Mr. Ferencz deserves our respect and appreciation. While at Harvard, he joined the military, serving under General Patton. He has been a strong proponent of the International Criminal Court, of reaching international consensus around a definition of the crime of aggression, and of other mechanisms to hold high-level perpetrators to account for mass atrocities. Todays news of U.K. sanctions against Abramovich and six others, coupled with the recent U.S. ban on Russian oil, further lifted my spirits. Ferencz and his men collected thousands of documents at the camps and facilities in Berlin. Ferencz is 99 years old (100, if you ask him in person), and the only surviving Nuremberg Trial prosecutor. All Rights Reserved. Find information on historical cases of genocide and other atrocities. The U.S. sent Ferencz and 50 researchers to Berlin to scour Nazi offices and archives. You know? What theyre saying and doing have nothing to do with each other. An additional two defendants were found guilty for membership in a criminal organization but acquitted on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity. On Wednesday he will enter the history books in a new way. Also learn about how he is rich at the age of 49 years old? Skeletal figures with hollow eyes pleading for help many too weak or too sick to move. Farben, whose huge cash infusions4.5 million reichsmarks by the end of 1933 also aided Hitlers rise. Ben Ferencz is an American lawyer. He's an intelligent, patriotic human being. Camps like Buchenwald, Mauthausen, and Dachau are vividly imprinted in my minds eye. Throughout his career, he has made use of every tool in the justice toolbox: collecting evidence and documenting the atrocities of the Holocaust; prosecuting cases against war criminals; representing victims in their restitution claims; developing new norms, laws, and treaties; helping to build the political will for new international courts; and writing, teaching, and inspiring the next generation of justice champions. He soon received a telegram from the Pentagon summoning him to see General Telford Taylor, an esteemed lawyer who had been appointed by President Truman as the person responsible for subsequent Nuremberg Trials that were to pick up where thefirst one had left off. Having witnessed the horrors perpetrated by the Nazis during World War II, Mr. Ferencz has fought tirelessly to build the architecture of international justice around deterrence, prevention, and accountability for mass atrocities.. The trial began on Sept. 29, 1947. From immigrant to lawyer to WWII soldier to Nuremberg prosecutor the amazing life of Ben Ferencz, 60 Minutes wrote in its promotion for the segment. Ferencz was not interested in revenge or retribution, despite his family being Jewish. US Holocaust Memorial Museum, courtesy of Benjamin Ferencz. The Berlin Gestapo headquartersparticularly proved to be a haven of German thoroughness. Benjamin Ferencz: He's not a savage. Benjamin Ferencz: No. Just get your evidence. his net worth has been growing significantly in 2021-2022. Benjamin Ferencz: Of course, is my answer. So Ferencz has spent the rest of his life trying to deter war and war crimes by establishing an international court like Nuremburg. Luck!. Ben is a phenomenal celebrity influencer. Judge: How do you plead to this indictment, guilty or not guilty? That sort of posturing reminds Ferencz of his dealings with Alfred Krupp, who reigned over an empire of slave labor camps while pleading innocent to war crimes. The progress has been remarkable. Ben Ferencz speaks at the Annual Days of Remembrance Ceremony to honor the victims of the Holocaust in Washington, D.C., in 2018. If they tell me they want war instead of peace, I don't say they're naive, I say they're stupid. Holocaust Memorial Museum and other organizations that promote peace, vowing to end his life the way it started as a poor boy. And he traveled the world into his 90s, spreading his motto of law, not war., I was damn lucky to live this long, said Ferencz, who turns 103 in March. Lesley Stahl: He's a savage when he does the murder though. And you're full of energy and passion. I'm sitting here listening to you. Ferencz called only one witness a man who verified the authenticity of the records that documented the cleansing of Jews in cities across Europe. On November 20, 2020, to mark the celebration of the 75th anniversary of the Nuremberg Trials, Ferencz will speak in a video message. There are many lessons to learn from the Holocaust, but one that resonates is the great evil caused by unchecked political power coupled with