German diplomat promises action on Nazi in Queens

Rambam and Shalhevet students picket consulate and war criminal’s home

By Mayer Fertig

Rambam and Shalhevet students drew reactions from a German official and, apparently, from a known Nazi war criminal whose U.S. citizenship has been revoked. The students held a pair of demonstrations on Monday marking the 71st anniversary of Kristallnacht.

Jakiw Palij obtained his U.S. citizenship by concealing his Nazi past, the Justice Department has found. A judge who presided over the case found Palij trained at the SS-run Trawniki Training Camp and that on November 3 and 4, 1943, he helped slaughter Trawniki’s entire inmate population of some 6,000 Jewish civilians.

Palij is not a German citizen and Germany has refused to accept or try him, something that Rabbi Zev Friedman, dean of the Rambam and Shalhevet schools, finds unacceptable.

“Germany has a moral obligation to put Palij on trial. His uniform was a German uniform. His gun was a German gun. The bullets were German bullets. The orders were German. They can’t duck their obligation because he’s a Polish citizen.”

Rambam students demonstrated on Monday afternoon outside the Manhattan building that houses Germany’s consulate and mission to the United Nations. After an unscheduled private meeting with Rabbi Friedman and New York City Councilman David Weprin, the head of the consulate’s legal department, Andreas Zimmer, came downstairs to speak to the students. He promised to bring up Palij’s case with superiors in Berlin.

“We got it on video and picture of the guy promising that he’s actually going to do something,” said Zali Ritholtz, an employee of the school.

“The head of the legal department of the German Consulate met representatives of the demonstrators including Rabbi Friedman,” confirmed Jochen Wolter, a consular press officer.

“They discussed the matter in a very friendly and constructive atmosphere. Both sides acknowledged that respective international and well as legal aspects had to be taken into account as the case relates to a stateless non-German citizen. It was agreed to further clarify the case. We will definitely look into the case and obtain additional information.”

“Today was the beginning of the process,” Rabbi Friedman said. “We hope the end will be the deportation and trial and conviction of a Nazi war criminal.”

He cited the precedent of a Ukrainian, John Demjanjuk, who recently was deported to Germany for trial after a nearly 20 year legal battle.

“[Palij] exhausted all his legal remedies in the United States. There’s no reason he should be here except that no one wants to take him ... because he didn’t kill 29 thousand people? He only killed 6 thousand people. He doesn’t belong here — take him back,” he said, adding, “We promised that we weren’t going to go away.”

Earlier, Shalhevet 9th and 10th graders demonstrated outside Palij’s home at 33-18 89th Street in Jackson Heights, Queens.

“During the course of the rally you could see the shades upstairs moving and you could see two people behind it,” Rabbi Friedman said. “Years ago he was a tough guy with a gun. Now he’s afraid of students protesting outside his house.”