Adolf Eichman assisting Jews

Discussions on the Holocaust and 20th Century War Crimes. Note that Holocaust denial is not allowed. Hosted by David Thompson.
Post Reply
stuarttootell
Member
Posts: 6
Joined: 19 Aug 2009, 02:32
Location: Samut Prakarn Thailand

Adolf Eichman assisting Jews

#1

Post by stuarttootell » 14 Apr 2014, 06:40

Is there any information regarding Adolf Eichmans involvement with Jewish Zionists and the movement of Jews from Germany to Palestine?
It seems as if Eichman was at one time very helpful in assisting those who wished to leave Germany to go to Palestine,

One is led to wonder why he (Adolf Eichman) was accused of war crimes in view of his previous actions

David Thompson
Forum Staff
Posts: 23722
Joined: 20 Jul 2002, 20:52
Location: USA

Re: Adolf Eichman assisting Jews

#2

Post by David Thompson » 14 Apr 2014, 18:19

stuarttootell -- You asked: (1)
Is there any information regarding Adolf Eichmans involvement with Jewish Zionists and the movement of Jews from Germany to Palestine?
It seems as if Eichman was at one time very helpful in assisting those who wished to leave Germany to go to Palestine,
(a) There's plenty of information out there about NS Germany's pre-war attempt to pressure Jews to leave Germany, how the NS-regime robbed the Jews of their property as they left, and how Eichmann participated in the program. The information is in published books, elsewhere on the internet, and here in this forum. What have you done to find it?
1. Questions

In the research sections of the forum, we ask the posters to be reasonably well-prepared, and not ask others for information which they could easily get for themselves. The purpose of these sections of the forum is to provide a place where historical matters can be intelligently discussed. It is not a research service.

Noncomplying posts are subject to deletion after warning.

If you have a question, please let the readers know what steps you have taken to answer it when you post the inquiry. This will eliminate misunderstandings and give responding posters a better idea of your familiarity with the subject.

H&WC section rules at http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=53962

(2)
One is led to wonder why he (Adolf Eichman) was accused of war crimes in view of his previous actions
(b) It is no wonder that an accomplice to robbery, who subsequently aided a mass murder scheme would be accused of the crimes. The real wonder is that anyone would imagine that the earlier crimes could, should or would immunize the perpetrator from charges of later, more serious crimes.

(c) Our rules prohibit the use of anonymous proxies on the forum:
Using anonymous proxies or similar services to access the forum is not tolerated
http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=6

Be real or be gone.


AmYisroelChai
Member
Posts: 31
Joined: 16 Apr 2014, 02:40

Re: Adolf Eichman assisting Jews

#3

Post by AmYisroelChai » 16 Apr 2014, 03:45

I suggest everyone read Eichmann in Jerusalem by Hannah Arendt, and the Eichmann Trial, which is basically a transcript of the trial in Israel in 1961. Although Eichmann pleaded that he "was only following orders" and had no knowledge of mass exterminations of Jews, he admitted on numerous occasions during the trial the he was in charge of mass deportations and transportation logistics of Jewish civilians and non-combatants in many countries to German-run death camps. He claimed to the end that only he did not know what was going on in the camps...

On April 1, 1932 Eichmann joined the Austrian Nazi Party at the suggestion of his compatriot Ernst Kaltenbrunner. Having lost his job as an electrical parts salesman, he sought employment across the border in Bavaria in July 1933, joining the exiled Austrian Legion and undergoing fourteen months' military training.

In September 1934 he found an opening in Himmler's Security Service (SD) which provided him with an outlet for his bureaucratic talents. By the beginning of 1935 he was the official responsible for 'Jewish questions' at the Berlin head office of the SD, specializing in the Zionist movement. He had acquired a smattering of Hebrew and Yiddish, and briefly visited British Palestine in 1937 to explore the possibilities of Jewish emigration from Nazi Germany to Palestine. He was picked up by British authorities and deported back to Germany, as he was an active Nazi official and undesirable alien.

Appointed assistant to the SD leader of the SS main region, Danube, Eichmann's first big "opportunity" came after he was sent to Vienna by the Gestapo to prepare the ground for the Anschluss. From August 1938 he was in charge of the "Office for Jewish Emigration" in Vienna set up by the SS as the sole Nazi agency authorized to issue exit permits for Jews from Austria; he later officiated same in then Czechoslovakia, and later in the German Reich. Eichmann's acquired expertise in "forced emigration"--in less than eighteen months approximately 150,000 Jews fled Austria penniless. His expertise in extortion was to prove an ideal training-ground for his later efficiency in "forced evacuation," i.e., the registering, assembly and deportation of Jews to extermination centers in the East. By March 1939 he was already handling forced deportations to Poland and, in October of the same year, he was appointed special adviser on the "evacuation" of Jews and Poles. Jewish deportees and immigrants to other European nations were later picked up as "stateless persons" and deported en masse to death camps in the Reich, 1939-1945.