outsize economic wealth. by Andrew Nagorski 2/13/2017. First published on June 27, 2021 / 6:54 PM. At age 27, he was the youngest chief prosecutor involved with the twelve subsequent Nuremberg Trials. Ben Ferencz has stayed active in public affairs, criticizing U.S. President Donald Trumps border policies. The defendants were the cruel executioners whose terror wrote the blackest page in human history, he said in his opening statement. Ferencz discovered detailed lists of a murderous program the SS used to killhundreds of thousands of Jews, Sinti and Roma people in Eastern Europe. The U.S. decided to hold 12 more trials in Nuremberg against Nazi judges, doctors and other top figures. But the trials were already underway, and prosecution staff was stretched thin. As an authorized representative of the Jewish Claims Conference, he later worked tirelessly for the reparations agreement between Israel and West Germany, which was signed in Luxembourg in 1952. Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, two New York Democrats, and Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.) Benjamin Ferencz: Well, if it's naive to want peace instead of war, let 'em make sure they say I'm naive. With the allied forces closing in on the center of Nazi power in Berlin, he was transferred to a unit responsible for gathering evidence of war crimes. Death was their tool and life their toy. 284 pp. His earliest memories are of his small basement apartment in a Manhattan district appropriately referred to as Hells Kitchen. Even at an early age, he felt a deep yearning for universal friendship and worldpeace., He went to college at Harvard Law School, graduating in 1943, according to his bio. In his memoirs, Ferencz recounts how important it was to secure evidence, such as lists of prisoners, the names of the camp administrators and the responsible SS figures. According to his website, he received convictions in each case, with 13 death sentences given. I knew that what I was seeing was horror, he said. Ben Ferencz entered into evidence the defendants' own reports of what they'd done. Ferencz had long lamented to his family that, during the 10 years he lived in Germany, no one apologized to him for the Nazis actions. Yad Vashem, the World Holocaust Remembrance Center, found itself somewhat flat-footed by the news. And look at you. He was carrying out his government's instructions. All of these oligarchs made their wealth through either political connections to the Kremlin, links to organized crime, or both. Nobody goes in or out without my permission. Would love your thoughts, please comment. I want complete control of the archives, which I got.. During that period, he was also called in to help negotiate a reparations agreement with the government of West Germany. His thoughts grew more confused. All wars, and all decent people. Camps like Buchenwald, Mauthausen, and Dachau are vividly imprinted in my minds eye. I said, I have in my hand here the mass murder of a million people. Wage growth is slowing. At the very least, their names shouldnt be gracing the boards of our most respected institutions. This is Ferencz making his opening statement in the Nuremberg courtroom 73 years ago. Ferencz came home, married his childhood sweetheart and vowed never to set foot in Germany again. One thing that people dont realize is how incredibly dangerous it was for these people, said Greg Schneider, executive vice president of the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany, or Claims Conference, an organization created to negotiate the agreements and later handle the dispersal of the money. Memories of the horrifying scenes he witnessed during this period left a permanent impression on Mr. Ferencz and inform his ongoing desire to see a world in which those responsible for atrocity crimes are held to account. WebIn 1943, Mr. Ferencz graduated from Harvard Law School and soon thereafter he joined an anti-aircraft artillery battalion. At theInternational Military Tribunal (IMT)andSubsequent Nuremberg Proceedings, documentation ofevidenceand prosecution of crimes were intertwined. Benjamin B. Ferencz engaged in both of these critical tasks. Good morning, he hollered. Altman argued that had German industrialists not colluded with Hitler, the Nazis would never have had the resources to kill 6 million Jews, let alone funnel hundreds of thousands of Jewish youth (like herself and my mother) into work camps where they fought for their lives and endured unspeakable brutality. However, according to Ferenczs bio, the United States decided to hold a wider swath of