Prosecutor Benedict Huber, completing the State’s case against three former Nazis charged with sending 95, 000 Dutch Jews, including Anne Frank, to death in German concentration camps, called here today for prison terms totaling 34 years The three are former SS Gen. Wilhelm Harster; former SS Maj. Wilhelm Zoepf; and Gertrud Slottke.
The prosecutor asked the court to impose a 15-year sentence on Harster because of his role as head of the Gestapo in Nazi-occupied Holland during World War II. For Zoepf, a 10-year sentence was asked, because he headed the “Jewish department” at The Hague, which picked out Jews for transportation to the death camps. For Harster’s secretary, Gertrud Slottke, the prosecutor asked the court to impose a nine-year sentence.
Harster raided the hide-out of the Frank family in Amsterdam, which led to the imprisonment of Anne Frank, who died later at Bergen-Belsen. Both Harster and Zoepf admitted their guilt, but claimed they had not been able to face the consequences of their acts. Miss Slottke, however, maintained that she knew “absolutely nothing” of the fate that awaited the Jews sent to Poland and that, in fact, she had sent as many as possible to Auschwitz because she believed it was “better” than other concentration camps.
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.
