So you see these human stories which are not -- they're not real. Your effort and contribution in providing this feedback is much Without calling a single witness, he entered into evidence the defendants' own reports of what they'd done. Ferencz was recruited to lead an effort to return property seized by the Nazis to its owners or their heirs a first-of-its kind endeavor that led him to stay in Germany for 10 years. He quickly recognized the importance of the find. He said, Never has moral authority been squandered that fast. Ferencz was an immigrant. Its a well-known playbook, Michel argued, citing a litany of Russian oligarchs who have sought to whitewash their dirty deeds through philanthropy, turning our most vaunted cultural institutions into reputation laundering factories that attract the same sketchy agents who have already poured their ill-gotten funds into American hedge funds, real estate, and shell companies, according to a 2020 report by the Anti-Corruption Data Collective. Although he witnessed atrocities as a US soldier in the Second World We've had genocide since then. It's actually a myth about how to make money on Facebook Benjamin Berell Ferencz (born March 11, 1920) is an American lawyer. I thought of Ferencz and Altmans words as President Joe Biden announced sanctions last week, and the world rallied to enforce them, isolating Putin and Russian businesses to the point where the ruble has lost its value. Of course after the war, these titans of German industry disavowed knowledge of the war crimes their money fueled (and for which they were charged at the Nuremberg Trials), much in the way so many oligarchs now are claiming they have nothing to do with Putinand if anything are against the war and are working to broker peace and providing humanitarian aid. Exhibit 179, from Kiev in 1941: "The city's Jews were ordered to present themselves about 34,000 reported, including women and children. Altman argued that had German industrialists not colluded with Hitler, the Nazis would never have had the resources to kill 6 million Jews, let alone funnel hundreds of thousands of Jewish youth (like herself and my mother) into work camps where they fought for their lives and endured unspeakable brutality. He often tells young people to never give up because the fight for peace and justice is worth the long struggle ahead. When Ferencz was ten months old, his family emigrated to the United States, which, according to his own account, was to avoid the persecution of Hungarian Jews by Romania after Romania gained formal control of Transylvania. Yad Vashem, the World Holocaust Remembrance Center, found itself somewhat flat-footed by the news. Ferencz cut him off midsentence and ended the conversation with three words uttered in German: Goodbye, Mr. Ohlendorf., There was no remorse whatsoever, Ferencz said. You're not getting very far. According to his website biography, when he presided over what the Associated Press called the biggest murder trial in history, Benjamin Ferencz was only 27-years-old. That's insane. Not to elicit a confession or probe his mind. US Holocaust Memorial Museum. He declined very rapidly, his son, Don, said last week. Ferencz was one of the American service members who went into the camps at the end of the war. Memories of the horrifying scenes he witnessed during this period left a permanent impression on Mr. Ferencz and inform his ongoing desire to see a world in which those responsible for atrocity crimes are held to account. He grew up poor on the rough and tumble streets of Hells Kitchen, where his father worked as a janitor-turned-house painter. Benjamin Ferencz: Well, I'm still a young man. The same should apply to Russian oligarchs.. Born on March 11, 1920 in United States, Ben Ferencz started his career as lawyer and pacifist . Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. According to the museum, Ferencz is married to wife, Gertrude, lives in Florida, and has four grown children. Just get your evidence. These were people who could quote Goethe, who loved Wagner, who were polite--. WebBenjamin Ferencz was born on March 11, 1920 in Soncuta-Mare, Romania. After graduating in 1943, he joinedthe US Army. Ferencz is 99 years old (100, if you ask him in person), and the only surviving Nuremberg Trial prosecutor. Ferencz had stumbled upon reports sent back to headquarters by secret SS units called Einsatzgruppen, or action groups. He went on to campaign for the establishment of international law, including the creation of the International Criminal Court (ICC), and to ensure restitution and rehabilitation for the victims of Nazi war crimes, the UN says. Any institution, regardless of its area of focus, should refrain from taking Russian oligarchic money, Michel said. Benjamin Ferenczs story will be featured June 30, 2019 on an episode of 60 Minutes. Tells His Amazing Story Of How Became a Prosecutor At The Nuremberg Trials At Only 27 Years Old Benjamin Ferencz: That was their assignment, come in behind the troop, round up the Jews, kill 'em all. Some of his titles include: Mr. Ferencz lives in Florida and has four grown children. He was an investigator of Nazi war crimes after World War II and the chief prosecutor for the United States Army at the Einsatzgruppen Trial, one of the 12 military trials held by the U.S. authorities at Nuremberg, Germany. In the decades since the Nuremberg Trials, Mr. Ferencz has dedicated his life to ending war and promoting justice. Taylor told Ferencz adding another trial was impossible. And you know what keeps me going? Link Copied! Lesley Stahl: So they went right in after the troops? He soon received a telegram from