Jordana, granddaughter of Shoah survivors, decides to embark on a one-week trip to Germany, to the city of Lüneburg, to be part of the first week of the legal proceedings against the so-called 'accountant of Auschwitz', Oskar Gröning.
After taking part to the March of the Living and being involved in various projects related to the Shoah, the idea of taking part at the trial of someone who was close to the Nazi killing machine sounds as a natural outcome. Being able to look into the eye of a war criminal, who for so many decades after the end of WWII was able to live a normal life after being part of the murder of at least 300,000 people was a big opportunity to get a better understanding of events hard to understand. Ambitious and decided to overcome all the obstacles, Jordana will make it to Lüneburg, and this book is the account of her experiences not only of the trial, but also of her encounters with Germans and Germany.
During 4 years and a half of operation, 1,300,000 people were deported to Auschwitz and only 200,000 survived. 6,000 members of the SS served as guards, but only 43 of them were brought to trial, and only 9 received life sentences, it is mentioned in the Introduction. An extremely limited number, given the tragedy inflicted to millions of people, and more than one generation of survivors' relatives.
Gröning's job - at the time of the trial 94 years old - was to record the goods and money stolen from people brought into the camp. After a while, he realized what was happening there and he witnessed himself the murder of an innocent child. The innocent portrait of someone who was just part of the machine, without possibility of decision-making, or because there is no other option, shows in fact the 'banality of evil'. There was the bureaucratic account that the people couldn't challenge the system and they were just pieces into the system. Gröning describes in his deposition the situation of food and drinks supplies when he arrives at the camp while people were there starving and living in conditions hardly described as human.
The system as such couldn't work without the compliance of so many people. On the other hand, it creates the urge to keep fighting for truth, justice and restoring the chance in humanity. Although Gröningen only received 4 years and spent most of his life enjoying freedom, the lesson of his trial is that if there is a will, anyone guilty of crimes can be taken accountable. However, the reality that so many of them died peacefully in their beds without ever being questioned about their involvement in terrible crimes is hard to be at peace with.
Jordana's inquisitive spirit is contagious and she can be taken as a good example for many youngsters. She wants to understand with her own eyes and the emotional stages she is going through are more than expectable. One of the signs of growing-up is acknowledging nuances and her own experiences and the observation of other people's reactions at the trial - including of forgiving something only G-d can - is part of this process. Meeting people like Thomas Walter, the German lawyer who challenged and extended the area of war crimes prosecution, is an example that individuals can make a difference.
This book can be easily used in schools for history lessons, but its readership extends to anyone curious in Shoah stories and testimonies.
Rating: 4 stars
Disclaimer: Book offered by the publisher in exchange for an honest review
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