Paulinka, Gerald, grandchildren and friends. It is a great honor for me to say a few words about my dear, dearfriend, Simon Wiesenthal, at this time. We all know that Simon was one of the great men of the 20th Century. He was a man amongst men who made a statement with hislife. He will be remembered long past the time when many others with diverse credentials will be remembered. He proved that one person can make a difference if they really try. Itis often said that in this large, cruel, unusual world you can’t rock the system. He did. He did it by himself, lonely at times, with little support, economic and otherwise, buthe did it by himself and he pursued the cause of justice for the six million Jews and countless millions of others who were murdered by the Nazi criminals.
It was a most unusual union and set of circumstances that Simon and I became acquainted, particularly in view ofour very diverse backgrounds. I was born in New York and at 18 went to war. I had the grim opportunity to view some of the camps when I was 19 years old. American soldiers werenot really prepared to see the things that we saw and encountered. Then, in 1965, some 20 years after the war, I had the great privilege of meeting this most unusual and dynamicman. For 40 years we had been close friends and associates. This man who I have known so well visited my home in Long Island on many occasions. I have three daughters, and heoften rendered his opinion on their male friends. Simon was a man always possessed of opinions, and most of the time they were thought out and correct. In the last years he wouldparticularly revel in lecturing to young people knowing that they are the future and it was most imperative that they understood what occurred. He also lectured German youth andknew full well that the sins of the father should not fall on the children.
It was interesting to point out that one day in 1977 Simon called me and said that some young Rabbi had visitedhim in Vienna and wanted to establish a holocaust center in the North American hemisphere. Simon thought that it would be a good idea the next time I went to California to visitwith him and to evaluate it and to make my recommendations to Simon. I met with Rabbi Hier in California, and I immediately knew that this was a winning combination. SimonWiesenthal and Rabbi Hier and thus the Simon Wiesenthal Center was established and has become a respected worldwide major Jewish organization. It will provide the perpetuity ofSimon’s life and work which is so important for the world and the future of all people.
Through the years there have been some detractors of Simon; the people who thought the holocaust belonged tothem. Indeed, the holocaust belonged to no one and it belonged to everyone. Simon, indeed, was the only one who, throughout all the years, lonely at times, out of funds, out ofmoral and actual support, but he kept it alive. Had he not kept it alive, there would be no discussion of Nazi hunting in the last 25 years. When the statute of limitations wasset to expire in West Germany on December 31, 1979 it was through the work of Simon and the people of the Wiesenthal Center in lobbying the West German government to abolish thestatute of limitations forever and, therefore, the cause continues through this very day.
Dear, dear Simon it is time to say goodbye, but before I do I would like to tell you about a passage in Simon’slast book "Justice Not Vengeance" which is contained in the forward to the book where Simon pays tribute to the people that have helped him along the way. I quote "Thanks to theflow of money from the JDC we were able to conduct a series of costly investigations overseas, investigations which would probable have been impossible otherwise. From New Yorkalso came those seven thousand dollars which I had to pay for information on the whereabouts of the commandant of Treblinka, Franz Stangl. Herman Katz died in 1977 and hisattorney and co-founder of the New York office, Martin Rosen, took over his function. As my family was exterminated by the Nazis, and as I have scarcely any relations left, I oncesaid to Martin how nice it would be if one could choose a new family for oneself – in which case I would choose him as a brother. Thus we became brothers."
So dear brother Simon, rest in peace. Your job was well done. We and the entire world will always remember you.You made a difference.