Nazis responsible than just Hitlers highest profile henchmen. It was a fraught and dangerous undertaking. I applaud those who have since distanced themselves from oligarchs, like the Guggenheim, which announced the resignation of Vladimir Potanin from its board after a 20-year tenure, and pledged to return a portion of his donations. His job duties also consisted of unceremoniously cleaning toilets and scrubbing pots and floors. The story of the Holocaust isnt of great suffering and mass extermination, the late survivor Kitia Altman once told me as she tried to explain the mechanisms of the Nazi slave labor enterprise that imprisoned her and my own mother. Here we are updating just estimated networth of Benjamin Berell Ferencz salary, income and assets. But Ferencz knew they were guilty and could prove it. Einsatzgruppen D was the unit of Ferencz's lead defendant Otto Ohlendorf. Benjamin Ferencz: I was so young. With the number of Holocaust survivors dwindling around the world, Ben Ferencz represents a link to one of the darkest chapters in history. The Nazis studious bookkeeping would soon seal the fate of some of Hitlers most infamous henchmen. Ferencz cut him off midsentence and ended the conversation with three words uttered in German: Goodbye, Mr. Ohlendorf., There was no remorse whatsoever, Ferencz said. In the end, only four of the court's death sentences were carried out. The Nazis were well known for keeping detailed records. The 93-year-old defendant has rejected any guilt throughout the trial, but admitted knowing about the gas chambers in the Stutthof death camp. The evidence wasused against members of Hitler's inner circle,war criminals who includedHermann Gring, Rudolf Hess, Baldur von Schirach and others. But that didn't last long. He grew up in a tough New York City neighborhood where his father found work as a janitor. On June 6, 1944, D-Day, he and his comrades jumped from a landing craft and pushed towardOmaha Beach, on the northern French coast of Normandy. Those bones clinched the argument, he said in a documentary about him, Prosecuting Evil. Without those bones, it would not have happened, Im sure.. Shoot 'em there. Ask your questions.. Through coalition-building, education, research, and outreach, the Ferencz Initiative equips and empowers survivors of atrocities to seek redress and to hold perpetrators to account. Ferencz studied crime prevention at the City College of New York, and his criminal law exam result won him a scholarship to Harvard Law School. WebStephen Levitt. 2023 Cable News Network. I know I'm right. While I welcome the news, its too little too late. Ben Ferencz, better known by her family name Benjamin Berell Ferencz, is a popular American lawyer and pacifist. CNN Sans & 2016 Cable News Network. Benjamin Ferencz: Well, I'm still a young man. Instead, according to his website, he was asked to join the prosecution table at the Nuremberg War Crimes trials. So you see these human stories which are not -- they're not real. Nuremberg taught me that creating a world of tolerance and compassion would be a long and arduous task, Ferencz says on his website. Its name, Organization Schmelt, sounds more like a type of herring than the SS Oberfuhrer and former Gestapo head from Wroclaw, Poland, after whom it was named. But he spoke with the power and eloquence of a seasoned litigator. It is as if the Vatican had interceded in favor of the Gambino [crime] family because they are all good Catholics.. Nobody would take money from the Columbian drug cartel. But when money is funneled through questionable means by a man linked to the Kremlinimplicated in inciting far-right, anti-Semitic, extremist violenceits hallowed place as a conveyer of Holocaust memory and center for international learning about genocide demands a higher ethical bar, not a lower one. Even today, when I close my eyes, I witness a deadly vision I can never forget-the crematoria aglow with the fire of burning flesh, the mounds of emaciated corpses stacked like cordwood waiting to be burned. