eProceeding...

NOTE:: information will be posted on this site after the conference.

Summary

After he found out about the horrors of the Holocaust he postponed his assigned mission and focused on trying to save the abandoned Jews of Nazi and Fascist infested Europe. He formed in the USA a small but very talented and dedicated group (nicknamed the "Bergson Group" and "Bergson Boys"), credited with saving large numbers of people, mostly Jews, in Europe.

Judaism teaches that he who saves the life of one person saves a whole world. This is exemplified by survivors who had children and grandchildren since the Holocaust.

Despite many difficulties placed in their way, the Bergson Boys made Americans aware of the horror and extent of the Holocaust. The group received unparalleled support by many members of Congress, Senate and the Treasury Department.

One result of Hillel Kook's and his group's relentless work was President Roosevelt authorizing setting up the War Refugee Board. It, in turn, was in large part responsible for the amazing, heroic and very important mission of Raoul Wallenberg to Budapest.

In recent years some of us, Jews, are finally and very cautiously courageous enough to admit that leaders of war-time modern American Jewry obstructed rescue. Part of this recent accusation is motivated by the desire to shift responsibility away from war-time leadership in pre-state Israel, the "Yishuv" in Palestine. We will know that we are finally learning something important from the Holocaust once we have the integrity to face the callousness and betrayal of Europe's Jews by the Yishuv's ruling leaders. It is hoped that soon we will find that courage. We as a nation have a lot to be proud of, and owe it to ourselves to face also our blemishes.

Some of Hillel Kook's and his group's most important Jewish "virtual colleagues", our major Jewish rescuers, were:

• the legendary Rabbi Michael Be'er Weissmandl, Mrs. Gizi Fleischmann and colleagues in the Bratislava "Working Group"
• George Mantello (Mandel)
• Recha and Yitzchak Sternbruch
• Rabbi Solomon Schonfeld

• Raoul Wallenberg - Swedish diplomat in Budapest
• Carl "Carl" Lutz - Swiss diplomat in Budapest
• Per Anger - Swedish Diplomat
• Giorgio "Jorge" Perlasca, "Acting Charge d'Affaires" of the Spanish Legacy in Budapest
• Apostolic Delegate Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli in Turkey, later known as Pope John XXIII

Petition

Recognize Major Jewish Holocaust Era Rescuers

So far Israel, the Holocaust Museums and Jewish community world-wide failed to recognize major Jewish Holocaust era rescuers, our El  Salvadors (Saviours, Rescuers). We petition Israeli and Jewish organizations world-wide to correct this wrong.

IF YOU SUPPORT THIS PETITION THEN KINDLY SIGN IT ON THE  FOLLOWING WEB SITE AND ADVISE BY EMAIL TO YOUR  CONTACTS WHO MAY BE SUPPORTIVE.

   View and sign petition

(http://www.petitionpetition.com/cgi/petition.cgi?id=6131)

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT.

Chairman: MR. SAMSON KRUPNICK, Yakir Yerushaliyim (Jerusalem Prize Winner); Board Member and Treasurer, Root & Branch Association, Ltd.; Israel Chairman, Jerusalem Embassy Initiative, Root & Branch Association, Ltd.; Board Chairman, Encyclopedia Talmudica; Former Board Chairman, Shaare Zedek Hospital; Columnist, National Jewish Post and Opinion

Introductions:

• MR. YISRAEL MEDAD, Director of Educational Programming and Executive Board Member, Menachem Begin Heritage Center
• MR. ISI LEIBLER, C.B.E., A.O., Senior VP, World Jewish Congress, "Free world Jewish leadership during the Shoah: Have we learnt the lessons?"
• MR. LARRY PFEFFER, Jewish Survivor of the Shoah from Hungary
• MS. KAREN PFEFFER, reading in Hebrew Letter of Recognition for Hillel Kook by Mr. Sallai Meridor, Chairman of the Sochnut (Jewish Agency) and and MR. SAMSON KRUPNIK reading English translation
• DR. ROBERT ROZETT, Library Director, Yad Vashem; Researcher on Holocaust in Hungary

Music:

Hungarian Jewish Musical Tapestry - present from the heart to Hillel Kook, his group and supporters who saved large numbers of Jews in Hungary. MR. JOSEPH MARTON, accompanied by MR. NETANEL ZELAVSKY, and joined by His Excellency DR. JANOS HOVARI, Ambassador of Hungary to Israel, MR. SHAI CSILLAG, Association of Holocaust Survivors and MR. LARRY PFEFFER, Holocaust survivor from Hungary

Greetings from Diplomatic Corps:

• Her Excellency MRS. SUZANA GUN DE HASENSON, Ambassador of El Salvador
• His Excellency DR. JANOS HOVARI, Ambassador of Hungary
• His Excellency MR. ROBERT RYDBERG, Ambassador of Sweden

Ambassador MOSHE ARENS, Former Israeli Minister of Defense, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Ambassador to the United States

Short remarks:

• MR. JONATHAN ROSENBLUM, Am Echad and newspaper columnist in the Jerusalem Post and other papers
• MRS. MALKA ROBBINS, wife of RABBI BARUCH ROBBINS, a key member of the Bergson Group was scheduled to speak in the name of her husband in talk "Baruch Robbins Remembers Hillel Kook". Unfortunately she could not give her planned speech due to her husband's illness. We wish him refuah shlema (speedy recovery).

