A German judge who sentenced two Nazi war criminals to prison for murdering Jews during the Nazi invasion of the Soviet Union has received anonymous telephone threats to his life, it was revealed here today.
The judge, Dr. Eberhard Hartman of Darmstadt, said that the telephone caller spoke in a cultured voice and gave the pseudonym of “Heydrich, ” the former Gestapo leader assassinated in Czechoslovakia during the war.
The judge imposed a four-year sentence on a onetime Nazi captain and a three-year sentence on a sergeant, both of whom had been convicted of massacring the entire Jewish population of a village near Smolensk in 1941. During the trial, Dr. Hartmann publicly charged that witnesses against the defendants had been intimidated.
Help ensure Jewish news remains accessible to all. Your donation to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency powers the trusted journalism that has connected Jewish communities worldwide for more than 100 years. With your help, JTA can continue to deliver vital news and insights. Donate today.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
