From the CBC:
“Ex-Nazi interpreter Helmut
Oberlander has died in Waterloo, Ont., family says”
Helmut Oberlander, the former
interpreter for a Nazi death squad during the Second World War, has died in
Waterloo, Ont., according to his family. Oberlander, 97, died in his home on Wednesday.
A statement from his family said he was "surrounded by loved ones." "Notwithstanding
the challenges in his life, he remained strong in his faith," read the
statement sent to CBC News by Oberlander's lawyer, Ronald Poulton. "He
took comfort in his family and the support of many in his community. He gave
generously to charity, supported his church and was a loving family man. He
will be dearly missed." Oberlander
had been in a legal battle with the federal government to maintain his
citizenship since 1995.
Earlier this month, Oberlander
faced an admissibility hearing by the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada
about whether he could remain in Canada. The federal government argued
Oberlander lied to Canadian authorities about his wartime activities despite no
evidence he took part in any atrocities. Oberlander was born in Halbstadt,
Ukraine, in 1924. He has steadfastly maintained he was just 17 when he was
forced on pain of execution to join the Nazi death squad Einsatzkommando 10a,
known as Ek 10a. The squad was responsible for killing close to 100,000 people
who were mostly Jewish. Oberlander was not accused of taking part in any
executions. He came to Canada in 1954 and became a citizen six years later.
Calls for accountability In
the summer of 1942, the Nazi death squads Oberlander worked for went to the
Russian city of Rostov-on-Don, about 1,000 kilometres south of Moscow, and over
a year and a half reportedly killed 27,000 people. Chaim Danzinger, the
rabbi in Rostov-on-Don who continues work to rebuild the community, told CBC
News earlier this year that he has struggled to explain to the community how
Canada handled Oberlander's case. Oberlander himself has not been
accused of carrying out the executions in Rostov-on-Don, but Danzinger said he
should have been held accountable for his part in the massacre as a member of
the unit responsible. "[Oberlander] will certainly not be missed by
the individuals and families who remember him for his role in the massacre in
Rostov during the war," he said in an email to CBC. "It is
outrageous for them to hear that he died 'peacefully' when their relatives died
horrifically in that mass killing, which he was never held accountable for. I
do believe in divine justice and know that the ultimate judge will now mete out
the consequences he deserves, but it's unfortunate society did not seek justice
in this world." Shimon Koffler Fogel, president and CEO of the
Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs, said in a statement that Oberlander
"should have been deported decades ago to face justice in Germany."
"To honour Canadians' collective commitment to 'never again,' we call
for a thorough review of the immigration and refugee system as it pertains to
suspected war criminals, so that those alleged to have committed the most
atrocious of crimes cannot evade judgment. This travesty of justice should
never be allowed to occur again in Canada."
B'nai Brith issues statement B'nai
Brith Canada, an independent Jewish human rights organization, issued a
statement Thursday saying the group was frustrated by Canada's failure to
deport Oberlander. "The peaceful demise of Helmut Oberlander on
Canadian soil is a stain on our national conscience," said the group's
chief executive officer, Michael Mostyn. "The fact is that this
country slammed its doors on Jewish refugees fleeing the Nazis, then allowed
some of their tormentors into Canada and failed to deport them," Mostyn
continued. "We at B'nai Brith are proud of our decades-long fight
on the Oberlander file and will continue the struggle to ensure that those who
have attacked Jews and lied about it in order to enter Canada cannot remain in
this country."
^ While his death means another
Nazi is no longer on the Earth and he is now looking up at us it would have
been even better if he had been deported from Canada and died awaiting trial
for his crimes. ^
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