the Pentagon summoning him to see General Telford Taylor, an esteemed lawyer who had been appointed by President Truman as the person responsible for subsequent Nuremberg Trials that were to pick up where thefirst one had left off. BREAKING:Eli Lilly caps the cost of insulin at $35 a month, Ben Ferencz, the last surviving prosecutor from the Nuremberg trials, answered the phone in bright spirits. One of these-- my defendants said-- He gets up, and he says, "[GERMAN]," which is, "What? Ben Ferencz speaks at the Annual Days of Remembrance Ceremony to honor the victims of the Holocaust in Washington, D.C., in 2018. It ended with the conviction of Herman Goring and 21 other top Nazi lieutenants. Look at the emancipation of woman in my lifetime. He is compelled by the imperative to replace the rule of force with the rule of law, by ending warfare in favor of judicial mechanisms that can resolve conflict. Lesley Stahl: Did anybody ever say that you're naive? Ben Ferencz Born: March 11, 1920 (age 102years), Transylvania, Romania, Ben Ferencz Spouse: Gertrude Ferencz (m. 19462019), Ben Ferencz Education: The City College of New York, Harvard Law School, Townsend Harris High School, Ben Ferencz Awards: Erasmus Prize, National Jewish Book Award for Holocaust. Before his health deteriorated, he reflected on his extraordinary life in a 45-minute interview with NBC News. Lesley Stahl: They're making them run to their own death? There is no point in drowning in a lake of tears, Ferencz says in the introduction to a forthcoming book about him. Learn How much net worth Ben is in this year and how he spend his expenses? His earliest memories are of his small basement apartment in a Manhattan district appropriately referred to as Hells Kitchen. Even at an early age, he felt a deep yearning for universal friendship and worldpeace., He went to college at Harvard Law School, graduating in 1943, according to his bio. The scenes he witnessed would haunt him for the rest of his life. He never stops pushing his message and he's donating his life savings to a Genocide Prevention Initiative at the Holocaust Museum. Now he tells Amanpour it pains him to once again see Taylor immediately appointed Ferencz to his team. The Holocaust Memorial Museum says on its website that Ferencz has published books on the top of world peace, listing the following publications: Defining International Aggression: The Search for World Peace (Oceana Publications, 1975), An International Criminal Court: A Step Toward World Peace (Oceana Publications, 1980), Enforcing International Law: A Way to World Peace (Oceana Publications, 1983), A Common Sense Guide to World Peace (Oceana Publications, 1985), PlanetHood by Ben Ferencz and Ken Keyes (Mass Market Paperback, 1988).. Ben wiki profile will be updated soon as we collect Ben Ferenczs Height, weight, Body Measurements, Eye Color, Hair Color, Shoe & Dress size soon as possible. He became the first in his family to go to college, then got a scholarship to Harvard Law School. He was so short he had to stand on books to reach the courtroom lectern. And no amount of reparations can erase it., Or as Ferencz wrote in the preface for his book, Less Than Slaves, about his efforts to seek compensation for Holocaust survivors enslaved by I. G. Farben, Krupp, AEG, Rheinmetall and Daimler-Benz, the German term for the varied restitution programs, Wiedergutmachung, literally means making good again. But it was a Mission Impossible since the harms sought to be remedied can never be made good again.. Getty 1894 shipwreck found in Lake Huron, confirming "powerful, tragic story", Garland to face Congress amid ongoing special counsel investigations, FBI chief says agency feels pandemic likely started with Chinese lab leak. For the past two weeks, Yad Vashem has defended its new long-term strategic partnership with Abramovich, which was announced on the eve of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. From 1985 to 1996, he was adjunct professor of international law at Pace University. This is Ferencz making his opening statement in the Nuremberg courtroom 73 years ago. You know? He had a specific job to do. And look at you. June 27, 2021 / 6:54 PM What Dayan failed to disclose was that two weeks prior to the Russian invasion, he and other beneficiaries of Abramovichs largesse in Israel petitioned the U.S. embassy to keep him from being sanctioned. Benjamin Ferencz: They said, "No, you're too short. Ferencz told us he is still haunted by the things he saw. You ask them, he recalled telling the officials. Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot loses reelection bid, Fiery train crash in Greece kills dozens, many of them students. At the end of 1945, Mr. Ferencz was honorably discharged from the US Army with the rank of Sergeant of Infantry and returned to New York where he prepared to practice law. By the time Ferencz found the Einsatzgruppen records, the U.S. had already finalized plans for the other trials. Ben Ferencz in court: The charges we have brought accuse the defendants of having committed crimes against humanity. If everyone thought the way we do it would be a more humane and peaceful world, he wrote, according to a copy of the email shared with NBC News. These pieces of evidence provided the legal foundation for one of the largest murder trials in history: On September 15, 1947, Ferencz made his opening statement in Room 600 of the Nuremberg courthouse. They think that they can get away with murder, but murder is murder, and they should be put on trial.. My goal was clear: Grab the documents, he recalled. It was a very poignant and moving letter of remorse that expressed deep