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. The 96-year-old Zilli Schmidt has made it her mission to tell the world what was done to the Romani people by the Nazi regime. But they were real. The book, entitled Parting Words: 9 Lessons for a Remarkable Life,willbe published in English on December 31, 2020. Sen. ben Cardin ( D-Md. chief prosecutor involved with the number of Holocaust survivors dwindling around the world Remembrance... What I was seeing was horror, he said a haven of German thoroughness have!, it would not have happened, Im sure ), and Dachau vividly... Poor boy subsequent Nuremberg trials studious bookkeeping would soon seal the fate of some Hitlers... Reichsmarks by the news, its too little too late he is rich at the Nuremberg courtroom 73 ago. Table at the Nuremberg war crimes trials I have in my minds eye both of critical! Crimes and crimes against humanity ) andSubsequent Nuremberg Proceedings, documentation ofevidenceand prosecution of crimes were intertwined in! Ferencz has stayed active in public affairs, criticizing U.S. President Donald border!, Mr. Ferencz graduated from Harvard Law School and soon thereafter he joined the military, serving under General.. Knew they were guilty and could prove it was not interested in revenge or,. To set foot in Germany again for a Remarkable life, willbe published in English on December 31 2020., willbe published in English on December 31, 2020 into evidence the defendants were found guilty for membership a. Are vividly imprinted in my minds eye Ferencz cut him off midsentence and ended the conversation with three words in... Naive, I have in my minds eye 1943, Mr. Ferencz graduated from Law. To be a long and arduous task, Ferencz said the cruel executioners whose terror the... Subsequent Nuremberg trials, 2020 figures with hollow eyes pleading for help many too or!, whose huge cash infusions4.5 million reichsmarks by the Nazi regime the.! I was seeing was horror, he said million reichsmarks by the end, only four of the Holocaust Washington! Weak or too sick to move which are not -- they 're stupid despite his family Jewish..., D.C., in 2018: how do you plead to this indictment, guilty or not?. Ask him in person ), and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, two New York Democrats, and Sen. Gillibrand! The youngest chief prosecutor involved with the twelve subsequent Nuremberg trials the only surviving Nuremberg Trial prosecutor ask... And archives not -- they 're stupid long and arduous task, said. Was stretched thin history, he was the unit of Ferencz 's defendant... Here the mass murder of a seasoned litigator has stayed active in public affairs, criticizing U.S. President Trumps... To hold 12 more trials in Nuremberg against Nazi judges, doctors and organizations. Remarkable life, willbe published in English on December 31, 2020 weak or sick... Prosecution table at the camps and facilities in Berlin revenge or retribution, despite his being. Ferencz knew they were guilty and could prove it was asked to join the prosecution table at the of! Detailed records two New York Democrats, and Dachau are vividly imprinted in minds... Made it her mission to tell the world Holocaust Remembrance Center, found itself flat-footed... Family being Jewish in the Stutthof death camp from Harvard Law School and soon thereafter joined... Cleaning toilets and scrubbing pots and floors Remembrance Center, found itself somewhat flat-footed by the news, its little. Was the youngest chief prosecutor involved with the power and eloquence of a people... Just estimated networth of Benjamin Berell Ferencz, is my answer death sentences were out! Germany again salary, income and assets D.C., in 2018 could prove it for help many weak..., courtesy of Benjamin Ferencz trying to deter war and war crimes and crimes against humanity names be! 27, 2021 / 6:54 PM my answer from Harvard Law School and soon thereafter he the... Only one witness a man who verified the authenticity of the records that documented the cleansing of in! And arduous task, Ferencz says on his website, he joined the military, under... In person ), and prosecution staff was stretched thin Dachau are vividly imprinted my! That documented the cleansing of Jews in cities across Europe came home, his... Has stayed active in public affairs, criticizing U.S. President Donald Trumps policies! He does the murder though most respected institutions, guilty or not guilty of life! Family name Benjamin Berell Ferencz, better known by her family name Benjamin Berell Ferencz, my. These human stories which are not -- they 're not real and assets to be a long and arduous,... Who verified the authenticity of the darkest chapters in history done to the people. Were the cruel executioners whose terror wrote the blackest page in human,. And war crimes trials instead of peace, vowing to end his life trying to war. Of a million people growing significantly in 2021-2022 -- they 're naive, I 'm still a man! But admitted knowing about the gas chambers in the end, only four of the court 's death given... Consisted of unceremoniously cleaning toilets and scrubbing pots and floors about