In December 1939 Eichmann was transferred to Amt IV (Gestapo) of the Reich Main Security Office (RSHA) where he took over Referat IV B4 dealing with Jewish affairs and evacuation. For the next six years Eichmann's office was the headquarters for the implementation of the 'Final Solution'; though it was not until the summer of 1941 that his 'resettlement' department began the task of creating death camps, developing gassing techniques and organizing the system of train convoys that were to take European Jews to their deaths.

It was in 1941 that Eichmann first visited Auschwitz and in November of the same year he was promoted to SS Lieutenant-Colonel. He had already begun to organize the mass deportation of Jews from Germany and Bohemia, in accordance with Hitler's order to make the Reich free of Jews as rapidly as possible.

The Wannsee Conference of January 20, 1942 consolidated Eichmann's position as the "Jewish specialist" of the RSHA, and Heydrich now formally entrusted him with implementing the "Final Solution." In this task Eichmann proved to be a model of bureaucratic industriousness and icy determination even though he had never been a fanatical anti-semite and claimed that "personally" he had nothing against Jews. His zeal expressed itself in his constant complaints about obstacles in the fulfilment of death-camp quotas, his impatience with the existence of loopholes such as the free zone in Vichy France or the unco- operativeness of the Italians and other German allies in deporting their Jews.

When even Himmler became more "moderate" towards the end of the war, to save his own neck, Eichmann ignored his 'no gassing' order, as long as he was covered by immediate superiors like Heinrich Muller and his old friend, Kaltenbrunner. Only in Budapest after March 1944 did the desk-murderer become a public personality, working in the open and playing a leading role in the massacre of Hungarian Jewry. In August 1944 the 'Grand Inquisitor' of European Jewry could report to Himmler that approximately four million Jews had died in the death camps and that another two million had been killed by mobile extermination units. Though arrested at the end of the war, Eichmann's name was not yet widely known and he was able to escape from an American internment camp in 1946 and flee to Argentina. He was eventually captured by Israeli intelligence agents on May 11, 1960, living under an assumed name in a suburb of Buenos Aires. Nine days later he was secretly abducted to Israel, to be publicly tried in Jerusalem. The trial began on April 11, 1961. On December 11, 1961, Eichmann was indicted on 15 criminal charges, including crimes against humanity, crimes against the Jewish people and membership in an outlaw criminal organization. On December 15, he was sentenced to death. His earlier visit to British Palestine was to effect the Nazi laws against Jews in the Reich and make Germany "judenrein", Jew-free, through forced emigration. When that method was not quick enough, the "Final Solution" turned to mass murder and genocide in which he played an absolutely key role. During the trial he said :"I jump into my grave laughing" at the destruction he caused.

A few minutes before midnight on May 31, 1962, Eichmann was executed by hanging in Ramleh, Israel. His body was cremated and the ashes were spread at sea, beyond Israel's territorial waters. The execution of Adolf Eichmann remains the only time that Israel has enacted a death sentence.

Paul Lantos
Member
Posts: 304
Joined: 19 May 2013, 16:25

Re: Adolf Eichman assisting Jews

#4

Post by Paul Lantos » 16 Apr 2014, 06:12

stuarttootell wrote:Is there any information regarding Adolf Eichmans involvement with Jewish Zionists and the movement of Jews from Germany to Palestine?
It seems as if Eichman was at one time very helpful in assisting those who wished to leave Germany to go to Palestine,

One is led to wonder why he (Adolf Eichman) was accused of war crimes in view of his previous actions
I would suggest that you read the outstanding biography of Eichmann by David Cesarani. First, while forced emigration was the policy of the Nazi regime early on, Eichmann took on this task assiduously and even tried to learn Hebrew in the process. However Cesarani quotes anecdotes about Eichmann's treatment of Jewish emissaries during this phase, in which he was hostile, threatening, and imperious.

Not all the Jews of Europe were Zionists, or interested in emigration to Palestine. So one has to see Eichmann's involvement with Zionists as a quite Machiavellian scheme to achieve expulsion by choosing factions within the Jewish community.

At the same time Eichmann ended up in charge of the Nisko plan in which tens of thousands of Jews were uprooted and deported to rural Poland where most died for lack of any kind of provisioning.

So is all this "charity? supposed to exonerate what he and his team did later in France, Salonika, Hungary, etc? Deporting millions to their deaths? Seriously?

