Jerusalem-On the occasion of the 94th birthday of Dr. Aribert Heim, the most wanted Nazi war criminal presumed to be alive, the Simon Wiesenthal Center today called for an end to the obstruction of the police investigation by the presiding judge in the case. In a statement issued here by its chief Nazi-hunter Israel director Dr. Efraim Zuroff, the Center noted that Judge Hans-Richard Neerforth, who is responsible for the case, has on numerous occasions refused to allow investigative measures requested by the special police task force to find Heim which are routinely approved in murder cases in Germany.

According to Zuroff:
“Documents which we have obtained clearly indicate that the efforts of the German police to find Dr. Heim are being consistently hampered by Judge Neerforth’s refusal to approve routine investigations which are allowed as a matter of course by all judges in murder cases in Germany. We urge the German judicial authorities to find a way to circumvent these obstructive decisions to help facilitate the capture of Dr. Heim so that he can finally be brought to justice for his heinous crimes. The fact that he has hereto not been caught is unfortunately at least partially a result of the obstruction of the presiding judge in the case at Baden-Baden.”

For more information call 00-972-50-7214156

__________________________________________________________________________________

WIESENTHAL CENTER ERHEBT SCHWERE VORWÜRFE GEGEN
BERUFSVERBAND DEUTSCHER INTERNISTEN: SS-ARZT DR. SEWERING GEHÖRT NICHT GEEHRT, SONDERN VOR GERICHT

Jerusalem. Das Simon Wiesenthal Center in Jerusalem fordert den Bundesverband Deutscher Internisten dazu auf, seine Ehrung für den Euthanasie-Arzt Hans-Joachim Sewering zurückzunehmen. Der Leiter des Büros, Dr. Efraim Zuroff: „Es ist schon schlimm genug, dass Sewering für seine Beteiligung am nationalsozialistischen Massenmord nicht vor Gericht gestellt worden ist. Noch schlimmer ist es, wenn man einen SS-Mann und Lügner, der der Gerechtigkeit bis heute entkommen ist, trotz seiner Beteiligung an der Euthanasie auch noch ehrt.“

Vor Jahren hatte das Wiesenthal Center die bayerische Justiz dazu aufgefordert, das Beweismaterial gegen Dr. Sewering nicht länger zu ignorieren und ihn vor Gericht zu stellen. Hans-Joachim Sewering hatte in den Kriegsjahren sechs bis acht Patienten der Heilanstalt Schönbrunn schriftlich in die Krankenmord-Anstalt Eglfing-Haar überwiesen. Drei von ihnen wurden dort ermordet.

Die Ermittlungen gegen Sewering waren eingestellt worden, weil er behauptet hatte, von den Tötungen nichts gewusst zu haben. „Diese Behauptung ist falsch“, so Efraim Zuroff. „Die Schwestern haben von der Ermordung der Kranken gewusst und ausgerechnet der SS-Arzt will es nicht gewusst haben. Das ist lächerlich.“ Die Einstellung der Ermittlungen war ferner damit begründet worden, dass ihm nur Totschlag vorzuwerfen sei. Die Tat sei damit verjährt. „Demnach hätte der Bundesverband der Internisten einen SS-Mann und mutmaßlichen Totschläger geehrt“, sagt Efraim Zuroff. „Ein Skandal sondergleichen.“

Dr. Efraim Zuroff
Rückfragen unter: 00972 – 507 – 214 - 156
www.operationlastchance.org
__________________________________________________________________________________

WIESENTHAL CENTER HARSHLY CRITICIZES THE GERMAN ASSOCIATION OF INTERNISTS: “SS DOCTOR SEWERING DOES NOT DESERVE TO BE HONORED BUT SHOULD BE BROUGHT TO JUSTICE”

Jerusalem – The Simon Wiesenthal Center of Jerusalem today called upon the German Association of Internists (Bundesverband Deutscher Internisten – BDI), to withdraw the medal it recently awarded to Dr. Hans-Joachim Sewering, who was an active participant in the Nazis’ infamous euthanasia program which resulted in the mass murder of at least 100,000 chronically ill, handicapped, and mentally ill civilians.

For years, the Center has been urging the German authorities to prosecute Sewering for his role in killing patients of the Schoenbrunn Hospital as part of the Nazis’ euthanasia program.

In a statement issued today in Jerusalem by its chief Nazi-hunter, Israel director Dr. Efraim Zuroff, the Center accused Sewering of lying about his role in the murders and his claim that he did not know what fate awaited his patients.

