Kastner train
Encyclopedia
The Kastner train was a trainload of almost 1,684 Jews who, on June 30, 1944, escaped from Nazi-controlled Hungary
, eventually arrived in Switzerland, while some 450,000 members of the Hungarian Jewish community were deported to the gas chambers at Auschwitz
.
The train was named after Rudolf Kastner
(original spelling Kasztner), one of the leaders of the Hungarian Aid and Rescue Committee
, who negotiated with senior SS officer Adolf Eichmann
to allow a number of Jews to escape in exchange for money, gold, and diamonds. The train included passengers from all social classes and from all over Hungary. There were 40 rabbis, including Joel Teitelbaum
, the Satmar
rebbe; well-known Zionists; scholars; two opera singers; journalists; officers in the Hungarian army; and Slovak and Polish (Jewish) refugees. There were 972 female and 712 male passengers, including 252 children. The oldest passenger was 82; the youngest was born in one of the wagons on the fourth day of the journey.
Rudolf Vrba
, an Auschwitz escapee and co-author of one of the first reports on the Auschwitz camp, said, "Kastner paid for those 1,684 lives with his silence."
Kastner became a spokesman for the Ministry of Trade and Industry in Israel after the war. He was assassinated there in March 1957, after an Israeli court ruled, during a libel case brought by the Israeli government on behalf of Kastner, that he had "sold his soul to the devil" by selecting some Jews to be saved, while failing to alert the rest of the community to its fate. The verdict was overturned by the Supreme Court of Israel
in January 1958 in a vote of 4 to 1.
. On July 9, it reached Bergen-Belsen concentration camp, where 1,684 arrivals were registered: in the early stages of the journey some passengers had left the train, while others joined it. Three suitcases of cash, jewels, gold, and shares of stock, amounting to about $1000 per person, were paid to SS officer Kurt Becher
in ransom.
Despite Eichmann's promise that the train would go directly to a neutral country, the Jews were held in Bergen-Belsen
concentration camp in a special section for some months. 318 were taken to Switzerland
in August and the remainder in December. There were a number of births and deaths, and about 17 were detained in Bergen-Belsen by the Germans on various pretexts. The total saved was about 1,670. The group were all housed in the Swiss village of Caux, near Montreux, in requisitioned former luxury hotels. The Orthodox Jews were housed in the Regina (formerly the Grand Hotel), and the others in the Hotel Esplanade (formerly Caux-Palace). http://www.musee-cauxexpo.ch/en/krise.php In the park of the former Caux-Palace, there is now a memorial plaque and tree (http://www.caux.iofc.org/en/jewish-refugees).Among those who escaped by this route was Rabbi Joel Teitelbaum
, the rebbe
of Satmar
, and his whole court, leaders of Orthodox
and Neolog communities, members of Zionist youth movements, Polish and Slovak refugees, and many others. Controversially, Kastner included a contingent of 388 people, including several family members and friends, from his home town of Cluj
.
in 1954, in which the government of Israel sued Malchiel Gruenwald
, a hotelier, a political pamphleteer and stamp collector, for libel after he self-published a pamphlet charging Kastner, by then an Israeli government spokesman, with collaboration. A major detail of Gruenwald's allegations was that Kastner had agreed to the rescue in return for agreeing to keep silent on the fate of the mass of Hungarian Jews who were being transported to Auschwitz. This accusation was accepted by the court, leading Judge Halevi to declare that Kastner had "sold his soul to the devil." In 1958, most of the ruling was overturned by the Supreme Court of Israel. However, all five Supreme Court Judges upheld Judge Halevi's verdict on the "criminal and perjurious way" in which Kastner after the war had saved Nazi war criminal Kurt Becher
. Judge Silberg summed up the Supreme Court finding on this point:
"Greenwald has proven beyond any reasonable doubt this grave charge."
The issue remains the subject of heated debate.
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
, eventually arrived in Switzerland, while some 450,000 members of the Hungarian Jewish community were deported to the gas chambers at Auschwitz
Auschwitz concentration camp
Concentration camp Auschwitz was a network of Nazi concentration and extermination camps built and operated by the Third Reich in Polish areas annexed by Nazi Germany during World War II...
.
The train was named after Rudolf Kastner
Rudolf Kastner
Rudolf Israel Kastner was a Jewish-Hungarian journalist and lawyer who became known for facilitating the departure of Jews out of Nazi-occupied Hungary during the Holocaust...
(original spelling Kasztner), one of the leaders of the Hungarian Aid and Rescue Committee
Aid and Rescue Committee
The Aid and Rescue Committee, or Va'adat Ha-Ezrah ve-ha-Hatzalah be-Budapesht was a small committee of Zionists based in Budapest in 1944-5, who were dedicated to helping Jews escape the Holocaust during the German occupation of Hungary.The main personalities of the Vaada were Dr...
