Customer Reviews

Nazi Hunter: The Wiesenthal File

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

"Nazi Hunter; The Wiesenthal File" is an extraordinary book about an extraordinary man. The biography of Simon Wiesenthal is likely to become a classic amongst Holocaust literature. Seldom does one come across a book as moving and factual as this.

Simon Wiesenthal, now aged over 93 years, spent over four and a half years in Nazi concentration camps. David Levy here presents Weisenthal's story of his experiences during that era and his subsequent tireless pursuit of bringing to justice so many Nazi war criminals.

The book movingly documents how Wiesenthal regularly, personally, witnessed the systematic execution of fellow Jews, who were killed for no other reason than being Jewish. Murdered indiscriminately in cold blood by people who clearly took real pleasure and delight in killing Jews.

One of the first such incidents detailed in the book is where Simon Wiesenthal, together with about forty other professional Jewish men, were placed in a courtyard at Lvov. Here each Jew was forced to stand alongside a crate, facing a wall with his hands crossed & held behind his neck. Each Jew was then shot one at a time, by a single bullet in the back of the neck by a Ukrainian executioner, who after each murder treated himself to wine and food from a table placed in their midst. The body of the dead Jew then being cast into the crate.

The author tells how the massacre continued until it came close to Wiesenthal's turn, when the sound of church bells filled the air. The shooting stopped immediately. Being 'good' Catholic's the Ukrainian executioners immediately responded to the church bells calling them to Mass, leaving the prisoners locked away for the atrocities to continue later.

The author explains how Weisenthal evaded death on this occasion but Simon soon ended up in the ghetto and from there to the concentration camp at Janowska.

The author describes in detail the conditions at Janowska, where living on minuscule rations and undergoing hard labour, took a devastating toll on Simon's companions. The book describes how those considered 'sick' were subjected to a 'fresh air cure'. This entailed them all lying outdoors all night in the freezing sub-zero conditions. Any who moved or stood up were shot by sentries. Those who remained on the ground froze to death by morning. Many taking the 'quick' way out and standing up...the sentries immediately obliging...shooting them dead in cold blood.

The conditions at Janowska are further described in terms of how escapes were treated. The entire, immediate family of any escapee being collected from the ghetto and imprisoned in solitary confinement for three days without light or food. When the remorse stricken escapee surrendered, he was then mercilessly beaten to death in the presence of his family. If the escapee did not return or surrender, the entire family & children were then shot dead......

The depth and detail in this book is incredible. Far too much to cover here satisfactorily.

Detailed accounts are provided of Wiesenthal's pursuit of Adolf Eichman, Joseph Mengele, Franz Stangl & other Nazi war criminals. This is an incredible, priceless examination and account of the work of one of the most remarkable figures of the 20th century, one of the survivors.

With the exception of his wife, Simon Wiesenthal's whole immediate family were exterminated by the Nazi regime. To understand the man and his mission, you need to read this marvellous book. So highly recommended !!!

Alan Levy does an excellent job documenting both the life of Weisenthal and of the killers he hunted. One of the most striking points is the change in the ideas and attitude of these war criminals from the pre- to post- war period. The continued complicity of governments in hiding these fugitives until today is unbelievable as is the existence of clandestine organizations such as Odessa, which directly assist them.

One of the most interesting parts of the book I found was about Kurt Waldheim and the struggle that former military personal have with admission of their involvement with the German army. Living in Europe, it is easy to assume the collective guilt of the older generation of Germans and Austrians, but much harder to imagine the choices they faced both during and after the war. We get to imagine it from both the side of master and slave in the course of this book. I am currently living in a former Communist country, where Stb agents (Czech KGB) and Communist party members were some of the first to profit from the change to capitalism, so I can clearly imagine in some ways how the post-war period was for both Germany and Austria. The inclination to forget the past and move on is great, and yet, at least here, the same "leaders" have managed to change outfits with such little protest. It is 12 years since the fall of communism and there have been so few investigations here of the crimes of former government officials, that the situation seems comic. The people of Czechoslavakia just as the Germans did before them, want to forget, and yet justice will only be done when people with Simon Weisenthal's courage and drive become involved.

