Co-editors: Seán Mac Mathúna • John Heathcote
Consulting editor: Themistocles Hoetis
Field Correspondent: Allen Hougland

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Rudolf Kasztner THE KASTNER TRIAL - shown at the Jewish Film Festival in 1997 Czech film about Rabbi Weissmandel: Among Blind Fools The Nizkor Project: Dedicated to the millions of Holocaust victims who suffered and died Simon Wiesenthal Centre Shamash: The Jewish Internet Consortium: Holocaust Home Page

After the judgement, public opinion in Israel was almost unanimous in demanding that Kastner and his associates should be put on trial. The Communist Party newspaper Kol Ha'am (Voice of the People) wrote: All those whose relatives were butchered by the Germans in Hungary know now clearly that Jewish hands helped the mass murder" (23 June 1955) In the Israeli newspaper Ha'aretz, the political journalist, Dr. Moshe Keren wrote: Kastner must be brought to trial as a Nazi collaborator. And at this trial, Kastner should defend himself as a private citizen, and not be defended by the Israeli Government . . . " (14 July 1955). Haboker, the pro-Government General Zionist party paper stated: The public wants to know the real facts about Kastner, and not about him alone. The only way to find out the truth is to put all the Rescue Committee people on trial and give them a chance to offer their defense." (23 June 1955) The evening paper Yedi'ot Aharonot said: If Kastner is brought to trial the entire government faces a total political and national collapse - as a result of what such a trial may disclose." (23 June 1955) Accordingly, the Government of Israel did not put Kastner on trial, instead it filed an appeal against the acquittal of Greenwald for criminal libel. In the Newspaper Ma'ariv, Dr. Karlebach wrote in Israel's largest evening newspaper: What is going on here? The Attorney General has to mobilize all the government power, appear himself in court, to justify and defend collaboration with Himmler! And in order to defend a quisling, the government must drag through the streets one of the grimmest stories of our history! At 11 P.M. the verdict was given. At 11 A.M. next morning the government announces the defense of Kastner will be renewed - an appeal filed. What exemplary expediency! Since when does this government possess such lawyer-genius who can weigh in one night the legal chances of an appeal on a detailed, complex verdict of three hundred pages?! (24 June 1955)

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