According to Zuroff:

“In view of the fact that the nurses working with Dr. Sewering knew that the patients sent to the killing center at Eglfing-Haar would very likely be murdered, it is virtually impossible that he had no idea of the fate awaiting them. The honor recently bestowed upon him by the Association of German Internists is an insult to his victims and their families, and is incomprehensible in the light of his record. How can a doctor who sent innocent patients to their death be honored for his medical achievements?”

For further information: Call 972-50-721-4156.
www.operationlastchance.org www.wiesenthal.com
__________________________________________________________________________________

WIESENTHAL CENTER’S CHIEF NAZI-HUNTER ZUROFF: STEIDTMANN CASE IS YET ANOTHER PROOF OF THE RELATIVE FAILURE OF GERMANY TO ADEQUATELY PROSECUTE HOLOCAUST PEPETRATORS

Jerusalem-The Simon Wiesenthal Center’s chief Nazi-hunter, Israel director Dr. Efraim Zuroff, responded today to a decision by a Leipzig court to allow the publication of a memoir by a Gestapo secretary in which she mentioned her former lover Erich Steidtmann, whose service as an officer in a unit which carried out killing operations in the Warsaw Ghetto was thereby exposed, as another proof of the relative failure of the German judicial authorities to bring Holocaust perpetrators to justice in the Federal Republic.

In a statement issued here today, the veteran Nazi-hunter pointed out that in the wake of Steidtmann’s futile efforts to block the publication of the book, his lies regarding his service in the Warsaw Ghetto were exposed, as was the failure of the German judiciary to adequately investigate his case. “It appears that among other things, Steidtmann claimed that he had fought against 400 German deserters who joined the ghetto fighters against the Nazis, a claim that is patently untrue and should immediately have aroused the suspicions of the German investigators. Instead, his self-serving false version of the events was apparently accepted and led to the decision not to prosecute him,” said Zuroff, who also noted the unusually-extensive coverage of the case which stemmed in his opinion “from the prurient interest of the media rather than the failure of the German judiciary to prosecute Steidtmann.”

For further information: Call 972-50-721-4156.
www.operationlastchance.org www.wiesenthal.com
__________________________________________________________________________________

WIESENTHAL CENTER: MASSAKER VON RECHNITZ NEU AUFROLLEN

Jerusalem. Das Simon Wiesenthal Center in Jerusalem verlangt eine neue Untersuchung des Massakers von Rechnitz/Österreich, bei dem im Ende März 1945 etwa 180 Juden erschossen worden sind. Dr. Efraim Zuroff, Leiter des Centers in Jerusalem: „Der Massenmord ist nie wirklich aufgeklärt, die Ermittlungsverfahren sind unter zum Teil merkwürdigen Umständen eingestellt worden.“ more...
__________________________________________________________________________________

NAZI-JÄGER EFRAIM ZUROFF VOM SIMON WIESENTHAL CENTER:
SUCHE NACH „DR . TOD“ (ARIBERT HEIM) GEHT WEITER -
310.000 EURO BELOHNUNG AUSGESETZT!

Jerusalem. Der Nazijäger des Simon Wiesenthal Centers, Dr. Efraim Zuroff, Leiter des Büros in Jerusalem, hat heute die Behauptungen des Buchautoren Danny Baz über den angeblichen Tod des KZ-Arzts Aribert Heim („Dr. Tod“) als „pure Fantasie“ bezeichnet. Der ehemalige israelische Offizier Danny Baz hatte behauptet, er habe Anfang der 1980er Jahre in den USA an der Tötung von Dr. Aribert Heim teilgenommen. Baz stellt seine Behauptungen in einem Buch auf, das jetzt in Frankreich unter dem Titel „Ni oubli, ni pardon, la traque du dernier Nazi“ erscheinen soll. more...
__________________________________________________________________________________

WIESENTHAL CENTER’S CHIEF NAZI-HUNTER EFRAIM ZUROFF:
“ THE SEARCH FOR ‘DR. DEATH’ (ARIBERT HEIM) CONTINUES;PRIZE OFFERED STANDS AT 310,000 EUROS”

Jerusalem-The Simon Wiesenthal Center’s chief Nazi-hunter, Israel director Dr. Efraim Zuroff, today dismissed as “pure fantasy” the claims by former Israeli colonel Danny Baz that he had participated in the early eighties in the execution in the United States of notorious Nazi war criminal Dr. Aribert Heim (“Dr.Death”), who is wanted for the murder of hundreds of inmates of the infamous Mauthausen concentration camp in Austria. Baz makes his claims in a book scheduled for publication in France this week under the title Ni oubli, ni pardon; la traque du dernier Nazi [Not Forgotten or Forgiven; On the trail of the last Nazi]. more...
__________________________________________________________________________________

