The Secrets, Reports, Documents and Protocols from the Archive of Rudolf Israel Kastner. 1940-50s

The Secrets, Reports, Documents and Protocols from the Archive of Rudolf Israel Kastner. 1940-50s

The shocking controversy that shook the State of Israel in the 1950s has never been answered. Was Dr. Rudolf Israel Kastner a heroic rescuer of the Jews during the Holocaust or a Nazi collaborator?

This giant archive contains about 170 letters, documents, certificates and protocols that were given to Holocaust researcher Dov Dinur by Kastner's family. The documents are printed in a large variety of languages, including German, Hungarian, English, Hebrew and Yiddish. They document Kastner's activities during the time that he was a member of the "Va'ad Ezra V'Hatzalah" [Aid and Rescue Committee], when he tried to formulate an agreement with the Nazis that would liberate hundreds of Hungarian Jews and the Nuremberg Trials, towards the end of the Second World War when Kastner wrote reports regarding the activities of Nazi officers during the Holocaust.

Unique features: This archive features an early draft prepared by Dr. Kastner for a special report regarding the activities of the "Vaad HaEzra V'Hatzalah" in 1946. This is important testimony since it is the only report that Kastner gave during his role as president of the committee. The draft in this archive is significantly different from what was eventually published. 55 pages, typewritten, includes erasures and many handwritten comments and corrections.
The archive provides a glimpse into the early stages of the negotiations. Six documents from August, 1944 feature an early text of what he planned on showing the Germans, alongside five printed notes and leaves which reveal the source of the funding of the "Vaad Ezra V'Hatzalah, " the amounts that were raised and additional details regarding the negotiations.

The chief murderer Adolf Eichmann is mentioned in the archive. This includes five reports that were authored by Kastner during July-August 1944, following his meetings with Eichmann, Kurt Becher (who Kastner later defended), Hermann Krumey and other senior Nazi leaders. A fascinating document in this huge archive features a letter of appreciation from Kurt Becher expressing his thanks for the testimony that Kastner gave during his trial, which led to his acquittal. After the praise and thanks, Becher asks Kastner - because of the trust they had in each other - for a monetary loan. Kastner was denounced and ostracized for this testimony that protected Becher from punishment. However Kastner's defenders claim that Becher deserved this help, because he helped Kastner liberate complete camps with Jews.

As mentioned, this archive is rich with valuable material from that dark era.

Kastner was murdered in Tel Aviv in the wake of the libel trial brought against journalist Malchiel Gruenwald who accused Kastner of collaborating with the Nazis. The regional court acquitted Gruenwald of most of the claims and determined that Kastner "sold his soul to the devil." However, in an appeal by the State of Israel to the Supreme Court, Kastner's name was cleared.

Condition: Overall moderate-fine. The archive is beautifully organized in two thick binders.