Rezső Kasztner

Rudolf Israel Kastner (1906–March 15, 1957) was a Jewish -Hungarian journalist and lawyer who became known for helping Jews escape Nazi-occupied Hungary during the Holocaust . He was assassinated in 1957 after an Israeli court accused him of having collaborated with the Nazis. Kastner was one of the leaders of the Va'adat Ezrah Vehatzalah —the Aid and Rescue Committee , or Vaada — a small Jewish group in Budapest who helped Jewish refugees escape from Nazi Europe into Hungary during World War II , then helped them escape from Hungary after the Nazis invaded that country too on March 19, 1944. Between May and July 1944, Hungary's Jews were being deported to the gas chambers at Auschwitz at the rate of 12,000 people a day—for "resettlement," as the Nazis said. Kastner negotiated with Adolf Eichmann , a senior SS officer, to allow 1,685 of them to leave instead for Switzerland on what became known as the Kastner train , in exchange for money, gold, and diamonds. Kastner moved to Israel after the war, becoming a spokesman for the Ministry of Trade and Industry in 1952. In 1953, he was accused in unusually strong language of having been a Nazi collaborator, in a pamphlet self-published by Malchiel Gruenwald , an amateur writer and stamp collector. The allegation stemmed in part from Kastner's relationship with Eichmann, and in part from his having given positive character references after the war to three other SS officers, including Kurt Becher , allowing Becher to escape prosecution for war crimes. The Israeli government sued Gruenwald for libel on Kastner's behalf, resulting in a trial that lasted two years, and a ruling in 1955 that Kastner had indeed, in the words of the judge, "sold his soul to the devil." By saving the Jews on the Kastner train, while failing to warn others that their resettlement was in fact deportation to the gas chambers, Kastner had sacrificed the mass of Jewry for a chosen few, the judge said. The verdict triggered the fall of the Israeli Cabinet. Kastner resigned his government position and became a virtual recluse, telling reporters he was living with a loneliness "blacker than night, darker than hell." His wife fell into a depression that left her unable to get out of bed, while his daughter had to endure her school friends throwing stones at her in the street. The Supreme Court of Israel overturned most of the judgment in January 1958, stating in a 4-1 decision that the lower court had "erred seriously," but not before Kastner had been assassinated. He was shot on March 3, 1957 by Zeev Eckstein, and died of his injuries twelve days later. He is also known as Rezső Kasztner, and Israel or Yisrael Kastner/Kasztner. "On Trial" , Time , July 11, 1955.

Rudolf Israel Kastner , also known as Rezső Kasztner (1906 – 15 March 1957), was a Jewish-Hungarian journalist and lawyer who became known for having helped Jews escape occupied Europe during the Holocaust . He was assassinated in 1957 after an Israeli court accused him of having collaborated with the Nazis. Kastner was one of the leaders of the Budapest Aid and Rescue Committee ( Va'adat Ezrah Vehatzalah , or Vaada ), which smuggled Jewish refugees into Hungary during World War II , then helped them escape from Hungary when in March 1944 the Nazis invaded that country too. Between May and July 1944, Hungary's Jews were deported to the gas chambers at Auschwitz at the rate of 12,000 people a day. Kastner negotiated with Adolf Eichmann , a senior SS officer, to allow 1,684 Jews to leave instead for Switzerland on what became known as the Kastner train , in exchange for money, gold and diamonds. Kastner moved to Israel after the war, becoming a spokesman for the Ministry of Trade and Industry in 1952. In 1953 he was accused of having been a Nazi collaborator in a pamphlet self-published by Malchiel Gruenwald , a freelance writer. The allegation stemmed from his relationship with Eichmann and another SS officer, Kurt Becher , and from his having given positive character references after the war for Becher and two other SS officers, thus allowing Becher to escape prosecution for war crimes. The Israeli government sued Gruenwald for libel on Kastner's behalf, resulting in a trial that lasted 18 months, and a ruling in 1955 that Kastner had, in the words of Judge Benjamin Halevy , "sold his soul to the devil". By saving the Jews on the Kastner train, while failing to warn others that their "resettlement" was in fact deportation to the gas chambers, Kastner had sacrificed the mass of Jewry for a chosen few, the judge said. The verdict triggered the fall of the Israeli Cabinet. Kastner resigned his government position and became a virtual recluse, telling reporters he was living with a loneliness "blacker than night, darker than hell". His wife fell into a depression that left her unable to get out of bed, while his daughter's schoolmates threw stones at her in the street. The Supreme Court of Israel overturned most of the judgment in January 1958, stating in a 4–1 decision that the lower court had "erred seriously". He was shot on 3 March 1957 by Zeev Eckstein, who was part of a three-man squad from a group of veterans from the pre-state right-wing militia Lehi led by Yosef Menkes and Yaakov Heruti . Kastner died of his injuries twelve days later. "On Trial" , Time , July 11, 1955.