DEUTSCHLAND ERHÄLT ERSTMALS NOTE MANGELHAFT BEI DER VERFOLGUNG VON NAZI-MÖRDERN IM JAHRESBERICHT DES WIESENTHAL CENTERS ZUR STRAFVERFOLGUNG VON NS-TÄTERN WELTWEIT

Jerusalem. Das Simon Wiesenthal Center Center hat heute seinen sechsten Jahresbericht über die weltweite Strafverfolgung von Nazi-Verbrechern vorgelegt. Der Bericht untersucht den Zeitraum vom 1. April 2006 bis 31. März 2007. Er vergibt Noten von A (höchste) bis F für die Bemühungen von mehr als drei dutzend Ländern, in denen entweder NS-Verbrechen passiert sind oder die nach dem II. Weltkrieg Holocaust Täter aufgenommen haben. more...
__________________________________________________________________________________

For First Time Ever Germany Gets Failing Grade in Wiesenthal Center 2007 Annual Report on Worldwide Investigation and Prosecution of Nazi War Criminals

Jerusalem - The Simon Wiesenthal Center today released the full text of its sixth Annual Status Report on the Worldwide Investigation and Prosecution of Nazi War Criminals, which covers the period from April 1, 2006 until March 31, 2007 and awarded grades ranging from A (highest) to F to evaluate the efforts and results achieved by more than three dozen countries which were either the site of Nazi crimes or admitted Holocaust perpetrators after World War II. more...
__________________________________________________________________________________

Wiesenthal Center Welcomes Decision By Austrian Government To Offer 50,000 Euros Reward For Information Leading To Arrest Of Number One And Number Two Most Wanted Escaped Nazi War Criminals Alois Brunner and Dr. Aribert Heim

Jerusalem - The Simon Wiesenthal Center welcomed the announcement made public today by the Austrian Justice Ministry on its official website, that it was offering the sum of 50,000 euros for information which would lead to the capture of the number one and number two "Most Wanted" escaped Nazi war criminals Alois Brunner and Dr. Aribert Heim. Brunner, who was last seen alive in 2001 in Syria, where he has enjoyed the full protection of the Syrian government for decades, was responsible for the deportation to death camps of 128,500 Jews from Austria [47,000], Greece [44,000], France [23,500], and Slovakia [14,000]. Heim, whose current whereabouts are unknown but is presumed to be living in Spain or South America, murdered hundreds of inmates of the Mauthausen concentration camp by injecting phenol into their hearts.

 In early 2006, the Center's chief Nazi-hunter, Israel director, Dr. Efraim Zuroff, met in Vienna with the Austrian ministers of justice and the interior to ask the Austrian government to match the prize of 130,000 euros being offered by the German government for information leading to the capture of Heim which the Wiesenthal Center had matched. Thus the Austrian prize brings the reward being offered for information which will facilitate the arrest of Heim to a total of 310,000 euros.

Zuroff noted that in the past financial rewards offered for assistance in the capture of Nazi war criminals had proven critical, as in the case of notorious camp commander Josef Schwammberger whose arrest in Argentina was facilitated by a similar reward offered by the German government.

According to Zuroff:

ON BIRTHDAY OF AUSTRIAN-BORN NAZI WAR CRIMINAL, WIESENTHAL CENTER URGES AUSTRIAN GOVERNMENT TO PARTICIPATE IN REWARD OFFERED FOR CAPTURE OF DR. ARIBERT HEIM-„DR. DEATH“ OF MAUTHAUSEN

Jerusalem-The Simon Wiesenthal Center today reissued its call to the Austrian government to join with the German authorities and the Wiesenthal Center in the financial reward currently being offered to solicit information which would lead to the capture and trial of escaped Nazi war criminal Dr. Aribert Heim, who murdered hundreds of inmates with lethal injections of phenol to the heart in the Mauthausen concentration camp in Austria in1941.

In a statement issued today in Jerusalem, the Center’s chief Nazi-hunter Israel director Dr.Efraim Zuroff noted that almost a year and a half had passed since his meetings in Vienna with the Austrian ministers of justice and the interior, both of whom stated that the government’s participation in such a reward was legally possible, yet despite the passage of so much time on a matter of such urgency, no answer had yet been received.