, who negotiated with senior SS officer Adolf Eichmann
Adolf Eichmann
Adolf Otto Eichmann was a German Nazi and SS-Obersturmbannführer and one of the major organizers of the Holocaust...
to allow a number of Jews to escape in exchange for money, gold, and diamonds. The train included passengers from all social classes and from all over Hungary. There were 40 rabbis, including Joel Teitelbaum
Joel Teitelbaum
Joel Teitelbaum, known as Reb Yoelish or the Satmar Rav , was a prominent Hungarian Hasidic rebbe and Talmudic scholar. He was probably the best known Haredi opponent of all forms of modern political Zionism...
, the Satmar
Satmar (Hasidic dynasty)
Satmar is a Hasidic movement comprising mostly Hungarian and Romanian Hasidic Jewish Holocaust survivors and their descendants. It was founded and led by the late Hungarian-born Grand Rebbe Yoel Teitelbaum , who was the rabbi of Szatmárnémeti, Hungary...
rebbe; well-known Zionists; scholars; two opera singers; journalists; officers in the Hungarian army; and Slovak and Polish (Jewish) refugees. There were 972 female and 712 male passengers, including 252 children. The oldest passenger was 82; the youngest was born in one of the wagons on the fourth day of the journey.
Rudolf Vrba
Rudolf Vrba
Rudolf "Rudi" Vrba, born Walter Rosenberg was a Slovak-Canadian professor of pharmacology at the University of British Columbia, who came to public attention during the Second World War when, in April 1944, he escaped from the Auschwitz concentration camp in German-occupied Poland with the first...
, an Auschwitz escapee and co-author of one of the first reports on the Auschwitz camp, said, "Kastner paid for those 1,684 lives with his silence."
Kastner became a spokesman for the Ministry of Trade and Industry in Israel after the war. He was assassinated there in March 1957, after an Israeli court ruled, during a libel case brought by the Israeli government on behalf of Kastner, that he had "sold his soul to the devil" by selecting some Jews to be saved, while failing to alert the rest of the community to its fate. The verdict was overturned by the Supreme Court of Israel
Supreme Court of Israel
The Supreme Court is at the head of the court system and highest judicial instance in Israel. The Supreme Court sits in Jerusalem.The area of its jurisdiction is all of Israel and the Israeli-occupied territories. A ruling of the Supreme Court is binding upon every court, other than the Supreme...
in January 1958 in a vote of 4 to 1.
Rescue
On June 30, a train with an uncertain number of Jews left BudapestBudapest
Budapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. In 2011, Budapest had 1,733,685 inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2,113,645 due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter...
. On July 9, it reached Bergen-Belsen concentration camp, where 1,684 arrivals were registered: in the early stages of the journey some passengers had left the train, while others joined it. Three suitcases of cash, jewels, gold, and shares of stock, amounting to about $1000 per person, were paid to SS officer Kurt Becher
Kurt Becher
Kurt Andreas Ernst Becher was an SS Untersturmführer and later a Standartenführer who was Commissar of all German concentration camps, and Chief of the Economic Department of the SS Command in Hungary during the German occupation in 1944.- SS Background :Becher was born to a wealthy family...
in ransom.
Despite Eichmann's promise that the train would go directly to a neutral country, the Jews were held in Bergen-Belsen
Bergen-Belsen concentration camp
Bergen-Belsen was a Nazi concentration camp in Lower Saxony in northwestern Germany, southwest of the town of Bergen near Celle...
concentration camp in a special section for some months. 318 were taken to Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
in August and the remainder in December. There were a number of births and deaths, and about 17 were detained in Bergen-Belsen by the Germans on various pretexts. The total saved was about 1,670. The group were all housed in the Swiss village of Caux, near Montreux, in requisitioned former luxury hotels. The Orthodox Jews were housed in the Regina (formerly the Grand Hotel), and the others in the Hotel Esplanade (formerly Caux-Palace). http://www.musee-cauxexpo.ch/en/krise.php In the park of the former Caux-Palace, there is now a memorial plaque and tree (http://www.caux.iofc.org/en/jewish-refugees).Among those who escaped by this route was Rabbi Joel Teitelbaum
Joel Teitelbaum
Joel Teitelbaum, known as Reb Yoelish or the Satmar Rav , was a prominent Hungarian Hasidic rebbe and Talmudic scholar. He was probably the best known Haredi opponent of all forms of modern political Zionism...
