Nazi hunter meets German commissioner against antisemitism

The Simon Wiesenthal Center's chief Nazi hunter and the German Commissioner for the Fight Against Antisemitism discussed prosecution for Eizensatzgruppen.

 Survivors of the Nazi regime attend a memorial service at the former Nazi concentration camp in Sachsenhausen near the German capital Berlin April 17, 2005.  (photo credit: TOBIAS SCHWARZ / REUTERS)
Survivors of the Nazi regime attend a memorial service at the former Nazi concentration camp in Sachsenhausen near the German capital Berlin April 17, 2005.
(photo credit: TOBIAS SCHWARZ / REUTERS)

The Simon Wiesenthal Center's chief Nazi hunter, Dr. Efraim Zuroff, met with German Commissioner for the Fight Against Antisemitism Dr. Felix Klein, to honor Holocaust survivor Emil Farkash who was set to testify in the trial of an alleged Nazi SS guard last week.

Zuroff had made the German prosecution aware of Farkash's status as a survivor of Sachsenhausen, the concentration camp where the alleged Nazi guard is accused of serving. He was then appointed as an escort for Farkash's trip to Germany and testimony.

The two officials discussed the prosecution of members of the Eizensatzgruppen mobile killing squads, with Zuroff saying that there has been a failure to prosecute any member of this group and Klein expressing willingness to take the matter up with German legal authorities, the Weisenthal Center said.

Zurhoff said he was pleased to meet with Klein, whose efforts to combat antisemitism in Germany he found noteworthy. 

 The Simon Wiesenthal Center's chief Nazi Hunter Dr. Efraim Zuroff met with the German Commisioner for the Fight Against Antisemitism Dr. Felix Klein. (credit: Courtesy)
The Simon Wiesenthal Center's chief Nazi Hunter Dr. Efraim Zuroff met with the German Commisioner for the Fight Against Antisemitism Dr. Felix Klein. (credit: Courtesy)

"It is also very good that he acknowledged the role of the prosecution of Nazi war criminals as an important component in the fight against contemporary antisemitism," Zurhoff said.