According to Zuroff:
„Today, probably somewhere in South America, Dr. Aribert Heim will be celebrating his birthday, very-satisfied with the fact that he has already eluded justice for 45 years. (He was about to be prosecuted in West Germany in 1962, when he disappeared.) In meetings this week with the special German police task force to capture Heim, we were reinforced in our belief that he is still alive and under these circumstances, the enlargement by the Austrian government of the reward for his capture can be of considerable help in bringing him to justice. I therefore urge the Austrian authorities to join in this initiative as quickly as possible and thereby considerably increase the chances that this arch murderer will finally be held accountable for his crimes.“

Wiesenthal Center Welcomes Decision to Deny Nazi War Criminal Priebke the Right to Work; Urges His Incarceration in Jail Rather than House Arrest

Jerusalem – The Simon Wiesenthal Center today welcomed the decision yesterday by military judge Isacco Giorgio Guistiniani suspending the permission granted last week to convicted Nazi war criminal Erich Priebke to go to work in his lawyer’s office in Rome.

In a statement issued in Jerusalem, the Center’s chief Nazi-hunter Israel director Dr. Efraim Zuroff reiterated the Center’s ironclad opposition to the granting of any privileges to convicted Nazi war criminals. “Unrepentant Nazi murderers do not deserve any privileges, consideration or sympathy, regardless of their age. People who executed civilians and had no mercy on their innocent victims do not deserve to be treated with kindness,” said Zuroff.

According to Zuroff:

“Yesterday’s photo of Priebke on the back of a scooter on the streets of Rome on his way to work was a shocking reminder of the practical implications of last week’s decision. If anything, it shows that Priebke is healthy enough to be incarcerated in jail (rather than under his current house arrest) and we strongly
urge the Italian authorities to consider such a step.”

For more information call 00-972-50-7214156

www.operationlastchance.org www.wiesenthal.com
_______________________________________________________________________________

Wiesenthal Center on Decision to Allow Convicted Nazi War Criminal Erich Priebke to Work: "Outrageous, Senseless and Insensitive"

Jerusalem – The Simon Wiesenthal Center today harshly criticized the decision taken yesterday by an Italian military judge to allow convicted Nazi war criminal Erich Priebke to work despite his being under house arrest for his role in the murder of three hundred and thirty-five Italian civilians in the Ardeatine caves outside Rome in March 1944.

In a statement issued in Jerusalem by its chief Nazi-hunter, Israel director Dr. Efraim Zuroff, the Center categorizd the decision as ”outrageous, senseless, and insensitive.”

According to Zuroff:

”Any decision which grants privileges to a convicted and unrepentant Nazi war criminal like Priebke is outragous because it is based on a totally false assumption that as an elderly person Priebke deserves a measure of sympathy and even privileges. But the passage of time in no way diminishes the guilt of Holocaust perpetrators and people like him, who had no mercy for their victims, do not deserve any sympathy themselves. The decision is senseless since there is no basis to grant Priebke privileges and the fact that he has reached an elderly age does not turn a murderer into Righteous Gentile. It is insensitive since it insults the family and friends of those murdered by Priebke and his cohorts.”

WIESENTHAL CENTER KRITISIERT VERBOT EINER GEDENKVERANSTALTUNG FÜR NS-OPFER DURCH LANDRATSAMT GARMISCH-PARTENKIRCHEN

Jerusalem. Das Simon Wiesenthal Center hat heute die Entscheidung des Landratsamtes in Garmisch-Partenkirchen kritisiert, das eine Gedenkveranstaltung für Opfer des Nationalsozialismus am Pfingstwochenende am Hohen Brendten in Mittenwald verboten hat. Die Arbeitskreise „Distomo“ und „Angreifbare Traditionspflege“ hatten dort eine Kundgebung angemeldet, um der Opfer deutscher Gebirgstruppen des Zweiten Weltkrieges zu gedenken. Gleichzeitig findet dort eine Versammlung des „Kameradenkreises der Gebirgstruppe“ statt.

„Es ist nicht fair, eine Gedenkveranstaltung zugunsten der Opfer zu verbieten, während Angehörige von Nazi-Truppenverbänden, die schwere Verbrechen begangen haben, wie ehrbare Bürger behandelt werden“, kritisiert der Leiter des Wiesenthal Centers in Jerusalem, Dr. Efraim Zuroff. Veteranen der belasteten Gebirgstruppen müssten die Konfrontation mit ihren Gegnern aushalten, zumal sie sich nie für ihre Untaten entschuldigt hätten, so Zuroff.

