WEST GERMANY: ISRAELI AMBASSADOR PRESENTS MEDALS TO GERMANS WHO WORKED AGAINST NAZI JEWISH PROGRAMME

Record ID: 399435

  • Title: WEST GERMANY: ISRAELI AMBASSADOR PRESENTS MEDALS TO GERMANS WHO WORKED AGAINST NAZI JEWISH PROGRAMME
  • Date: 25th March 1966
  • Summary: MR ASHER BEN NATHAN GREETING THE FOUR GERMANS, AND THEY RECEIVING MEDALS INSIDE THE EMBASSY. Initials DE/V/JL/SGM Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
  • Embargoed: 9th April 1966 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: COLOGNE, WEST GERMANY
  • Country: Germany
  • Reuters ID: LVA9QU4RY8IMXZ7ULJWQRU4WECDB
  • Story Text: FOUR GERMANS, WHO RISKED THEIR LIVES TO SAVE JEWS FROM PERSECUTION AND DEATH UNDER THE NAZIS, WERE HONOURED AT A CEREMONY IN COLOGNE ON FRIDAY. THE ISRAELI AMBASSADOR TO WEST GERMANY, MR. ASHER BEN NATHAN, PRESENTED EACH WITH A MEDAL BEARING THE WORDS - "HE WHO SAVES A SINGLE BEING SAVES A WHOLE WORLD."
    THE FOUR ARE DEAN HEINRICH GRUEBER, AGED 75, PRELATE HERMAN MAAS, 88, FRAU GERTRUD LUCKNER AND BUSINESSMAN, WERNER KRUMME, 57.

    DEAN GRUEBER RAN AN UNDERGROUND ESCAPE SCHEME FOR PERSECUTED JEWS UNTIL HIS ARREST BY THE GESTAPO JUST AFTER THE OUTBREAK OF WORLD WAR TWO. AS PUNISHMENT HE SPENT THREE YEARS IN DACHAU AND SACHSENHAUSEN CONCENTRATION CAMPS.

    FRAU LUCKNER RAN A SIMILAR ESCAPE NETWORK - AND SHE TOO WAS ARRESTED BY THE GESTAPO. SHE WAS INTERNED IN RAVENSBRUCK DEATH CAMP FROM 1943 UNTIL THE GERMAN CAPITULATION.

    HERR KRUMME AND HIS WIFE WERE SENT TO AUSCHWITZ IN 1942 FOR CO-OPERATING WITH FRENCH RESISTANCE WORKERS WHO WERE HELPING JEWS ESCAPE DEATH IN POLAND. HIS WIFE DIED IN AN AUSCHWITZ GAS CHAMBER.

    PRELATE MAAS WAS SPENT TO A FORCED LABOUR CAMP IN FRANCE AT THE AGE OF 67 FOR HELPING JEWS. AFTER TRAVELLING TO PALESTINE I 1933 TO SEE IF THAT COUNTRY WAS A SUITABLE REFUGE FOR JEWS HE RETURNED TO GERMANY AND PUT A JEWISH SYMBOL ON HIS DOOR "FOR EVERY JEW TO SEE THAT HE COULD COME TO ME."
    MR. BEN NATHAN SAID: "IN THOSE DARK DAYS YOU ACTED AS HUMAN BEING...FROM YOUR DEEP-ROOTED FAITH YOU GAVE HELP AND CONSOLATION TO THOSE WHO WERE PERSECUTED."
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