User avatar
wenty
Member
Posts: 1601
Joined: 02 Dec 2002, 00:41
Location: Australia
Contact:

Re: Adolf Eichman assisting Jews

#5

Post by wenty » 17 Apr 2014, 09:54

I have to agree with Paul here. I think there were people in the SS, many of lower ranks, who were far more brutal than Adolf Eichmann in terms of their personal treatment of the Jews - but Eichmann was a facilitator. Let's say that during the course of the war he helped a couple of thousand Jews escape the camps - I stress that i'm using that figure purely as an example - probably for his own gains but OK, great. But then through his position he facilitated the deaths of millions more. You have to balance it out and, really, there is nothing resembling a balance to be found.

Cheers,
Adam.

Paul Lantos
Member
Posts: 304
Joined: 19 May 2013, 16:25

Re: Adolf Eichman assisting Jews

#6

Post by Paul Lantos » 17 Apr 2014, 16:12

Even Himmler negotiated for Jews' freedom and liased with Jewish leaders towards the end of the war.

I think Eichmann, by the way, was a lot more brutal than is recognized. He is forever painted as a boring functionary and facilitator, but this is thanks to his own defense strategy and also Arendt drinking up his self portrayal like water.

If you read Cesarani's biography Eichmann was pretty zealous and cruel in real life, even if he wasn't the one hitting people with whips.

stuarttootell
Member
Posts: 6
Joined: 19 Aug 2009, 02:32
Location: Samut Prakarn Thailand

Re: Adolf Eichman assisting Jews

#7

Post by stuarttootell » 18 Apr 2014, 05:55

Thank you for the information received.

David Thompson.

I understand the comments you made, however being located in Thailand and partially sighted I do find it challenging at times to find and access facts. However I am not as far as I am aware using a proxy server either.

I apologise if I have inadvertently broken the rules which if that is the case was done without forethought or malice.

David Thompson
Forum Staff
Posts: 23722
Joined: 20 Jul 2002, 20:52
Location: USA

Re: Adolf Eichman assisting Jews

#8

Post by David Thompson » 18 Apr 2014, 06:18

stuarttootell -- You wrote:
However I am not as far as I am aware using a proxy server either.
I'm not always right, but that's the way you come across on this website. Check the display under your username at the right of your posts, where it says "Anonymous Proxy." If it's a mistake, you might want to bring it to the attention of the site administrator, Marcus Wendel, by PM.

User avatar
Marcus
Member
Posts: 33963
Joined: 08 Mar 2002, 23:35
Location: Europe
Contact:

Re: Adolf Eichman assisting Jews

#9

Post by Marcus » 18 Apr 2014, 22:32

In this case we'll assume it was a misstake when you registered and you should now have a correct flag under your name.

/Marcus

User avatar
wenty
Member
Posts: 1601
Joined: 02 Dec 2002, 00:41
Location: Australia
Contact:

Re: Adolf Eichman assisting Jews

#10

Post by wenty » 20 Apr 2014, 03:50

Hi Paul,

I don't for a moment suggest that Eichmann was something close to a "nice" person at any point, but I do believe that there were aspects of even the most brutal Nazi leaders which were in direct contrast to that exact brutality.

As far as the general public is concerned, I think a lot of what people know about Eichmann comes from his later years - he became the poor older man jumping from job to job, home to home, constantly running, and it's a very different image from the person that he was at the height of his powers. Like you say, a lot of the modern thoughts about him have probably been shaped by those later years, but he could definitely be as cruel as the rest of them during the war.

Cheers,
Adam.

Paul Lantos
Member
Posts: 304
Joined: 19 May 2013, 16:25

Re: Adolf Eichman assisting Jews

#11

Post by Paul Lantos » 20 Apr 2014, 04:24

wenty wrote:I don't for a moment suggest that Eichmann was something close to a "nice" person at any point, but I do believe that there were aspects of even the most brutal Nazi leaders which were in direct contrast to that exact brutality.
But we don't judge them legally, historically, or morally based on whatever nicer aspects they may have had, we judge them based on their crimes.
wenty wrote:As far as the general public is concerned, I think a lot of what people know about Eichmann comes from his later years - he became the poor older man jumping from job to job, home to home, constantly running, and it's a very different image from the person that he was at the height of his powers. Like you say, a lot of the modern thoughts about him have probably been shaped by those later years, but he could definitely be as cruel as the rest of them during the war.
Like I said most of the "common" perception of him is the "banal" image that he crafted for himself while on trial. Hannah Arendt really popularized this, even though she herself hardly saw any of the trial. The only notion I know of that Eichmann was cruel in his later years was a quote from one of his sons about how strict and punitive he was as a father.