Dr. Efraim Zuroff: „Das Landratsamt misst mit zweierlei Maß. Die Veteranen von NS-Gebirgstruppen werden über Gebühr geschützt, während das Gedenken der Opfer am Hohen Brendten verboten wird. Die bayerische Behörde verhält sich gefühllos gegenüber den Opfern. Das Gedenken für die Opfer muss stattfinden.“

Dr. Efraim Zuroff
Rückfragen unter: 00972 – 507 – 214 - 156
www.operationlastchance.org

www.wiesenthal.com

WIESENTHAL CENTER RENEWS CALL FOR RESIGNATION OF BADEN-WŰRTTEMBURG GOVERNOR OETTINGER IN WAKE OF NEW REVELATIONS OF HIS EXTREMIST VIEWS

Jerusalem-The Simon Wiesenthal Center today renewed its call for the resignation of Baden-Wűrttemburg governor Gűnther Oettinger in the wake of new revelations concerning his extremist right-wing sympathies. The Center had originally called for his resignation earlier this month, in the wake of his eulogy for his predecessor Hans Filbinger, whose Nazi past and war crimes as a Nazi judge who sentenced numerous innocent people to death, Oettinger chose to ignore.

According to the Center’s chief Nazi-hunter, Israel director Dr. Efraim Zuroff, Oettinger’s apology for whitewashing Filbinger’s Nazi past rings extremely hollow given his continued membership in the “Studienzentrum Weikersheim,” a right-wing academic center founded by Filbinger which regularly invites speakers with extremist, and in certain cases anti-Semitic, views to deliver public lectures. Thus one of those scheduled to speak there is Martin Hohmann, who was expelled from the CDU for anti-Semitic statements. In addition, according to press reports, Oettinger regularly sings the currently-illegal first stanza of the Nazi-era national anthem “Deutschland Deutschland über alles,” which speaks of a territorially much-expanded Germany, a clear reflection of his ultra-nationalist sympathies.

“If we add his most recent statement to his old student association in which he praised the advantages of going to war and bemoaned the lack of any imminent conflict, it becomes crystal-clear that Mr. Oettinger is clearly unsuited for the responsibility of leading Baden-Wűrttemburg,” said Zuroff.

For more information call 00-972-2-563-1273 or 972-50-7214156

WIESENTHAL CENTER FORDERT BADEN-WÜRTTEMBERGS MINISTERPRÄSIDENT GÜNTHER OETTINGER ZUM RÜCKTRITT AUF

Jerusalem. „Die aktuellen Äußerungen des baden-württembergischen Ministerpräsidenten Günther Oettinger, der die NS-Vergangenheit seines Vorgängers Hans Filbinger rechtfertigte, sind absolut unfassbar.“ Das Simon Wiesenthal Center schließt sich den Rücktrittsforderungen an. „Ein Ministerpräsident, der die Nazi-Vergangenheit des ehemaligen Ministerpräsidenten und NS-Marinerichters Hans Filbinger leugnet und reinwäscht, ist untragbar“, sagte der Direktor des Centers in Jerusalem, Dr. Efraim Zuroff.

Efraim Zuroff: „Es ist erwiesen, dass Filbinger an Todesurteilen während des Zweiten Weltkriegs beteiligt war. Es ist erwiesen, dass Filbinger Mitglied der NSDAP war. Es ist erwiesen, dass er noch im Juni 1945 einen Soldaten wegen Entfernens von der Truppe verurteilt hat. Es ist erwiesen, dass er das Nazi-Unrecht nach 1945 ganz allgemein gerechtfertigt hat. Vor allem aber hat Filbinger als Gründer, Präsident und Ehrenmitglied des „Studienzentrums Weikersheim“ Neonazis und Rechtsextremen eine Plattform bei der selbsternannten „geistigen Leistungselite Deutschland“ gegeben. Zudem bestehen Verbindungen zwischen dem „Studienzentrum Weikersheim“ und der so genannten „Gesellschaft für freie Publizistik“ (GfP), deren Protagonisten den Holocaust leugnen und antisemitische Propaganda verbreiten. Die GfP wird deswegen vom Verfassungsschutz beobachtet. Sie wurde 1960 von ehemaligen SS- und NSDAP-Mitgliedern gegründet.“

Laut Efraim Zuroff ist es an der Zeit, einen deutlichen Trennstrich gegenüber nationalsozialistischen Kriegsverbrechen zu ziehen.

