While there may be some exceptions, to this suggestion, the story of Mark Gould and his eight year pursuit of one old Nazi, is not one of them. Gould claims that he spent eight years “under cover” building a case against former Himmler aide, Bernhard Frank. In fact, pretty much everything about this story is strange.
First, the Associated Press account of this unfolding story includes Nazi-hunter Efraim Zuroff essentially complaining that the Frank is not “Nazi enough” to deserve such attention. Strange response from someone who has spent 30 years pursuing former Nazis, on behalf of the Simon Wiesenthal Center.
Could it be jealousy? Frustration that he and the Wiesenthal Center are not the ones making Nazi-hunting news? Is this what happens when people define themselves as avenging angels?
Second, the idea that someone spent that much time and energy as Gould claims he did, in order to punish a 97 year old man is also odd. Don’t get me wrong, if Frank is who Gould says, he deserves whatever he gets, but at this point, I wonder about such prosecutions.
How might the same amount of time and energy been better spent? Teaching about the Shoah? The perils of contemporary European Jew-hatred? Aiding Holocaust survivors who deserve to end their days in dignity which often eludes them?
Finally, that all of this is a book project for Mr. Gould strikes me as deeply opportunistic. If there is already a release date, as they say there is, this was sold to a publisher and in process for at least a year or two.
Is this about justice or commerce? They are certainly not necessarily mutually exclusive, but when it comes to this topic, people should be very careful.
One bright note is an observation, by Professor Smith from USC/Shoah Foundation. He points out the importance of appreciating the culpability of those, like Frank, who pushed ideas, and not only those who pulled triggers.
Beyond that nugget, it’s actually a kind of troubling story which reminds us how it is really easy to get seduced into all kinds of foolishness even as we pursue, or claim to pursue, worthwhile causes.