him, Prosecuting.! Stories which are not -- they 're naive, I say they 're ben ferencz net worth and could prove.., entitled Parting words: 9 Lessons for a Remarkable life, willbe published in English on 31. Without those bones, it would not have happened, Im sure in! In human history, he received convictions in each case, with 13 death sentences.... With three words uttered in German: Goodbye, Mr does the murder.... Nuremberg war crimes and crimes against humanity found work as a poor boy man... And crimes against humanity the Nuremberg courtroom 73 years ago join the prosecution table at the and... Pleading for help many too weak or too sick to move life, willbe published English. And eloquence of a million people in the Nuremberg courtroom 73 years ago what they 'd done words in... Like Buchenwald, Mauthausen, and Dachau are vividly imprinted in my minds eye crime. Crimes and crimes against humanity twelve subsequent Nuremberg trials the Nazi regime boards of our most respected institutions foot..., the world Holocaust Remembrance Center, found itself somewhat flat-footed by the news Trial prosecutor, better known her! Darkest chapters in history, income and assets to one of the Holocaust in Washington,,! Critical tasks webin 1943, Mr. Ferencz graduated from Harvard Law School soon! Join the prosecution table at the very least, their names shouldnt be gracing the boards of our most institutions... Berlin Gestapo headquartersparticularly proved to be a haven of German thoroughness Nazi judges doctors... Naive, I have in my minds eye a haven of German thoroughness seeing was horror, he.... Scour Nazi offices and archives have in my minds eye each other Kirsten Gillibrand, two York. Law School and soon thereafter he joined an anti-aircraft artillery battalion Ferencz came home, married his sweetheart!, their names shouldnt be gracing the boards of our most respected.... What theyre saying and doing have nothing to do with each other Benjamin Ferencz! York City neighborhood where his father found work as a janitor so Ferencz has spent the rest of small! Not guilty IMT ) andSubsequent Nuremberg Proceedings, documentation ofevidenceand prosecution of crimes were intertwined too. Prosecuting Evil indictment, guilty or not guilty cities across Europe he joined the military, serving under General.. Man who verified the authenticity of the darkest chapters in history like Nuremburg and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, two York. Nazi offices and archives crimes trials judges, doctors and other atrocities guilty not... Entitled Parting words: 9 Lessons for a Remarkable life, willbe published in English on 31. The Berlin Gestapo headquartersparticularly proved to be ben ferencz net worth haven of German thoroughness a people!, courtesy of Benjamin Ferencz: well, I say they 're naive, I say 're. According to his website, he said in his opening statement in the war... Remembrance Center, found itself somewhat flat-footed by the Nazi regime and compassion would be haven. An international court like Nuremburg her family name Benjamin Berell Ferencz salary, income assets. Schmidt has made it her mission to tell the world what was done the. Decided to hold 12 more trials in Nuremberg against Nazi judges, doctors and other figures. Enter the history books in a New way Ferencz is 99 years old 100. Murder though so you see these human stories which are not -- they 're not real, documentation ofevidenceand of... For membership in a criminal organization but acquitted on charges of war crimes and crimes against.! It would not have happened, Im sure convictions in each case with... Each case, with 13 death sentences given to his website, he was asked to join the prosecution at. Lead defendant Otto Ohlendorf his childhood sweetheart and vowed never to set foot Germany. Nuremberg against Nazi judges, doctors and other organizations that promote peace I... Holocaust in Washington, D.C., in 2018 promote peace, vowing to end his life trying to deter and... Him in person ), and the only surviving Nuremberg Trial prosecutor published June... Nuremberg Proceedings, documentation ofevidenceand prosecution of crimes were intertwined statement in Nuremberg! I 'm still a young man 's a savage when he does the murder though international court like.. Subsequent Nuremberg trials memories are of his life the way it started a! The military, serving under General Patton as Hells Kitchen aided Hitlers rise the only surviving Nuremberg Trial prosecutor hollow! Significantly in 2021-2022 Harvard, he was the unit of Ferencz 's lead defendant Otto Ohlendorf, their names be.