Levy goes to great lengths to highlight the Weisenthal coda defining the difference between a war criminal and personnel who were aware and complicit during the time war crimes were occurring. Weisenthal placed a great deal of emphasis on both truth and morality in his work, but the author shows balance in pointing out that he didn't always get it right.

This is a great read and a book that is hard to put down. Highly recommended.

First of all, I'd like to state the book (most of it) was quite riveting. Levy begins with a look at Wiesenthal's experience as a young Jew in pre-war Europe. He later chronicles Simon's life during the war in the camps and his search for his family after the war. The stories make for fascinating reading. Then, Levy writes how Simon got into the business of Nazi hunting.

The chapters describing the hunts for Adolf Eichmann (and the rivals between Mossad and Wiesenthal), Josef Mengele, and Franz Stangl were absoluting quality reading. After the chapters on these three Nazis, and the brief chapter on the concentration camp guards, the book takes a different path and describes the ordeal of Raoul Wallenberg. Although Wallenberg was not a Nazi, but a humanist dedicating to saving the lives of Jews, I had to ask myself what this chapter was doing in the book. Nevertheless, it was quite fascinating to read about the ordeal Wallenberg faced and to read what actually happened to him during the war, and especially, after the war.

At this point, you can quit reading the book. The next chapters dealt with Bruno Kriesky and Kurt Waldheim. I didn't have a clue who Bruno was. (I believe he became chancellor of Austria during the '70s). Why was he in this book? As far as I can tell, it was due to Simon and Bruno not liking each other. Bruno was a Jew who claimed that he was not a Jew and tried to distance himself from Jews during the war. He didn't kill any Jews, so why have his story in this book? It's wasted space.

As far as Waldheim is concerned, the jury appears to be out as far as his guilt is concerned. There never seems to be direct evidence pointing to Waldheim as to whether he was responsible for killing partisans (or at least KNEW some killings took place)
in Yugoslavia. Waldheim's superiors (during the war) say that he did not have the authority to kill or order killings; a sargaent who reported to Waldheim said that he did. Some say he was present at the time the killings took place; others said he was not. Some say that as part of intelligence, and as a lowly lieutenant, Waldheim would not have known about partisan killings. Others said how did he not know? If no one knows the truth, why read it about in this book? Even the Yugoslavian government has refused to prosecute. So, I may ask, why fill 150 pages of this book if there is no conclusive evidence that Waldheim is guilty? The later part of these chapters were very boring. The book was about hunting murderous NAZIS, not about people who were ashamed of being Jewish or about German Army officers.

The book should have included the hunt for Nazi Klaus Barbie and other Nazis who eluded capture for many years. Then, I would have rated this book 4 stars. But, to include chapters on Bruno Kriesky and Kurt Waldheim? A real time waster.

Wiesenthal, the very name conjurs up so many feelings and reactions. But few know the truth about his life, his beleifs and his crusades. THis book details the many aspects of this towering personality. His interest in the Jews that travelled with columbus, the disappearence of Wallenberg and of course his tireless pursuit of Nazi murderurs. Clearly a supporter of this great man, Levy details the hunts and lives of the Nazi butchers. An interesting account. All that I found missing was any details about the building of the Wiesenthal organization and details about the other Nazis rounded up.

THis is a book about justice. Too often we dont acknowledge the feelings of revenge. Here is a man who understood that he would dedicate himself to hunting Nazis, tracking them, forcing them to flee from place to place, just as the Jews fled from Place to place when hiding from their persecuters. Read this book, it is a must for any holocaust collection.

This is an unusually well written book. The sections on Weisenthal's early years are fascinating, but ultimately, this is not a biography, as it is the story of Weisenthal's " clients " which is the most haunting. Don't agree with other reviewers that the book is non critical of Weisenthal - within a supportive framework, the author makes it quite clear just how hopelessly wrong Weisenthal got it on Mengele, and there are plenty of quotes from his detractors, including leading Jews.

One of the best books on the Holocaust and its aftermath I have read.

This book is well intentioned and should certainly be read, but it is not a work of scholarship. It is poorly written too. It is frustrating.

The book does not live up to its title. The author reveals little of Wiesenthal's files. For that, it is recommended you turn to Wiesenthal's books.

