Hungarian Jews and the "Kastner Train"

B"H

Despite of being born in Germany, I have never felt a real interest in investigating the fate of the German Jews during the Holocaust. Of course, I learned more than enough about the whole subject at school and in my private time. However, any Holocaust interest seemed to disappear as soon as I entered Yeshiva. Then I was busy with studying the Jewish religion and I had more than enough to do with that.

But even religion is no escape from the Holocaust. On the contrary, as countless Jews ask the famous questions if there is a G - d and how could He let a Holocaust happen. Most people completely forget that the Holocaust was only an tiny little part within Jewish history and that there had been former pogromes. Let alone the Crusades and the mass killings during the Middle Ages ?

Jewish religion deals a lot with the Holocaust and, as you can imagine, there are plenty of opinions. Kabbalah claims certain Gilgulim (reincarnations) and Chassidut emphazises the "Meshiach Concept". Does collective suffering stand for a Tikun (soul rectification) ? Can a soul have a Tikun by undergoing all this suffering and thus, lead us into the Messianic era ?

The concept includes various opinons and is extremely complicated.

For some years already, I have been intensely dealing with chassidic subjects and my blogs are full of Rebbes, history, customs, etc. Nevertheless, my importance have always been the Jews of Eastern Europe and not those in Germany. How did Chassidut deal with the Holocaust and how is the issue regarded today ?
Hundred of thousands of Chassidim were brutally murdered; a subject not too much noticed in today's worldwide press.
Dealing with chassidic history automatically means dealing with the Holocaust. During the past months, quite a lot of e - mails have reached me demanding to write about the "Kastner (Kasztner) Train". Before, I had never really dealt with Kastner and his train. I only got to the subject when I started investigating the history of Chassidut Satmar. Usually we only hear about Oscar Schindler or Raoul Wallenberg but who knows about Kastner or Hannah Senes if not rather professional historians or history freaks ?

Rudolf (Kasztner) Kastner is still of importance in Israel and not at all forgotten. His positive or negative (whatever you like to call it) myth is still very much alive. He was plead guilty for Nazi collaboration and in 1957, shot as an act of revenge. Kastner, himself a Hungarian Jew, was accused of "having made a pact with the devil" by dealing with Adolf Eichman. Due to immense amounts of money and diamonds, Eichman agreed that approx. 1700 Jews would be allowed to leave Hungary for Switzerland. All the other hundreds of thousands of Jews ended up in the gas chambers of Auschwitz. It looks like no one has been warned before the Germans started their invasion. Why not and what had happened if they had been warned ? Why did the rich pay so much money in order to save their lives and why were others left behind ?

Was Kastner a hero or someone who acted in a selfish manner or to become rich ? Rich and mighty ?
What was the role of the religious Zionists and the Chassidim ? Did the Zionists only think about rescuing themselves ? What was the role of the Rebbes and did they tell their Chassidim the truth ?

The "Kastner Case" is highly complicated; also because different Israeli parties liked to use Kastner for their own purposes and intrigues.

The Holocaust Museum "Yad Vashem" still deals with documents and facts.

I am still collecting material and any kind of information, and I even founded a group on FACEBOOK:

"Hungarian Jewry and the Kastner Train".

Whoever has helpful reliable information is welcomed to send them to me. Especially about Rabbi Chaim Michael Dov Weissmandl or Rabbi Yissachar Teichtal.

Nevertheless, one point has to be made very clear:

Neither Rudolf Kastner nor the Jews caused a Holocaust !
Never forget that it were the Germans (including their beloved allies as well as Austria) starting a Holocaust and a war . Only Germany and its Allies are responsible for the mass murder of six million Jews and there will never be any verdict of not being guilty.

_____________________


Links:

"Rebbe Teitelbaum and the Kastner Transport"

Do we have the right to question the Holocaust ?

Rabbi Yissachar Shlomo Teichtal changed his mind

The Chassidim and the Holocaust

For those readers who are not too interested in the Holocaust: At least this gives you an opportunity looking into the history of Hungarian Jewry.