But if you haven't gotten a chance I'd suggest the best book on him that I've come across is Cesarani's biography. Eichmann was far from the savant-like accountant who just dealt in train schedules.

User avatar
wenty
Member
Posts: 1601
Joined: 02 Dec 2002, 00:41
Location: Australia
Contact:

Re: Adolf Eichman assisting Jews

#12

Post by wenty » 22 Apr 2014, 05:15

Hi Paul,

As we should judge them based on their crimes. If they were nice to a handful of people during the course of their lives, that doesn't make up for the fact that they were directly responsible for the murders of countless people.

I think power has a lot to do with it. Human beings can become absolutely spiteful and hateful people once they are put in a position of power. But when that position of power is removed, it's almost like they become completely different kinds of people. Again, look at the example of Eichmann post-World War II.

The reality is that once Eichmann was captured and extradited to Israel, it didn't matter what defence he put up, he was never going to get away with anything less than the death penalty - in any country, but especially in Israel.

Cheers,
Adam.

Paul Lantos
Member
Posts: 304
Joined: 19 May 2013, 16:25

Re: Adolf Eichman assisting Jews

#13

Post by Paul Lantos » 22 Apr 2014, 17:43

wenty wrote:The reality is that once Eichmann was captured and extradited to Israel, it didn't matter what defence he put up, he was never going to get away with anything less than the death penalty - in any country, but especially in Israel.
Hi Adam,

That actually does not seem to be the prevailing view from some of his biographers. He is the only person Israel has ever executed, and Cesarani's analysis (and I believe Lipstadt's if I'm not mistaken) is that the justices tried to give him every possible way to avoid the death penalty. What it would have taken would have been remorse.

A couple things need to be pointed out about the trial. One was the sheer overreaching of the prosecution. They saddled Eichmann with a lot of things he was NOT responsible for. They accused him of responsibility for the Einsatzgruppen shootings, which was not true (except insofar as some Reich Jews were shipped to Minsk, Kovno, Riga, etc where they were ultimately shot). They accused him of responsibility for Chelmno, which was not true (except insofar as some of Chelmno's victims were Reich Jews and Gypsies who had been sent to Lodz). They accused him of responsibility for the Aktion Reinhard camps. Now it is indeed true that many Jews who died in the AR camps actually had been under Eichmann's control at some point (especially those from the Netherlands, Greece, Bulgaria, etc). That said, the bulk of deportations to the AR camps was of local Jews, not the ones from other countries, and Eichmann was not responsible for any of this.

These accusations, along with the sheer volume of survivor testimony (which was not necessary for the prosecution to prove its case) were indeed seen as gross prosecutorial overreaching by the justices. But Eichmann's problem was that he was totally and utterly remorseless. He was honest in the sense that he didn't, for the most part, deny what he was actually responsible for. But instead of a WINNING strategy (not for acquittal but for mitigation) which would have been acceptance of his role, regret, apology, he just acted like a robot who had only been responsible for transmitting orders, which was patently untrue since he was in charge of the whole department (and was contradicted by archival testimony from Hoess, Wisleceny, etc).

So my sense from reading on this is that Eichmann was doomed to conviction -- after all, he WAS guilty of a lot of the accusations he faced, and many people who were executed at Nuremberg had committed lesser crimes than he. But he was not doomed to execution.

If you want I can try and dig out some of the quotes from Cesarani about it.

(The book is called "Becoming Eichmann")

User avatar
wenty
Member
Posts: 1601
Joined: 02 Dec 2002, 00:41
Location: Australia
Contact:

Re: Adolf Eichman assisting Jews

#14

Post by wenty » 24 Apr 2014, 08:55

Hi Paul,

Fair points about the Eichmann trial. The thing is that even during the Nuremberg trials and other war crimes trials post-World War II, the defence was primarily along the lines of "I was just following orders."

For Eichmann's part, I doubt he felt remorse anwyay but during his 15 years in hiding he would have come to expect that one day he would be found - there was almost a sense of resignation that he had about his capture and eventual fate. There's even a story that a fortune teller had told him as a youngster that he wouldn't live until a certain birthday (60th?) and sure enough, he was executed shortly before that.

Look even at his trial surroundings - he was in a protective box in an Israeli court. Given the magnitude of his crimes I honestly just don't see any way that there was ever any other ending than the death penalty. The world would have been stunned if there was.

Sure, hearing some of the quotes from Cesarani would be interesting.

Cheers,
Adam.

Post Reply

Return to “Holocaust & 20th Century War Crimes”