A Former Leading NY Judge Shares Insights from Nuremberg amid Israel-Hamas Conflict
Sad distant past is present
This guest essay, which I was allowed, reflects the views of Sol Wachtler, former chief judge of the New York Court of Appeals and adjunct professor at Touro Law Center:
July ’02 I sat in the precise Nuremberg, Germany, courtroom — formerly called Hitler’s court — where once WWII Nazis orchestrated the massacre of Jews.
I stared at the elevator door through which Hermann Goering had walked — sentenced to death by hanging. He cheated that by committing suicide. A hidden cyanide pill the night before.
The day following the courtroom I was allowed at the Wannsee Seminar “Tyranny, Justice & the Law: The Nazis and Beyond.” Attendees were international jurists invited to discuss “Hitler’s Courts: Betrayal of the Rule of Law in Nazi Germany.”
Einsatzgruppen were Nazi killing units whose job was to murder and rape a million unarmed civilians. Like at Babi Yar — near Kyiv, Ukraine — where more than 30,000 defenseless people were lined up to be shot to death.
Nuremberg tried those death squad leaders. Einsatzgruppen trial is the largest murder trial in history — 24 convicted, 14 death sentences.
Now, today.
After Hamas relived the Einsatzgruppen on Oct. 7, an MSNBC news anchor said Hamas’ massacre needs more “nuance.” CNN said it needed “context.”
The Hamas attack had zero to do with the Palestinians’ plight. Hamas in 2006 promised US charities, the UN, Israel and other Arab funds would build schools, hospitals, sewage, water systems, power plants. But instead spent it on arms, rockets, tunnels — and permitted no election since.
The Hamas Covenant’s premise, like Hitler’s in “Mein Kampf,” preaches eliminating Jews as “a necessarily bloody process.” That attack was unalloyed antisemitism.
Nothing serves Hamas’ purpose more than Israeli retaliation. It goes beyond rescuing hostages and rooting out Hamas and its leaders.
Does civilization tolerate barbarism against the innocent without any punishment before the International Criminal Court in the Hague?
Is not genocidal antisemitism as indefensible as ignoring the crimes of the Einsatzgruppen?
‘Devil’ is in the details
THE Cutting Room’s invite to their Halloween night thing:
“Special screening of 1973’s classic porn job ‘The Devil in Miss Jones!’ ” A remastered version plus the director’s grown kids will be special guests to discuss growing up on 1970s porn sets. I mean, what could be more lovely for children, right?
Their DJ’s name — probably not on his birth certificate — is Crystal Clear.
He’s guaranteed “kick-ass,” so slap on your devil horns or dress for their ’70s-type conga line or tart up like some Karcrashian. It’s to 10 p.m. A nice after-work event.
SORRY Mike Pence pulled out of the race for the presidency. He was such a nice man. When his handlers called him to take his final speech it was 7 p.m. and they asked: “Did we wake you?”
Only in DC, kids, only in DC.
