An Eye for an Eye: The Untold Story of Jewish Revenge Against Germans in 1945
Encyclopedia
An Eye for an Eye: The Untold Story of Jewish Revenge Against Germans in 1945 (ISBN 978-0465042142) is a book by John Sack
, arguing that some Jews
in Eastern Europe
took revenge on their former captors while overseeing over 1,000 concentration camps in Poland
for German
civilians. Sack estimates that 60,000 to 80,000 people died in these camps.
According to The New Republic
s review of the book, which uses information from Sack's endnotes, most of the people working in these camps were not Jewish, which the reviewer argues that Sack did his best to conceal. Sack, claiming the criticism was demonstrably untrue, attempted to publish his response in a letter to the editor of The New Republic, which the magazine refused to run. He then asked to purchase an ad
. The New Republic agreed to publish one, but later reversed its position.
In 1993, the CBS News
program 60 Minutes
ran a story on the book, focusing on one of its main characters, Colonel Solomon Morel, the commandant of the Zgoda labour camp
. Following the book's publication, Morel was indicted by Polish courts for crimes against humanity. He fled to Tel Aviv
and was granted sanctuary under the Law of Return
. Israel
i courts refused extradition
to stand trial for war crime
s, as reported in the Daily Telegraph newspaper of London, on 2 January 2005, recalling an Associated Press wire of 7 December 1998 (5:26 PM EST). Another person who appears in the book is Lola Potok Ackerfeld Blatt (b. 1921).
Following the publication of this book, its author, himself a Jew, was accused of anti-Semitism
and Holocaust denial
by Deborah Lipstadt
on the Charlie Rose show, as he describes in his speech "Revenge and Redemption", given to the National Press Club and at various universities in North America
.
John Sack
John Sack was an American literary journalist and war correspondent. He was the only journalist to cover each American war over half a century.-Biography:...
, arguing that some Jews
Jews
The Jews , also known as the Jewish people, are a nation and ethnoreligious group originating in the Israelites or Hebrews of the Ancient Near East. The Jewish ethnicity, nationality, and religion are strongly interrelated, as Judaism is the traditional faith of the Jewish nation...
in Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe is the eastern part of Europe. The term has widely disparate geopolitical, geographical, cultural and socioeconomic readings, which makes it highly context-dependent and even volatile, and there are "almost as many definitions of Eastern Europe as there are scholars of the region"...
took revenge on their former captors while overseeing over 1,000 concentration camps in Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
for German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
civilians. Sack estimates that 60,000 to 80,000 people died in these camps.
According to The New Republic
The New Republic
The magazine has also published two articles concerning income inequality, largely criticizing conservative economists for their attempts to deny the existence or negative effect increasing income inequality is having on the United States...
s review of the book, which uses information from Sack's endnotes, most of the people working in these camps were not Jewish, which the reviewer argues that Sack did his best to conceal. Sack, claiming the criticism was demonstrably untrue, attempted to publish his response in a letter to the editor of The New Republic, which the magazine refused to run. He then asked to purchase an ad
Advertising
Advertising is a form of communication used to persuade an audience to take some action with respect to products, ideas, or services. Most commonly, the desired result is to drive consumer behavior with respect to a commercial offering, although political and ideological advertising is also common...
. The New Republic agreed to publish one, but later reversed its position.
In 1993, the CBS News
CBS News
CBS News is the news division of American television and radio network CBS. The current chairman is Jeff Fager who is also the executive producer of 60 Minutes, while the current president of CBS News is David Rhodes. CBS News' flagship program is the CBS Evening News, hosted by the network's main...
program 60 Minutes
60 Minutes
60 Minutes is an American television news magazine, which has run on CBS since 1968. The program was created by producer Don Hewitt who set it apart by using a unique style of reporter-centered investigation....
ran a story on the book, focusing on one of its main characters, Colonel Solomon Morel, the commandant of the Zgoda labour camp
Zgoda labour camp
The Zgoda labour camp was a concentration camp for Germans, Silesians and Poles, set up in 1945 by the Soviet NKVD in Świętochłowice, Silesia. It was controlled by the communist secret police until its closure by the Stalinist authorities of Poland in November of the same year.Between 1943 and...
. Following the book's publication, Morel was indicted by Polish courts for crimes against humanity. He fled to Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv , officially Tel Aviv-Yafo , is the second most populous city in Israel, with a population of 404,400 on a land area of . The city is located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline in west-central Israel. It is the largest and most populous city in the metropolitan area of Gush Dan, with...
and was granted sanctuary under the Law of Return
Law of Return
The Law of Return is Israeli legislation, passed on 5 July 1950, that gives Jews the right of return and settlement in Israel and gain citizenship...
. Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
i courts refused extradition
Extradition
Extradition is the official process whereby one nation or state surrenders a suspected or convicted criminal to another nation or state. Between nation states, extradition is regulated by treaties...
to stand trial for war crime
War crime
War crimes are serious violations of the laws applicable in armed conflict giving rise to individual criminal responsibility...
s, as reported in the Daily Telegraph newspaper of London, on 2 January 2005, recalling an Associated Press wire of 7 December 1998 (5:26 PM EST). Another person who appears in the book is Lola Potok Ackerfeld Blatt (b. 1921).
Following the publication of this book, its author, himself a Jew, was accused of anti-Semitism
Anti-Semitism
Antisemitism is suspicion of, hatred toward, or discrimination against Jews for reasons connected to their Jewish heritage. According to a 2005 U.S...
and Holocaust denial
Holocaust denial
Holocaust denial is the act of denying the genocide of Jews in World War II, usually referred to as the Holocaust. The key claims of Holocaust denial are: the German Nazi government had no official policy or intention of exterminating Jews, Nazi authorities did not use extermination camps and gas...
by Deborah Lipstadt
Deborah Lipstadt
Deborah Esther Lipstadt, Ph.D. is an American historian and author of the book Denying the Holocaust and The Eichmann Trial. She is the Dorot Professor of Modern Jewish and Holocaust Studies at Emory University...
on the Charlie Rose show, as he describes in his speech "Revenge and Redemption", given to the National Press Club and at various universities in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
.
Further reading
- John Sack: Auge um Auge. Die Geschichte von Juden die Rache für den Holocaust suchten. Kabel, Hamburg: Kabel, 1993, ISBN 3822503398 (German translation)
- Alfred de Zayas: Die Anglo-Amerikaner und die Vertreibung der Deutschen. Frankfurt am Main: Ullstein, 1988, ISBN 3548330991.
External links
- Author's website
- A critical review, by Myron B. Kuropas
- Dictionary of Literary Biography - on An Eye for an Eye
- The Commandant - a transcript of the story run in 60 minutes
- supportive review by Doug Collins
- critical review in New Republic magazine
- ISBN 0-9675691-0-9