Defendant Oskar Gröning sits near a courtroom entrance during a trial break in Lüneburg, Germany, April 2015. Julian Stratenschulte picture-alliance/dpa/AP Images
Exploring what it means to achieve justice 75 years after the defeat of Nazi Germany, a panel will tackle questions including: Is a perpetrator ever too old to prosecute? Is it fair to the victims and their families not to prosecute? Does it serve justice to try some perpetrators when so many others have gone free? Is it ever too late for accountability?
The answers affect efforts to achieve justice in the wake of the genocides and mass atrocities that continue to be committed in the 21st century. Join a discussion with an investigative reporter, a filmmaker, and a former Nazi hunter who have examined these questions.
The new book, Citizen 865, introduces readers to the Justice Department’s team of lawyers and historians who tracked down members of a Nazi mass murder force living in the United States by uncovering evidence hidden behind the Iron Curtain. The documentary, The Accountant of Auschwitz, focuses on the 2015 trial in Germany of former SS officer Oskar Gröning, convicted at age 94 for complicity in the murder of 300,000 Jews.
Panelists will address the controversy surrounding such cases, ongoing efforts to achieve justice for Holocaust crimes, and the significance of these endeavors in a world where hate continues to fuel mass violence.
Opening Remarks
Irene Weiss, Holocaust Survivor and Museum volunteer who testified against multiple Nazi perpetrators, including Oskar Gröning, so-called Accountant of Auschwitz
Speakers
Debbie Cenziper, Washington Post contributing investigative reporter, Pulitzer Prize winner, and author of Citizen 865 The Hunt for Hitler’s Hidden Soldiers in America
Ricki Gurwitz, Canadian producer and writer, The Accountant of Auschwitz
Elizabeth “Barry” White, senior historian, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum and former deputy chief and chief historian
of the Justice Department’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section
Moderator
Edna Friedberg, Historian and Director, Strategic Relationships and Communication, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
Registration is required.
Watch online
Stream the program live at ushmm.org/watch. Registration is not required to watch the live-streamed event.
For additional questions, please email calendar@ushmm.org or call 202.488.0460.