Hungarian-Jewish lawyer and journalist Rezső Kasztner (1906 – 15 March 1957), also known as Rudolf Israel Kastner , was a Hungarian-Jewish journalist and lawyer who became known for having helped Jews escape from occupied Europe during the Holocaust . He was assassinated in 1957 after an Israeli court accused him of having collaborated with the Nazis. Kasztner was one of the leaders of the Budapest Aid and Rescue Committee ( Va'adat Ezrah Vehatzalah , or Vaada ), which smuggled Jewish refugees into Hungary during World War II , then helped them escape from Hungary when in March 1944 the Nazis invaded that country too. Between May and July 1944, Hungarian Jews were deported to the gas chambers at Auschwitz at the rate of 12,000 people a day. Kasztner negotiated with Adolf Eichmann , a senior SS officer, to allow 1,684 Jews to leave instead for Switzerland on what became known as the Kastner train , in exchange for money, gold and diamonds. Kasztner moved to Israel after the war, becoming a spokesman for the Ministry of Trade and Industry in 1952. In 1953 he was accused of having been a Nazi collaborator in a pamphlet self-published by Malchiel Gruenwald , a freelance writer. The allegation stemmed from his relationship with Eichmann and another SS officer, Kurt Becher , and from his having given positive character references after the war for Becher and two other SS officers, thus allowing Becher to escape prosecution for war crimes. The Israeli government sued Gruenwald for libel on Kasztner's behalf, resulting in a trial that lasted 18 months, and a ruling in 1955 that Kasztner had, in the words of Judge Benjamin Halevy , "sold his soul to the devil". By saving the Jews on the "Kasztner train", while failing to warn others that their "resettlement" was in fact deportation to the gas chambers, Kasztner had sacrificed the mass of Jewry for a chosen few, the judge said. The verdict triggered the fall of the Israeli Cabinet. Kasztner resigned his government position and became a virtual recluse, telling reporters he was living with a loneliness "blacker than night, darker than hell". His wife fell into a depression that left her unable to get out of bed, while his daughter's schoolmates threw stones at her in the street. Kasztner was shot on March 3, 1957 by Zeev Eckstein, part of a three-man squad from a group of veterans from the pre-state militia Lehi led by Yosef Menkes and Yaakov Heruti , and died of his injuries twelve days later. The Supreme Court of Israel overturned most of the judgment against Kasztner in January 1958, stating in a split decision that the lower court had "erred seriously". "On Trial" , Time , July 11, 1955.

Hungarian-Jewish lawyer and journalist Rezső Kasztner ( ; 1906 – 15 March 1957), also known as Rudolf Israel Kastner ( ), was a Hungarian-Israeli journalist and lawyer who became known for having helped a small group of Jews escape from occupied Europe during the Holocaust but not informing the majority about the reality of what awaited them in Auschwitz, leading to thousands of deaths. He was assassinated in 1957 after an Israeli court accused him of having collaborated with the Nazis. Kasztner was one of the leaders of the Budapest Aid and Rescue Committee ( Va'adat Ezrah Vehatzalah , or Vaada ), which smuggled Jewish refugees into Hungary during World War II , then helped them escape from Hungary when in March 1944 the Nazis invaded that country too. Between May and July 1944, Hungarian Jews were deported to the gas chambers at Auschwitz at the rate of 12,000 people a day. Kasztner negotiated with Adolf Eichmann , a senior SS officer and mastermind of the Holocaust, to allow 1,684 Jews to leave instead for Switzerland on what became known as the Kastner train , in exchange for money, gold, and diamonds. Kasztner moved to Israel after the war, becoming a spokesman for the Ministry of Trade and Industry in 1952. In 1953 he was accused of having been a Nazi collaborator in a pamphlet self-published by freelance writer Malchiel Gruenwald . The allegation stemmed from Kasztner's relationship with Eichmann and another SS officer, Kurt Becher , and from his having given positive character references after the war for Becher and two other SS officers, thus allowing Becher to escape prosecution for war crimes. The Israeli government sued Gruenwald for libel on Kasztner's behalf, resulting in a trial that lasted 18 months, and a ruling in 1955 that Kasztner had, in the words of Judge Benjamin Halevy , "sold his soul to the devil". By saving the Jews on the "Kasztner train", while failing to warn others that their "resettlement" was in fact deportation to the gas chambers, Kasztner had sacrificed the mass of Jewry for a chosen few, the judge said. The verdict triggered the fall of the Israeli Cabinet. Kasztner resigned his government position and became a virtual recluse, telling reporters he was living with a loneliness "blacker than night, darker than hell". His wife fell into a depression that left her bedridden, while his daughter's schoolmates threw stones at her in the street. Kasztner was shot on March 3, 1957, by Zeev Eckstein , part of a three-man squad from a group of veterans from the pre-state militia Lehi led by Yosef Menkes and Yaakov Heruti , and died of his injuries 12 days later. The Supreme Court of Israel overturned most of the judgment against Kasztner in January 1958, stating in a 4:1 decision that the lower court had "erred seriously". "On Trial" , Time , July 11, 1955.