The book is poorly structured, bounding together several biographical entries, largely unconnected with one another. Some entries span a few pages, others span over one hundred. The main entries concern Eichmann, Wallenberg, Mengele, Stangl. Raoul Wallenberg the hero finds himself squeezed between mass murderers Eichmann and Mengele.

This is the sort of book that makes you want to read more, to look up details, to check facts, to find out more. It creates needs more than it satisfies them. It is a frustrating book.

The book is well intentioned, but poorly written. It consists of a string of assertions that are not backed up by references. It suffers from the weaknesses of an eyewitness account, except that the writer, Alan Levy, has not witnessed anything himself. And he does not tell us where his facts come from.

In several places, Alan Levy corrects Simon Wiesenthal. Wiesenthal's writings are full of mistakes, we are told. Alan Levy compares the two versions of Wiesenthal's memoirs to show how his views have changed over time. He corrects this or that assertion, but because he never tells us where his facts come from, this is a useless exercise bordering on the profane.

Simon Wiesenthal was not a scholar and he has often been wrong. But this is mostly because he relied on eyewitnesses' accounts and anonymous denunciations. It is also because, driven as he was by a desire to bring to justice nazi mass murderers, his strategy was to keep the hunt alive by publicizing believeable nazi spottings as well as not-so-believeable spottings. What reasons does Alan Levy have for writing such a sloppy book?

This is a frustrating book because it is full of facts we would like to check, but cannot because there are no references to the sources.

Turn instead to: Raoul Wallenberg, by Sharon Linnea. Into That Darkness: From Mercy Killing to Mass Murder, by Gitta Sereny (this is a biography of Stangl). Mengele: The Complete Story, by Gerald L. Posner. Eichmann in Jerusalem: A Report on the Banality of Evil, by Hannah Arendt. The Sunflower, by Simon Wiesenthal.

"Nazi Hunter: The Wiesenthal File" by Alan Levy looks at the life of Holocaust survivor, author, and Nazi Hunter, Simon Wiesenthal. The book describes fascinating accounts that go from the extremely sad, to the morbidly funny. There is a tension within, and for those who read Holocaust accounts, this book offers something that few others can: justice. One of the more amazing moments came when, in the case of Adolf Eichmann, Wiesenthal, used a studly friend nicknamed 'Manos' (Spanish word for hands) to seek out Eichmann via. seducing the war criminal's former lovers in order to get informmation. This vignette fits in well with Wiesenthal's life, because we find out that Wiesenthal was not only a Nazi hunter, but also a political humorist.

Levy also demythicizes Wiesenthal, who seems to have occasionally manufactured facts in his quest for Nazis. These manufactured facts, however, are a pieces of a bigger picture painted by Levy. The author is to be commended for his research into Wiesenthal, especially because he seems neither committed to defending, nor debunking his subject.This reviewer does think, however, that Levy more often than not gives Wiesenthal the last word when criticism of his subjects arises.

The structure is by sections, each focussing on the life of one person: Wiesenthal, Mengele, Eichmann, and others. With each story, we find a personal history and a psychological profile of the characters, followed by an account of what happened to them after the war. We also find some very interesting speculations, and, in many cases, evidence to either support, or argue against the speculations, most of which were made by Wiesenthal. One of the strongest sections is on Raoul Wallenberg, a man who saved tens of thousands of Jews and who disappeared into Soviet prison camps. Although the evidence presented about his imprisonment is scant, it brings to life an historical figure who should occupy the same household name status as others, including Oscar Schindler. Some critics point to lack of hard evidence by Levy in his descriptions of such characters as Wallenberg or even Mengele. This critic disagrees. Levy provides enough information for the reader to reach a conclusion on his own (please forgive masculine pronoun) without being pounded over the head with an argument.

One of the stronger aspects of the book, to me, is the use of photographs. Although few in number, the pictures tell us a lot about the characters. Eichmann, the handsome and proud young Nazi, and a later photo of him in court looking more like an unemployed accountant. The younger Mengele, witht he gap between his teeth and the deranged elder Mengele, whose mustache comes into the narrative later in the story. Nazi, Franz Stangl, who is shown holding his daughter, and the mighty Raoul Wallenberg, whose face defiantly faces to the left, where other pictures of Nazis reside.