Dr. Efraim Zuroff
Rückfragen unter: 00972 – 507 – 214 - 156

Wiesenthal Center Urges Denmark to Prosecute Soeren Kam for Role in Facilitating Deportation of Hundreds of Danish Jews to Nazi Concentration Camps

In the wake of the refusal earlier this week by a Munich court to approve the extradition to Denmark of Danish Nazi war criminal Soeren Kam for the murder of a Danish anti-Nazi newspaper editor, the Simon Wiesenthal Center today urged the Danish Justice Ministry to attempt to achieve Kam’s extradition to stand trial in Copenhagen on the basis of his role in facilitating the deportation of hundreds of Danish Jews to Nazi concentration camps in the fall of 1943.

In a letter sent today to Danish Justice Minister Lene Espersen, the Center’s chief Nazi-hunter, Israel director Dr. Efraim Zuroff, praised Danish efforts to bring Kam to justice and urged the Danish authorities to seek his extradition on the basis of different crimes than those which were the basis for the original Danish extradition request. In his letter to the minister, Zuroff noted that it Soeren Kam who, together with two accomplices, stole the registry of the Danish Jewish community in late summer 1943 in order to facilitate the roundup and deportation to concentration camps of all its members which took place in October of the same year. Thanks to the efforts of the Danish underground, most of the Jewish community escaped to Sweden, but 472, mostly elderly, Jews were arrested and deported to Nazi concentration camps, where dozens were murdered or died due to the inhuman conditions.

According to Zuroff:
“Soeren Kam was one of the persons who stole the registry of the names and addresses of the members of the Jewish community of Denmark shortly before the roundup of the Jews to deport them to Nazi concentration camps was to begin. This criminal act, which under the historical circumstances of World War II clearly constituted accessory to murder, should serve as the basis for a renewed attempt to bring Kam to justice in Copenhagen. It was this theft which directly facilitated the deportation of 472 Jews from Denmark to Nazi concentration camps, where 55 of them were murdered or died of the inhuman conditions.

“I urge you to carefully consider this serious crime, which ultimately led to the murder of dozens of innocent Danish citizens, as a basis for a renewed effort by Denmark to seek the extradition of Soeren Kam, whose success hereto in eluding punishment is a travesty of justice.”

For more information call 00-972-50-7214156

www.operationlastchance.org

www.wiesenthal.com

WIESENTHAL CENTER PROTESTS REFUSAL OF GERMAN COURT TO EXTRADITE NAZI MURDERER SOEREN KAM TO STAND TRIAL IN DENMARK

Jerusalem-The Simon Wiesenthal Center today protested the decision of a Munich court to refuse a long-standing Danish request for the extradition of Danish Nazi collaborator Soeren Kam who is wanted in Denmark for the murder in Copenhagen 1943 of Carl Henrik Clemmensen, a Danish anti-Nazi newspaper editor.

In a statement issued today in Jerusalem, the Center's chief Nazi-hunter, Israel Director Dr. Efraim Zuroff, called the decision "yet another case of misplaced German judicial sympathy for a despicable Nazi collaborator who faithfully served the Third Reich."
The Center urged the Danish authorities to appeal the verdict and renew the efforts to bring Kam to justice in the country in which he committed his crimes.

According to Zuroff:
"As problematic as this decision is, it might have been understandable, if the Germans were willing to prosecute Kam in Germany for his crime, but the exact opposite has been the case. For years, the German judicial authorities have refused to press charges against him and have done everything in their power to help this murderer elude justice.
Under these circumstances, we must reiterate the important principles that dictate:

1. The passage of time in no way diminishes the guilt of Nazi war criminals.

2. The fact that a Nazi war criminal reaches an elderly age does not turn him or her into a Righteous Gentile.

We hope therefore that a way can be found to hold Soeren Kam accountable for his crimes."

_________________________________________________________________________

מרכז ויזנטל מוחה נגד סרוב בית משפט גרמני להסגיר את הרוצח הנאצי סורן קאם לדנמרק למשפט

ירושלים – מרכז שמעון ויזנטל מחה היום על החלטת בית משפט במינכן שלא להיענות לבקשת דנמרק, שהוגשה זה מכבר, להסגרת פושע המלחמה הדני, משתף הפעולה סורן קאם (Soeren Kam ) אשר מבוקש בדנמרק בשל מעורבותו ברצח קארל הנריק קלמנסן, עורך עיתון דני אנטי-נאצי, בקופנהגן בשנת 1943ל.