, the rebbe
Rebbe
Rebbe , which means master, teacher, or mentor, is a Yiddish word derived from the Hebrew word Rabbi. It often refers to the leader of a Hasidic Jewish movement...
of Satmar
Satmar (Hasidic dynasty)
Satmar is a Hasidic movement comprising mostly Hungarian and Romanian Hasidic Jewish Holocaust survivors and their descendants. It was founded and led by the late Hungarian-born Grand Rebbe Yoel Teitelbaum , who was the rabbi of Szatmárnémeti, Hungary...
, and his whole court, leaders of Orthodox
Orthodox Judaism
Orthodox Judaism , is the approach to Judaism which adheres to the traditional interpretation and application of the laws and ethics of the Torah as legislated in the Talmudic texts by the Sanhedrin and subsequently developed and applied by the later authorities known as the Gaonim, Rishonim, and...
and Neolog communities, members of Zionist youth movements, Polish and Slovak refugees, and many others. Controversially, Kastner included a contingent of 388 people, including several family members and friends, from his home town of Cluj
Cluj County
Cluj ; is a county of Romania, in Transylvania, with the capital city at Cluj-Napoca.-Demographics:In 2007, it had a population of 692,316 and a population density of 104/km².*Romanians – 80%*Hungarians – 17.5%*Roma – 2.5%-Geography:...
.
Kastner trial
The transport played a major role in the Kastner trial in IsraelIsrael
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
in 1954, in which the government of Israel sued Malchiel Gruenwald
Malchiel Gruenwald
Malchiel Gruenwald was an Israeli hotelier, amateur journalist and stamp collector, who came to public attention in 1953, when he accused an Israeli government employee, Rudolf Kastner, of having collaborated with the Nazis during the Holocaust.- Biography :Gruenwald was born in Hungary, and...
, a hotelier, a political pamphleteer and stamp collector, for libel after he self-published a pamphlet charging Kastner, by then an Israeli government spokesman, with collaboration. A major detail of Gruenwald's allegations was that Kastner had agreed to the rescue in return for agreeing to keep silent on the fate of the mass of Hungarian Jews who were being transported to Auschwitz. This accusation was accepted by the court, leading Judge Halevi to declare that Kastner had "sold his soul to the devil." In 1958, most of the ruling was overturned by the Supreme Court of Israel. However, all five Supreme Court Judges upheld Judge Halevi's verdict on the "criminal and perjurious way" in which Kastner after the war had saved Nazi war criminal Kurt Becher
Kurt Becher
Kurt Andreas Ernst Becher was an SS Untersturmführer and later a Standartenführer who was Commissar of all German concentration camps, and Chief of the Economic Department of the SS Command in Hungary during the German occupation in 1944.- SS Background :Becher was born to a wealthy family...
. Judge Silberg summed up the Supreme Court finding on this point:
"Greenwald has proven beyond any reasonable doubt this grave charge."
The issue remains the subject of heated debate.
See also
- Joel BrandJoel BrandJoel Brand was a Hungarian sailor and odd-job man who became known for his role during the Holocaust in trying to save the Hungarian-Jewish community from deportation to the Auschwitz concentration camp....
- Rudolf VrbaRudolf VrbaRudolf "Rudi" Vrba, born Walter Rosenberg was a Slovak-Canadian professor of pharmacology at the University of British Columbia, who came to public attention during the Second World War when, in April 1944, he escaped from the Auschwitz concentration camp in German-occupied Poland with the first...
- Aid and Rescue CommitteeAid and Rescue CommitteeThe Aid and Rescue Committee, or Va'adat Ha-Ezrah ve-ha-Hatzalah be-Budapesht was a small committee of Zionists based in Budapest in 1944-5, who were dedicated to helping Jews escape the Holocaust during the German occupation of Hungary.The main personalities of the Vaada were Dr...
- History of the Jews in HungaryHistory of the Jews in HungaryHungarian Jews have existed since at least the 11th century. After struggling against discrimination throughout the Middle Ages, by the early 20th century the community grew to be 5% of Hungary's population , and were prominent in science, the arts and business...
- Adolf EichmannAdolf EichmannAdolf Otto Eichmann was a German Nazi and SS-Obersturmbannführer and one of the major organizers of the Holocaust...
- Kurt BecherKurt BecherKurt Andreas Ernst Becher was an SS Untersturmführer and later a Standartenführer who was Commissar of all German concentration camps, and Chief of the Economic Department of the SS Command in Hungary during the German occupation in 1944.- SS Background :Becher was born to a wealthy family...
External links
- News segment from The National on the www.cbc.ca TV website
- http://www.kasztnermemorial.com/index.html
- http://www.caux.iofc.org/en/jewish-refugees