Serge Klarsfeld: Difference between revisions
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Serge and Beate Klarsfeld are known internationally for their anti-Nazi and pro-[[Zionism|Zionist]] activities. In [[1996]], they joined the outcry against [[Radovan Karadžić]] and [[Ratko Mladić]] for alleged [[war crimes]] and [[genocide]] in the [[former Yugoslavia]]. |
Serge and Beate Klarsfeld are known internationally for their anti-Nazi and pro-[[Zionism|Zionist]] activities. In [[1996]], they joined the outcry against [[Radovan Karadžić]] and [[Ratko Mladić]] for alleged [[war crimes]] and [[genocide]] in the [[former Yugoslavia]]. |
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Their activities have been called too harsh and too rashly condemning by several courts in [[Western Europe]]. Likewise, there has been criticism against the Klarsfelds' activism methods by other Nazi and government officials. |
Their activities have been called too harsh and too rashly condemning by several courts in [[Western Europe]]. Likewise, there has been criticism against the Klarsfelds' activism methods by other Nazi hunters and government officials. |
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The Klarsfelds' anti-Nazi campaign was dramatized in a [[1986]] film entitled [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0091616/ ''Nazi Hunter: The Beate Klarsfeld Story'']. |
The Klarsfelds' anti-Nazi campaign was dramatized in a [[1986]] film entitled [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0091616/ ''Nazi Hunter: The Beate Klarsfeld Story'']. |
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Revision as of 05:35, 18 February 2008
Serge (September 17, 1935, Bucharest, Romania) and Beate (February 13, 1939, Berlin, Germany) Klarsfeld are French activists activists engaging in Holocaust documentation and anti-Nazi and pro-Zionist activism, known for various violent acts for which they were several times criminally convicted. The couple, married in 1963, make their home in Paris.
Serge Klarsfeld, a Jew, spent the war years in France. In 1943, his father was abducted by the SS in Nice during a roundup ordered by Alois Brunner, and deported to the Auschwitz concentration camp, where he was gassed. Young Serge was cared for in a home for Jewish children operated by the OSE (Ouevre de Secours aux Enfants) organization; his mother and sister also survived the war.
Beate was born Beate Künzel, the daughter of a Wehrmacht soldier. In 1966 she was fired from her job at the Deutsch-Französisches Jugendwerk (Franco-German Alliance for Youth) after she started campaigning against the German Chancellor, Kurt Georg Kiesinger. She gained international attention when she slapped Kiesinger in 1968. Beate Klarsfeld was sentenced to one year in prison for insulting the Chancellor.
In August 1970 she was arrested in Warsaw by the Polish authorities and deported from Poland for protesting against Polish antisemitism.
In West Germany in 1971, Beate Klarsfeld was charged with gefährlicher Körperverletzung und gemeinschaftlicher Nötigung (inflicting dangerous physical injuries and causing uproar), convicted and sentenced to two months in prison.
Serge Klarsfeld was arrested in Germany and Syria when he pursued extradition proceedings against Alois Brunner. The Klarsfelds were involved in seeking prosecution for Klaus Barbie, René Bousquet, Jean Leguay, Maurice Papon and Paul Touvier for their wartime deeds.
In 1984, Serge and Beate Klarsfeld were awarded France's Legion of Honor by President Mitterrand.
The Klarsfelds campaigned against former United Nations Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim, elected President of Austria in 1986 amid allegations of his covering up his wartime activities as an officer in the Wehrmacht. Despite the accusations brought forward by the Klarsfeld couple, hard evidence against Waldheim was never found.
The Klarsfelds were the targets of car bombing at their home in France on July 9, 1979, possibly perpetrated by Fascist elements. No one was in the car when the bomb detonated, and no one was injured in the blast. Individuals purporting to represent the pro-Nazi ODESSA secret international organization took credit for the attack and demanded that the Klarsfelds stop pursuing (former) Nazis.
Serge and Beate Klarsfeld are known internationally for their anti-Nazi and pro-Zionist activities. In 1996, they joined the outcry against Radovan Karadžić and Ratko Mladić for alleged war crimes and genocide in the former Yugoslavia.
Their activities have been called too harsh and too rashly condemning by several courts in Western Europe. Likewise, there has been criticism against the Klarsfelds' activism methods by other Nazi hunters and government officials.
The Klarsfelds' anti-Nazi campaign was dramatized in a 1986 film entitled Nazi Hunter: The Beate Klarsfeld Story.
Bibliography of works in English
- The Children of Izieu: A Human Tragedy. New York: Harry N. Abrams Publishers, 1985. ISBN 0-8109-2307-6 Translation of Les enfants d'Izieu (1985)
- French Children of the Holocaust: A Memorial. New York: New York University Press, 1996. ISBN 0-8147-2992-3 Translation of Le mémorial des enfants juifs déportés de France (1995)