למידע נוסף נא להתקשר לטל. 7214156-050 _________________________________________________________________________

מרכז ויזנטל משווה את הפרס המוצע בעבור לכידת רופא נאצי נמלט לפרס שהוצע על ידי ממשלת גרמניה; מבקש מממשלת אוסטריה לפעול בדומה לכך

מרכז שמעון ויזנטל הודיע שהוא מציע פרס בסך 130,000 יורו (בערך 156,000$), בנוסף לפרס בסכום זהה שהוצע על ידי ממשלת גרמניה, בעבור קבלת מידע שיוביל ללכידתו של הפושע הנאצי הנמלט דר' אריברט היים Aribert Heim . היים, אשר מבוקש בגין הזרקת רעל לליבם של מאות אסירים במחנה הריכוז מאוטהאוזן, הוא היעד מספר אחד של פרוייקט "מבצע: הזדמנות אחרונה" שמציע פרסים כספיים למוסרי מידע שיסייע בהעמדה לדין וענישה של פושעי מלחמה נאצים. (היים נעלם בשנת 1962 כאשר ממשלת גרמניה התכוננה להעמיד אותו לדין על פשעיו.)

בפגישות שקיים בשבוע שעבר בוינה צייד הנאצים דר' אפרים זורוף, מנהל מרכז ויזנטל בישראל, הוא ביקש משרת המשפטים האוסטרית קארין גאסטינגר ומשרת הפנים ליסה פרוקופ לפעול כדי שממשלת אוסטריה תציע פרס בסכום דומה, כך שסך סכום הפרס המוצע למטרת תפיסת היים יגיע ל-400,000 יורו שהם בערך 480,000$. [130,000 יורו מממשלת גרמניה; 130,000 יורו ממרכז ויזנטל; 130,000 מממשלת אוסטריה; 10,000 יורו מ"מבצע: הזדמנות אחרונה."]

לדברי זורוף אמרה שרת הפנים פרוקופ שבאופן תיאורטי יכולה הממשלה להכריז על פרס כזה והיא תציג את ההצעה בפניה לשיקול דעת. זורוף הדגיש שהזמן דוחק ושיש משמעות סמלית להעמדת היים לדין כ"דוגמה לנאצי שניצל לרעה באופן חולני את הרפואה."

זורוף הוסיף שממשלת גרמניה הקימה כוח משימה מיוחד למטרת לכידת דר' היים וכעת מבצע כוח זה חיפוש אינטנסיבי בספרד ודרום אמריקה, בהתבססו על מידע שהתקבל ממקורות שונים, כולל מרכז שמעון ויזנטל.

למידע נוסף נא להתקשר לטל. 7214156-050

_________________________________________________________________________

Wiesenthal Center Submits Names of Four German “Operation: Last Chance” Suspects to Central German Investigative Agency

Ludwigsburg – The Simon Wiesenthal Center announced today that it had submitted the names of four suspected German Nazi war criminals, which it had received in the framework of its “Operation: Last Chance” project, to the central German agency which investigates such cases. The material was submitted yesterday by the Center's chief Nazi-hunter – Israel director Dr. Efraim Zuroff and its chief researcher in Germany Dr. Stefan Klemp to Kurt Schrimm, the director of the “Zentrale Stelle” in Ludwigsburg , Germany , who promised to carry out a comprehensive examination of the four cases.

According to Zuroff, the Center had received the names of approximately 50 German suspects since “Operation: Last Chance” was launched in Germany on January 26, 2005 at a press conference held at the Bundestag. An examination of the information submitted to the Center, yielded four cases with serious potential for prosecution, in two of which the initial information was submitted by female family members. Of the four suspects in question, two allegedly served in concentration camps and two allegedly participated in the mass murder of civilians in Eastern Europe.

“The fact that four cases are being submitted to the Zentrale Stelle is an important indication of the success of “Operation: Last Chance” in Germany and, we hope, only the beginning of the achievement of significant results. The information received from family members is precisely what we hoped for when the project was launched,” said Zuroff.

For more information call 00-972-50-7214156

_________________________________________________________________________

Wiesenthal Center Urges Austrian Government to Match Reward Offered by Germany for Capture of Escaped Nazi War Criminal Dr. Aribert Heim of Mauthausen

In a letter sent today to Austrian Justice Minister Karin Gastinger, the Center's chief Nazi-hunter Israel director Dr. Efraim Zuroff urged the Austrian government to do its share in the renewed efforts currently being made by the German authorities to track down Heim, who is listed by the Wiesenthal Center as the second most wanted unprosecuted Nazi war criminal alive today (after Eichmann's top assistant Alois Brunner).

In Zuroff's words:

"Given that Heim was born in Austria, studied medicine at the University of Vienna, and committed his crimes in Mauthausen, I believe that the active involvement of your government in the efforts to bring this Nazi war criminal to justice would be entirely justified and I therefore respectfully suggest that the Austrian authorities match the reward being offered by the German government for information leading to his capture.

