About:
Reich to Israel: A Nazi Guard's Journey from Auschwitz to Redemption in the Promised Land by Avi Strauss is a historical fiction story taking place during World War II and after. Mr. Strauss is an author writing about the Jewish history and the Arab-Israeli conflicts.
- 285 pages
- Publisher : Ink 18 Publishing
- Language : English
- ISBN-13 : 979-8995881827
My rating for Reich to Israel - 4
Buy Reich to Israel from Amazon.com*
More books by Avi Strauss*
Thoughts:
The novel explores complicity, guilt, and atonement on the part of a German man, drafted into the SS, and converted to Judaism. To be fair, this premise is not as outrageous as one might think-see the Margin Notes for more.
Reich to Israel by Avi Strauss tries to capture the moral complexities and compromises Hans had to make. He justifies his participation in atrocities several times, bowing to authoritarian pressure and under the threat of death. If we're all honest with ourselves, I don't know if many of us would act differently. We'd like to think we would, of course-but hopefully we'll never have to find out.
For the second half of the book, Hans is trying to recompense for what he's done in Auschwitz and Dachau. The question of guilt and atonement drives the narrative. Hans' participation in a systematic genocide, as small as it was, could ever be redressed for with good deeds.
Man of la Book's Margin Notes: The Bizarre Case of Ulrich Schnaft
It's easy to assume that the plot of Avi Strauss's novel Reich to Israel, a former Nazi hiding as a Jew in Israel, is so far-fetched that it could never happen. But as it often happens, truth is stranger than fiction and the life of Ulrich Schnaft is as fascinating as any novel could be.
1. From SS Soldier to IDF Officer
Schnaft was born in 1923 at the city of Königsberg. He served both during World War II in Italy and the Eastern Front as part of the Waffen-SS. He managed to get captured by US forces, instead of Russians (which usually ended in death), and was released in 1947 since no evidence of him committing war crimes were found.
Returning to Munich in a devastated Germany, he roomed with a young Jewish man who told him about a charity that gives Jewish Holocaust survivors food packages and financial aid. To get the aid, he posed a Jewish survivor.
Seeing no future in Germany, Schnaft set his sights on... well, anyplace but. At some point he found out that a group of Jews were trying to enter British Mandatory Palestine and joined them as Gavriel Weissman. After a few months living on the outskirts of Marseille, France, he managed to board a ship bound to the Middle East
The Royal Navy intercepted the ship and send all its passengers to an internment camp in Cyprus (there were restrictions and entry denials to Jewish Holocaust survivors). In the camp, he joined a Hagannah cell (a paramilitary organization) and was involved in at least two escapes organized by the cell.
Arriving in the new state of Israel, "Gavriel Weissman" joined the newly formed Israel Defense Forces (IDF). As a veteran, he excelled in training and rose to be a Second Lieutenant in the Artillery Corps.
2. The Downfall & Betrayal
Unlike Hans Weingart, the protagonist of Reich to Israel, Schnaft wasn't interested in soothing his consciences, or struggle with redemption. He was focused on surviving and self-preservation.
One night in 1952, while doing some heavy drinking, he showed some friends photographs from his military service. Only that they weren't from the IDF, but of him wearing his SS uniform. To add insult to injury , he foolishly boasted about his former life. To no one's surprise (except maybe Schnaft), he was dismissed from the IDF.
Attempting to return to Germany wasn't easy due to bureaucracy. Needing cash, he sold IDF military secrets to the Egyptian intelligence.
3. Punishment and Deportation
Ulrich Schnaft did manage to go back to Germany but could not get away from the long reach of Mossad (Israeli intelligence). Mossad agents posed as Iraqi intelligence who wanted to hire hirn. Believing he's embarking on an easy operation with some fast cash coming his way, Schnaft flew to Israel, only to be arrested at the airport.
Schnaft ended up serving seven years in Israeli prison, and promptly deported to Germany upon his release. Unverified accounts claimed that Schnaft became a Lutheran pastor, and a big supporter of Israel. He married a Jewish woman, had a daughter, and even visited Israel twice.
I think that living under a false identity would have been very difficult for most people, especially people like Hans. Sadly, the book doesn't go much into that aspect of his struggle, but I'm glad that the author erred on the side of a tight narrative instead of, what would have been, a much longer novel.
I liked the book; it was easy to read and seemed to be aimed at the young adults (YA) crowd. We do see the world from Hans' point of view, so don't expect a balanced approach to the events in the Middle East (but as I mentioned, it's not the point of the book).
Synopsis:
Hans weingart always wanted to be a journalist, but once the Nazis took over Germany and his brother died in the war, he had no choice but to be drafted. Since his father had connections, he got a job away from the front as an SS guard in Auschwitz.
Hans, the philosopher, found himself jaded and complicit in dehumanizing people, working them to death. When his Jewish pre-war girlfriend and her family found themselves in the camp, he could no longer bare it.
Buy Reich to Israel from Amazon.com*
More books by Avi Strauss*
Zohar — Man of la Book
Disclaimer: I got this book for free
*Amazon links point to an affiliate account, the money is usually spent on books
