Nazi War Criminals in Canada & Helmut Oberlander - Bernie M. Farber

Canadian Jewish Congress CEO Bernie M. Farber discusses why the prosecution of Nazi War Criminal Helmut Oberlander is still important more than 60 years after the Holocaust.

For more information see this article from the National Post from Thursday, November 19, 2009 - http://www.nationalpost.com/news/canada/story.html?id=2239789

Category:

Nonprofits & Activism

Tags:

• holocaust
• Bernie Farber
• Bernie M Farber
• Canadian Jewish Congress
• CJC
• war criminal
• Nazi
• Helmut Oberland
• Oberlander

[KenGS333]

Hmmm... funny how he doesn't mention:

a) Oberlander was a 17 year-old ethnic German in the Ukraine when the Germans showed up impressed into the service,

b) any specific crime(s) that he committed; he is simply alleged to have been a member of this unit, as Faber himself admits, as a "translator",

c) the government didn't require that his war service be disclosed when he immigrated to Canada.

[cdnjewishcongress]

@KenGS333

While Helmut Oberlander was not found to have personally engaged in acts of murder, he was found to be a member of a mobile killing unit was responsible for the murder of 90,000 Jews. Membership in an Einsatzgruppe – an organization with a single brutal purpose – was sufficient to disqualify Oberlander from entry to Canada. The Federal Court ruled that Oberlander was a member of that unit.

[cdnjewishcongress]

The Court further ruled that Oberlander’s statement to the effect that he was unaware of the activities of einsatzkommando 10a was not credible. Finally, the Court ruled that Oberlander misrepresented his war-time activities when he entered Canada in 1954.

[KenGS333]

@cdnjewishcongress I'm trying to find any reference where it states that this would have denied him entry into Canada. I have found a case from the US (United States v. Kungys) where the applicant provided false personal information. Was that the case with Oberlander? Was Oberlander asked to provide information about prior military service or whether he had participated in "war crimes"?

[cdnjewishcongress]

@KenGS333 Thank you for your inquiry. Please refer to the February 28, 2000 decision of the Federal Court in the matter of Helmut Oberlander. Paragraphs 189-214 may be of assistance to you, especially Justice MacKay's Summary of Finding of Fact which may be found at paragraphs 206-214.

The full text of the decision is online and may be accessed at:

decisions.fct-cf.gc.ca/en/2000­/t-866-95_9598/t-866-95.html

[KenGS333]

@cdnjewishcongress Thank you.

[KenGS333]

@cdnjewishcongress It's my understanding that he was not required to declare his prior military service when he entered Canada. You can't really call not answering a question that wasn't even asked "misrepresentation".

[neweyess]

@hauschxbAUWJHYB1

As per Wikipedia:

In October 2008, the government revoked his citizenship.

In November 2009 the Federal Court of Appeal struck down this decision thus reinstating his citizenship.

[hauschxbAUWJHYB1]

What happened?