"Even at this late date, it is still possible to bring Nazi war criminals to justice and we therefore urge your active involvement in the efforts to do so."

Wiesenthal Center Urges Austrian Health Minister To Cancel Medical Degree Of Escaped Nazi War Criminal Dr. Aribert Heim

Aribert Heim served as a doctor at Buchenwald , Sachsenhausen, and Mauthausen concentration camps and is wanted for his role in the murder of numerous camp inmates. After World War II, he worked as a doctor in Baden-Baden, Germany and escaped in 1962, after an indictment was filed against him and he was about to be arrested. At the current time, both Germany and Austria have warrants outstanding for his arrest and there is a prize of 140,000 euros for information which will lead to his capture.

Dr. Efraim Zuroff, the Center's chief Nazi-hunter, noted that there is strong evidence that Heim is still alive and called for a maximum effort to bring him to justice. “While it is true that canceling his medical degree is primarily a symbolic step, it hopefully will help focus public attention on his case and increase the chances of his apprehension while he can still be brought to justice.”

Wiesenthal Center and Targum Shlishi Foundation Launch „Operation:Last Chance“ in Germany
at Press Conference at German Bundestag (Parliament) in Berlin

The Simon Wiesenthal Center today officially launched its “Operation Last Chance” project in Germany at a press conference held at the Bundestag(German parliament) in Berlin.

The press conference was hosted by German MP Prof. Dr. Gert Weisskirchen, spokesperson for foreign affairs for the ruling Social Democratic Party, and featured speeches by the Center’s chief Nazi-hunter Israel director Dr. Efraim Zuroff and Targum Shlishi Foundation founder and president Aryeh Rubin, as well as by Prof. Weisskirchen and German activist against anti-Semitism Jörg Rensmann.

In his remarks, Dr. Zuroff highlighted the importance of bringing those guilty of the crimes of the Holocaust to justice and stressed that it was still possible to do so today despite the passage of many years since the crimes were committed. ”The fact that a Nazi war criminal eluded justice for 40 or 50 years does not turn that person into a Righteous Gentile”, said Zuroff.

Aryeh Rubin noted the responsibility of Germany to bring the killers to justice. ”This is not about guilt”, he noted, ”but rather about accountability.”

Prof. Weisskirchen and Jörg Rensmann also called upon Germans to own up to their responsibility and to help achieve justice and thereby honor memory and assist in the fight against contemporary anti-Semitism.

The project is assisted in Germany by “Honestly-Concerned”, an NGO active in the struggle against anti-Semitism in the German-speaking world.

The hotline number in Germany is (030)695 695 54.

The launch is also marked by the appearance of a website dedicated to the project: www.operationlastchance.org

________________________________________________________________________

“Operation: Last Chance” to be Launched in Germany
on January 26, 2005 at German Bundestag

“Operation: Last Chance” will be officially launched in Germany on Wednesday, January 26, 2005 at a press conference to be held at 14:00 in the Bundestag (German parliament). Germany is the ninth country in which the project is being launched. It has already been initiated in Lithuania, Estonia, Latvia, Poland, Romania Austria, Croatia and Hungary.

Participating in the press conference will be

For more information call 00-972-50-7214156
________________________________________________________________________

WIESENTHAL CENTER: START DER OPERATION LAST CHANCE IN DEUTSCHLAND VERSCHOBEN

Wie Dr. Efraim Zuroff, Leiter des Simon Wiesenthal Centers in Jerusalem, heute mitgeteilt hat, muss der Beginn der „Operation Last Chance“ in Deutschland verschoben werden. Bei der Kampagne, die bereits in zahlreichen europäischen Ländern, unter anderem im Baltikum, Österreich und Polen läuft, wird eine Belohnung von 10.000 Euro für Hinweise ausgesetzt, die zu einer Anklageerhebung oder Verurteilung von bisher unbehelligten NS-Tätern führen.

Ursprünglich sollte die Operation Last Chance mit einer Pressekonferenz, Anzeigenkampagne und Telefonhotline im September anlaufen. Wegen Terminschwierigkeiten wird der offizielle Start der Aktion in Deutschland auf November verschoben.

Ungeachtet dessen gehen nach den vorangegangenen Medienberichten bereits laufend Hinweise beim Wiesenthal Center ein. Das Center hat heute seinen neuesten Bericht zur Verfolgung von Nazi-Kriegsverbrechern vorgelegt.

Rückfragen unter: 00972 – 2563 – 1273/74. Mobil: 00972 – 51 – 214 - 156
_________________________________________________________________________