Eichmann Trial -- Session 38 -- Testimony of M. Ansbacher and submission of documents

Session 38. Modechai Ansbacher is testifying for the Prosecution, answering questions about witnessing the deportation of many children, he was one of them. He was in Belgium until the German occupation. He was sent to Calais by the Belgian government, and attempted to escape to England, but they could not. The Blitzkrieg had caught up with them. They were sent to a small concentration camp in Calais until the Belgium Red Cross sent them back to Brussels. 00:04:50 Tape jumps. Ansbacher is discussing the work he did, and says that he was involved in a clandestine school. He says that everything was very difficult, because everyone was greedy, wanted to make sure they had their food, that everyone was very hungry, but he speaks highly of one adult who kept them fair, made sure everyone had food, and tried to keep the celebrations of Jewish holy days as best they could. He describes being forbidden to sing Jewish songs, even to whistle them, though they resisted, even when chastised. 00:15:25 The Prosecution asks Ansbacher to look at a photo of a roll call, and asks to describe what is going on. He is unable to identify the location exactly, but he recognizes it as Theresienstadt. There was an incident where everyone, the sick, aged, babies, were forced to a roll call late in the night. They were forced to stand literally all day. They thought that the Russians were coming and perhaps the entire ghetto would be liquidated. They counted multiple times, and were beaten repeatedly for those missing. 00:19:41 The Defense asks Ansbacher about the time period in which a series of photos are taken, he does not know. He is then asked about gas chambers in Dachau, and he answers that he never saw any. 00:22:27 Ansbacher is answering the questions of the Judges concerning visits of the Red Cross. He describes the things set up only for the Red Cross, to make things look good. He mentions ponies, ice skating, cots with hearts on their beds, and food. Rehearsals were done with the children. 00:27:28 The Prosecution continues by submitting more documents about Germany. 00:27:54 Tape jumps. The Prosecution is still submitting documents, the account of a man interrogated by the Jewish department of the Gestapo after coming from England to Germany. He describes a war panic on the people, and they said that if a war happens, the Jews will be the first losers. Another document instructs the SS that when a Jew was sentenced for a crime, they would suffer their punishment and then be kept in a concentration camp for the duration of the war. 00:45:38 Another document describes the deportation of many Jews, and includes a report from the American Secretary of State to Berlin, saying that the topic will be broached with Foreign Minister von Ribbentrop.