|
|
 |
WHEREVER THEY MAY BE
© 1972, The
Beate Klarsfeld Foundation
| |
|
| |
 |
Back |
 |
Contents |
Page 317 |
|
Home
Page |
Forward |
 |
| |
| |
accord is ratified) requests a sentence of six
months, to be suspended. The psychiatrist gives his deposition. To my great
satisfaction, he considers that I am perfectly normal and act as I do for the
very reasons I state.
Marinsky then makes a vibrant and remarkable plea
in English. It was published by the Israeli Bureau several weeks later. Here
are some extracts:
Mr. Chairman, Honorable Judges, in a wider
sense, in a cardinal sense, transcending every legal-technical criterion –
an attorney from my country has not only the moral right but a moral duty of
the highest order to plead the case of Beate Klarsfeld. Because, Mr. Chairman,
Honorable Judges, for my country and its people, the one hundred thousand men,
women, and children whom S.S.-Obersturmbannführer Lischka sent to their
death are far more than faceless numerical statistics. They are our brothers
and sisters, our mothers and fathers. Theirs is a living memory. A memory that
compels us to rally to the defense of this woman, who has sacrificed her
liberty and well-being in order to expose the mass-killers still at large and
demand that they be brought to justice... .
My country, Mr. Chairman,
Honorable Judges, is afflicted by strife and bloodshed. We have to preserve
every ounce of energy, emotion, and will power in order to face immediate and
mortal perils lurking just beyond our borders. We certainly have neither reason
nor desire to antagonize German public opinion, to interfere with your internal
politics, or to impair whatever goodwill exists in this country for Israel.
And yet, all this is completely nonexistent and fades away in face of a
hallowed, deeply rooted commitment to the memory of our kith and kin – a
commitment that does not allow for compromise.
We are committed, Mr.
Chairman, Honorable Judges, to make every effort in order to ensure that
Germany bring the Lischkas still at large to justice. We believe that Beate
Klarsfeld and her friends are basically moved by the same purpose. We know that
Beate Klarsfeld has, at considerable risk to herself, campaigned against
anti-Semitism in every part of the globe. She has literally risked her life in
Syria demanding humane treatment of Israeli war prisoners. She has demonstrated
in the streets of Warsaw and Prague against anti-Semitic policies. She has gone
to distant places such as South America in order to track down Nazi war
criminals. We feel that a sincere desire to atone for the past has moved Beate
Klarsfeld to act in this manner. We therefore admire her and salute her
courage. That, Mr. Chairman, Honorable Judges, is the reason why an Israeli
lawyer is here to defend her and plead her case... .
Beate Klarsfeld is
not Jewish, Beate Klarsfeld is German. Please note,
|
|
| |
| |
| |
WHEREVER THEY MAY BE
© 1972, The
Beate Klarsfeld Foundation |
|
Back |
Page 317 |
Forward |
|
|
