan see Villa on Grossen wan see Street is also conceived As a learning Center for youth and for All who Are interested in where into Crenic May Lead a spokesman for the memorial said. Wiesenthal prefers site in Berlin s downtown by de Reavis staff writer the famous a nazi Hunter Simon Wiesenthal has called the wan see Villa the wrong site for a memorial to the holocaust. In a Telephone interview from Vienna Austria Wiesenthal said a a in a prefer to have the site at the former Gestapo Headquarters on right in the Middle of Wiesenthal called it the More appropriate site symbolic for the nazi plan to murder 11 million jews. He also said it would be the most practical place for visitors to reach. Wan see is located several Miles near the outskirts of Berlin. Wiesenthal said the Gestapo Headquarters was the place where the decision for the a final extinction of the jews was actually made. A what happened at wan see re the older German generation is still asking me Why it is important to Tell the Story of the past a Simon Wiesenthal inward Heydrich told a group of state secretaries what he had decided to do. At wan see he was just coordinating the murder of european jewry. No one attending raised the slightest protest. A the wan see Villa which was the Headquarters for Interpol was used by Heydrich to track Down jews with false papers All Over the occupied third Reich. A even the United states where Interpol operated out of the Treasury department was still sending reports to Germany As late As december 1941, Wiesenthal explained. Wiesenthal said one of the untold stories is How the former Interpol Bosses in the nazi occupied countries All kept their positions after the liberation of Europe. The wan see dedication and the grand exhibit of jewish life around the world at the Gropius museum Wiesenthal said show that Hitler did not succeed in genetically destroying the jews. Wiesenthal 84, is a survivor of nazi prison Camps who has been searching for nazi War criminals since the end of world War ii. He has also been instrumental in helping victims of the third Reich receive restitution for their suffering in the death Camps. In addition Wiesenthal has been a staunch supporter of the Gypsy demands on the German government for restitution for the genocide practice against them. Wiesenthal called hitlers anti semitism a religious in its Fervour and even in its a the language of the last chapter of mein kampf compares extermination of the jews As a kind of Church service. Of course historians have shown that without the churches sin of anti semitism there have been nazi Wiesenthal said the nazi ideology and language of anti semitism can be traced Back to Spain at the time of Christopher Columbus. Wiesenthal has written a Book on the subject called sails of Hope. A under the inquisition the Spanish had the slogan a one Reich one people one the nazis made it a one Reich one people one a the idea of pure blood was a Spanish doctrine which the nazis adopted. On aug. 2, 1492, the jews were banned from Spain the next Day aug. 3, Columbus sailed for America and one third of his Crew were jews a he explained. Wiesenthal said he was encouraged by the attitude of the Young generation of Western germans. A the former East Germany still has some problems but the Young people in the West Are very interested in what Hap Simon Wiesenthal has his own opinions on the wan see anniversary. Al la photo pwned during the third Reich and they Are better than their reputation. A the few skinheads or Neo nazis knocking Over jewish gravestones and attacking foreigners is not typical of the German youth in my eyes. A the older German generation is still asking me Why it is important to Tell the Story of the past. They try to minimize nazi crimes by comparing them to the crimes of Stalin and the Wiesenthal said there was less interest in the United states about the holocaust but the most heartening Factor was what he called a the colossal strength of democracy in the a there Are a lot of european immigrants in the . Full of old world Wiesenthal has uncovered Many remarkable stories about the fates of jews and nazis during his years of research into the recent past. / one of the most moving is the Story of Max and Helen which became the plot of a film Max and Helen Are imprisoned when the nazis occupy Poland. Max escapes and joins the partisans. Helen is impregnated by the nazi Camp commander and is further cursed because the son she bears is the spitting image of her rapist. She never tells her son the identity father. V Max finds Helen at the end of the War and is shocked when he sees the son but they reconcile. Wiesenthal looking for witnesses against the concentration Camp commander who is now a prosperous Western German businessman can to convince the two to testify and jeopardize their songs future. A i saw Helen two years ago a Wiesenthal said. A the son is now 46 years old and still does no to know who his father is despite the film because its not a rare Story. Helen said she now has a grandson and he looks nothing like the son but like her. She was very Happy about from Page 1 acres he witnessed. Historians claim the a final solutions was the outgrowth of hitlers failure to realize his a Madagascar this plan devised in 1941, called for the French to give up the Island to Germany in a peace treaty. The Island would come under Himmler a Rule and the third Reich would establish naval bases there. The rest of the Island would be a jewish reservation. The nazis preferred Madagascar to Palestine because they argued that Region belonged to christians and moslem. In addition Hitler reasoned the jews could be held hostage on Madagascar to ensure the Good conduct of american jews. The plan was to finance the entire scheme through property expropriated from jews in Europe. Disappointed and angry that the Island plan could not be implemented Hitler instructed Hermann Goring that jews were to be killed and their property plundered. Goring passed the instructions on to Heydrich in july 1941. Heydrich originally scheduled the meeting for dec. 8, 1941, but it was postponed until noon on Jan. 20 because the United states had entered the War after the attack on Pearl Harbor. Heydrich opened the meeting by explaining that the plan for Madagascar had been scrapped. He said they now planned to comb Europe from Portugal through Russia and round up 11 million jews who would be deported to collection Points and exterminated. Historians report that Heydrich was extremely Happy at the end of the meeting and that no one had any reservations about the plan
