Today on trial the " accountant" of Auschwitz (1 Viewer)

[Poppo]

"For me there is no doubt that I will be made jointly responsible morally. " Because the former SS Oskar Groening knew, since his arrival at Auschwitz, that Jews were exterminated in the gas chambers. An unexpected confession, which occurred in the course of what could be one of the last processes related to the crimes of the Holocaust, in the Courtroom of Lueneburg, Germany. The man, now 93 years old and is in a wheelchair, said he had spoken "to counter with his stories denial on the matter." "I ask forgiveness - he continued - On the question of guilt, from a criminal point of view, it is up to her judgment."

Accused of contributing to the killing of 300 thousand people, Groening was 21 when he arrived at the Nazi camp of Auschwitz in 1942. The man, who unlike the other members of the SS did not participate directly in the killings of prisoners in the camp, he wanted to talk openly of his duties in the camp. Collected the luggage and personal effects of the people deported and recovered any banknotes, which then sent the offices of the SS in Berlin. Hence the nickname of "accounting". It also claimed to have witnessed the cruelty that took place under his eyes. According to the indictment with his behavior has given support to the systematic extermination of prisoners. Groening's lawyer, Hans Holtermann, dismissed the allegations, saying that the work done by the accused in the concentration camp not made him an accomplice in the killing of prisoners.

The prosecutor in Hanover, in the indictment, indicating the former SS as responsible for having helped the Nazi regime from the financial point of view and to have supported his campaign of systematic killings.

 

[mikemiller1955]

"I ask forgiveness"

none offered by me...

 

[BHogan]

"I ask forgiveness"

none offered by me...

Agreed! His work to facilitate the genocide makes him as guilty as the most heinous perpetrators. I am glad he is being brought to justice, even all these years later.
Regards,
Brendan

 

[Napoleon1er]

I agree with the posts bellow, but I also think this guy is to be commended for his efforts, "to counter with his stories denial on the matter."
At least he did not deny what he did.

 

[tdubel]

Being Jewish by marriage, I have a greater appreciation (if that is possible) than I did growing up of the horrors of the Holocaust and its lasting and profound effect. That being said, I have followed this story and read all of the back story that I could find. This guy has been telling the story for about 10 or 15 years now, first on the BBC and when asked back then why he would come forward and incriminate himself, he indicated that his purpose was to counteract the "denial of the Holocaust" that was occurring in many corners of the World. While this is probably part of his internal penance, it is a very difficult quandary regarding a question of forgiveness. That he may never receive forgiveness regardless of his purposeful intent, but should he be prosecuted at 93? I personally believe his first hand witness and confirmation is far more valuable as a history lesson than a public trial.

Again, no forgiveness necessarily should be given in my opinion, but not sure a criminal trial is worth it.

TD

 

[jazzeum]

As a person who lost family to the death camps, I'm not sure it makes sense to prosecute a 93 year old. Those who were Nazis are dead or soon will be and the German nation has changed. It's time to forgive but not forget.

 

[damian]

The problem is that holocaust denial and anti-Semitism are once again gaining traction.
The Jewish people have always been subject to this with only brief respites.

 

[mikemiller1955]

Being Jewish by marriage, I have a greater appreciation (if that is possible) than I did growing up of the horrors of the Holocaust and its lasting and profound effect. That being said, I have followed this story and read all of the back story that I could find. This guy has been telling the story for about 10 or 15 years now, first on the BBC and when asked back then why he would come forward and incriminate himself, he indicated that his purpose was to counteract the "denial of the Holocaust" that was occurring in many corners of the World. While this is probably part of his internal penance, it is a very difficult quandary regarding a question of forgiveness. That he may never receive forgiveness regardless of his purposeful intent, but should he be prosecuted at 93? I personally believe his first hand witness and confirmation is far more valuable as a history lesson than a public trial.

Again, no forgiveness necessarily should be given in my opinion, but not sure a criminal trial is worth it.

TD

As a person who lost family to the death camps, I'm not sure it makes sense to prosecute a 93 year old. Those who were Nazis are dead or soon will be and the German nation has changed. It's time to forgive but not forget.

Tom...Brad...

my opinion...I respectfully disagree...

let the world show...it's not forgotten...and there is no forgiveness...

you will be punished for inhumane behavior...

 

[BLReed]

Smart move on his part. With the sky-rocketing cost of long-term nursing care for the elderly in Germany,
the German Government Insurance doesn't even pay for half. If he has any assets they will soon be gone.
With a fifteen year prison sentence his nursing care should be taken care of until he is 108. I hope he
can keep his wheelchair.

 

[theBaron]

I have to agree that he must be prosecuted. That seems to be common opinion among the Germans, too, at least according to comments I saw online for this story at media sites like those of the Süddeutsche Zeitung or the Bavarian state broadcasting (Bayerischer Rundfunk). He made a moral choice as a young man, which was to go along and participate, when he could have chosen not to. I appreciate that that would have been a tough choice, given the totalitarian society he lived in. As Shirer wrote, when you'd ask the average German (in the 30s) about the brutality and the terror, he would ask you, "What can I do?" But some did choose to resist, and most of those paid with their lives. Prosecuting him shows that the society still holds a value of right and wrong, and that there is punishment for doing wrong.

 

[jazzeum]

I can't disagree with Michael or the Baron. To me it's a close question. The only reason I pause is because of his advanced age.

 

[Mirof]

Well about time

Did you knnow that on the more than 9000 identified names of the SS in charge of those camps, less than 100 were prosecuted

 

[theBaron]

I can't disagree with Michael or the Baron. To me it's a close question. The only reason I pause is because of his advanced age.

I understand your point, Brad. It is one of those dilemmas we have in justice systems, isn't it? No system, at least, not in a free and just society, can be black-and-white. Or maybe better expressed, executing justice is sometimes not so black-and-white.

I also admire, however grudgingly, his expression of penitence and his wish that his case helps keep alive the memory of the Holocaust. But if I had to make the judgement myself, I wouldn't let that let him escape paying for what he did.

As a Christian, too, I struggle with the idea of forgiveness and how it relates to justice. Does forgiveness mean a free pass? Some believe it does. I interpret it to mean, I can forgive, in the micro, and even release someone who has trespassed against me. But in the macro, society has an interest in making sure that trespasses don't go unpunished. I can forgive someone who slaps my face, and offer the other cheek. But as a society, do we turn the other cheek so far as to surrender and die, to threats to our existence?

It's a good subject for discussion, especially over a beer and a pipe.

 

[Terp152]

Read today, the 94 yr old former barber to the camp commandant died. Chris

 

[Poppo]

Read today, the 94 yr old former barber to the camp commandant died. Chris

Well, maybe the barber was not guilty of genocide......

 

[jazzeum]

The following article appeared in today's New York Times, Why Old Nazis Are Still Useful.

The writer, Anna Sauerbrey, is an editor on the opinion page of the newspaper Der Tagesspiegel, whose grandfathers fought in World War II.