Rabbi CHAIM SOLOVEICHIK, Founder and Director of the Rabbi Ahron Soloveichik Institute; Rav of Congregation Ohr Shalom, Ramat Bet Shemesh; Rebbe of Yeshivat Reishit Yerushaliyim, "Jewish Sources Requiring Activism"

Short remarks:

• MR. DAVID BEDEIN, Israel Resource News Agency and investigative reporter
• Rabbi MEIR FENDEL, Orthodox Union

DR. BECKY KOOK, Political Scientist, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, "Reflections about my father, Hillel Kook", Lecture with documentary film footage of Hillel Kook

Christmas Without Jews: A Holocaust Controversy, by Dr. Rafael Medoff (Published in Jewish News of Greater Phoenix, December 26, 2003)

A Jewish Boxer Who Fought for His People, Jewish World Review Jan. 7, 2004 / 13 Teves, 5764

Our Maverick El Salvadors, note by Larry Pfeffer

Remembering the mission of a "nuisance diplomat", event review by Shoshana Kordova, Ha'aretz Friday, August 28, 2003

Review by Batsheva Pomerantz on WZO Web Site

Review by the Event Chairman, Mr. Samson Krupnick

The evening's success owes a great deal to its experienced captain, Mr. Samson Krupnick, who steered the event with a steady hand.

Many of us present will remember for a long time that at the end of the event Mr. Krupnick asked us to stand and he recited the Kaddish in Hillel Kook's memory. This was a very meaningful and touching closing for such an important event.

Perhaps Mr. Krupnick is also to be commanded for saying positive things during the evening about Dr. Nachum Goldman and writing kindly in his review about Dr./Rabbi Steven Wise - the Zionist, Reform leader of war-time Judaism in America. The historical record judges Goldman and Wise, and also the leadership of the Zionist movement in the Yishuv (pre-State Israel), as guilty for not caring enough and for sabotaging rescue. Perhaps Mr. Krupnick is right that we try not to dwell on the Zionist movement's and these men's war time crimes against the abandoned and doomed Jews of Europe. Perhaps the major war time crimes are also slightly offset by these men's positive achievements before and after the war. That is for future generations to judge. On the other hand, if we adopt this kind and forgiving attitude, then we must not judge other nations and non-Jews any more harshly then the Zionist movement and major Jewish saboteurs who are responsible for the murder of large numbers of Jews.

Perhaps the most important thing is to try to at least learn from gross and tragic mistakes of our leaders during the Holocaust.

(Above note written by Larry Pfeffer)

Announcement in Jerusalem Post

Photos of Speakers

	Professor Moshe Arens Past Minister of Defense, Ministser of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador to Washington
	David Bedeine Investigative Journalist
	Chorus First Hungarian Jewish Song Left to Right: Mr. Shai Csillag Past Ambassador of Hungary: Dr. Janos Hovari Mr. Netanel Zelavsky (with wind instrument) Mr. Joseph Marton Mr. Larry Pfeffer
	Chorus Second Hungarian Jewish Song Mr. Joseph Marton accompanied by  Mr. Netanel Zelavsky
	Rabbi Meir Fendel (Orthodox Union
	Mrs. Suzana Gun de Hasenson Ambassador of El Salvador
	Dr. Janos Hovari Ambassador of Hungary
	Dr. Becky Kook Hillel Kook's daughter Ben Gurion University (Political Science)
	Sam Krupnick Yakir Yerushalayim
	Isi Liebler At the time Executive VP, World Jewush Congress
	Israel Medad Begin Center
	Karen Pfeffer
	Larry Pfeffer Jerusalem Working Group
	Jonathan Rosenblum Journalist
	Dr. Robert Rosett Director of Library, Yad Vashem
	Mr. Robert Rydberg Ambassador of Sweden
	Rabbi Chaim Soloveitchik Rabi Aharon Soloveitchik's son

Post Event Announcement

Rabbi who lobbied for Holocaust Rescue dies at 89
December 8, 2003 - Rabbi Baruch Robbins (Rabinowitz)

Jan 10, 2004