The last one-third of the book loses its steam when it goes away from Wiesenthal's hunt for Nazis and into some of his high-profile rivalries. But any adept reader can skim those pages and still come away satisfied.

Nazi Hunter is portable in its function. It can be taken to the beach, read in bed. It's narratives are well-written and engaging, yet they do not gloss over the profound moral obligations that are placed upon the reader. Who was responsible? How do behind-the-scenes tensions affect the lives of good people and the fate of evil-doers? How should the world move forward in the wake of a tragic period in history? Although about 500 pages in length, it is a page turner, yet, it is insightful in its explanation of different character types who emerged out of World War II, and, in the humble opinion of this reader, a great read for anyone interested in Nazi Germany and what happened to the perpetrators after its demise.

I was quite disappointed by this book (I hesitated between 2 and 3 stars, and finally opted for 2, to balance the enthusiastic reviews that this book gets)
When I started reading it, i had great expectations. Here was a book that would tell me the story of Simon wiesenthal, a survivor of the Holocaust that swore to hunt Nazi around the world, and bring them in front of justice.
The description of wartime and the horror of concentration camps is quite good (although anything written by Primo Levi is much better). The wartime life of wiesenthal himself is well described, although it sounds a little romanticized. It could have set the ground to understand what drove this man in his postwar hunt. But that's where the disappointment comes : it doesn't. The book goes back and forth between a mere collection of facts and a blindly admirative account of Wiesenthal's life. Whatever Wiesenthal says is right, whatever Wiesenthal does is great. What this book lacks is independant investigation. The author seems to be satisfied with Wiesenthal accounts on pretty much everything in the book. Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to say Wisenthal lied on anything. But a biograph should not rely solely on the testimonies of his subject. And when he does quote somebody else, the quote is not properly referenced (there is a certain flakiness in Levy's journalistic methods).
Rather than giving fuzzy criticism, let's look at one particular example:
Page 136 is symptomatic of the lazy writing in this book : the first part of the page is a long citation of Annah Arendt, explaining how Eichman got out of Europe after the war (Levy doesn't give the reference of the quote). Then he goes on to quote an ecclesiast who helped Eichman getting out, testifying how he didn't realized that the person he was helping was a Nazi (Levy also ironizes about the fake innocence of the priest). Here, once again, we don't know where the quote is coming from. Did Levy directly asked the ecclesiast ? I doubt. More probably Levy got this quote from Wiesenthal himself (probably from one of his books). This is symptomatic from this book : it comes so close from a direct testimony of Wiesenthal that he even forgets to remind us when he actually is quoting him. So then, why not just reading one of Wiesenthal's books instead?
This is just an example taken randomly. Other -more serious- points on which Levy doesn't take much distance from Wiesenthal include :
-when Wiesenthal proposed that Eichman be dressed a a Nazi during his trial (page 156, Levy qualifies this idea as "emotionally right", I personally find it grotesque)
-On the controversy between Wiesenthal and Israel's secret services as to who took the most important part in Eichman's capture (once again, all we have his Wiesenthal point of view, taken for granted).

The function of a biography (and this book is advertised as a biography) is to give a balanced, honest account on one man's personality, not trying to hide its complexity. On that regard, Alan Levy partially fails.
As I read again my comments, I realize that I have been a little bit harsh. The book is not bad, it is just that it is written more like a thriller than a book on history.

THis book is a good one for anyone interested in Jewish Self-defense. Wiesenthal is a legend. Having survived the Holocaust he became a great Nazi-Hunter. Documenting the crimes of the holocaust and seeking to track down the thousands of Nazi butchers responsible. He dedicated his life to the pursuit of justice, keeping the memory of the Jewish dead alive as his sources tracked to globe looking for Nazis, who were hiding like rats in Latin America. This is an important work. Too often is the Holocaust viewed in a vacume. We hear little about the pursuit of justice or the pre-Holocaust era. Here is the story of the pursit of justice and the story of the notorious Nazi butchers like Mengele, Eichman and Stangl.

This book is also an investigation of the disappearance of Raoll Wallenberg and the questions of guilt of others associated with the Nazis.

A good read. Very pro-Wiesenthal. Enlightening as Wiesenthal has also investigated many other interesting things related to Jewish history, like the presence of Rabbis on COlumbus's voyage.