thanks and appreciation for my fathers life work, said Ferenczs son, Don. Giving comes with strings attached, and when its blood money, its stain can never be erased, as Altman said in a thunderous voice. Ben Ferencz Net Worth his net worth has been growing significantly in 2021-2022. Benjamin B. Ferencz was born in Transylvania in 1920 and moved to America when he was ten months old. But what is the point of giving to a community while fueling the very mechanism of its destruction? Einsatzgruppen D was the unit of Ferencz's lead defendant Otto Ohlendorf. CNN Sans & 2016 Cable News Network. There's the rabbi coming along there. Dont tell me we cant put them on trial., He said, Well, can you do it in addition to your other work?, I said, Sure. Thats how I got my first case.. Chief prosecutor Benjamin Ferencz presents documents as evidence at the Einsatzgruppen Trial. After he graduated from Harvard Law School in 1943, he enlisted in the army. From 1985 to 1996, he was adjunct professor of international law at Pace University. As detractors criticized the Holocaust museum for its tone-deafness at a time when much of the world cut ties with Russian money, Yad Vashem Chairman Dani Dayan stood by his decision, asserting Abramovich hadnt been sanctionedyet. The trial began on Sept. 29, 1947. US Holocaust Memorial Museum, courtesy of Benjamin Ferencz, Guidelines for Teaching About the Holocaust, < The Ferencz International Justice Initiative, Explore the Museum's Benjamin B. Ferencz collection, Learn more out about Ben Ferenczs legacy, Fundamentals of Genocide and Mass Atrocity Prevention, To Make Us Slowly Disappear: The Chinese Governments Assault on the Uyghurs, About the Simon-Skjodt Center for the Prevention of Genocide, The Ferencz International Justice Initiative, Ferencz International Justice Initiative: Our Approach, Ferencz International Justice Initiative: Public Outreach, Lessons Learned in Preventing and Responding to Mass Atrocities, Holocaust Survivors and Victims Resource Center, Follow Mr. Ferencz's Nuremberg Legacy project on. US Holocaust Memorial Museum, courtesy of Benjamin Ferencz. At theInternational Military Tribunal (IMT)andSubsequent Nuremberg Proceedings, documentation ofevidenceand prosecution of crimes were intertwined. He recalls in his writingshow at the trial's start, the rows were packed with people, but as the trial progressed, the seats emptied out asthe Germans failed to keep upinterest. After the war concluded, Ferencz received an honorable discharge as an Army Sergeant of Infantry. He's a patriotic human being acting in the interest of his country, in his mind. Innocent lamb. But that didn't last long. 284 pp. Benjamin Ferencz: He gave me a bunch of binders, four binders. Ferencz studied crime prevention at the City College of New York, and his criminal law exam result won him a scholarship to Harvard Law School. At the age of 27, Mr. Ferencz was appointed Chief Prosecutor in the Einsatzgruppen Trial, in what the Associated Press called the biggest murder trial in history. The Court found 20 Nazi officials guilty of war crimes, crimes against humanity, and membership in a criminal organization for their roles in the murder of over a million people. They want power and wealth, and are willing to look the other way as innocent people including mothers and children are killed, and thousands are dying. That is until sanctions were mentioned, and they suddenly became peacemakers, as Abramovich claims he isthough one has to wonder how he can broker peace with Putin if he also has nothing to do with him. Discovery Company. Ten months later, his family moved to the United States, where he grew up in Manhattan. Along with his sanctioned cronies Avn and German Kahn (chairman of Russias third-largest oil company, TNK Oil), Fridman announced last week that the three are donating $10 million to Ukraines Jewish community. This article was translated from German by Sarah Hucal, Auschwitz survivor Zilli Schmidt: Fearing new Nazis today, Ex-Nazi death camp guard faces German court reckoning, Ukraine updates: Zelenskyy calls for ICC Russia probe, More than mercenaries: Russia's Wagner Group in Africa, Russian troops step up fight to cut off Bakhmut supply lines, French court dismisses case against TotalEnergies, Pakistan: The school that's free for Afghan refugee children, New hurdles for sea rescuers in the Mediterranean, Tunisia: Presidential scapegoating stokes fear and support, Canada Soccer president resigns amid equal pay dispute, the first Nuremberg Trial, against the main Nazi war criminals, incriminating evidence from the extensive Nazi bureaucracy, also led to the founding of the International Criminal Court (ICC). He fought in every campaign in Europe, according to his website, and he was later tranferred to the War Crimes Branch of the Army that was charged with documenting Nazi atrocities and arresting those responsible. Since the agreement was finalized, roughly $90 billion has been distributed to Holocaust survivors, according to the Claims Conference. Benjamin Ferencz, who turned 100 in March, remains a fundamentally optimistic person. Although he witnessed atrocities as a US soldier in the Second World War, gathered evidence of Nazi war crimes after the war ended, and prosecuted Nazis in the subsequent Nuremberg Trials, his rosy outlook on life didn't change. On the 75th anniversary of the beginning of the Nuremberg Trials, Mr. Ferencz reflected on the impact the trial had on him and shared his inspiring story about devoting his life to pursuing peace, demanding justice for victims, and preventing genocide. 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