Three Jews, part of a tiny group of 17 who survived a Nazi massacre of 2,000 Jews in the town of Mikulince, this week-end appeared at Ellis Island to testify against a detained immigrant, Ivan Martynewycz, who is charged with having directed the systematic annihilation of the 2,000.
The three Jewish witnesses against Martynewycz, a Ukrainian, are all former DP’s who entered this country as immigrants. They are: Marion Heliczer and Mr. and Mrs. Marcus Phal. According to the witnesses the former Ukrainian shoemaker ruled Mikulince for six weeks as town judge, chief of police and deputy in charge of Jewish affairs, after the Nazis took over the town. In this capacity he passed death sentences on Jews and led groups of them to the town square where the Nazis mowed them down with machine guns.
The American Jewish Congress, which has traced seven survivors of the massacre who are now in this country and are willing to testify against Martnewycz, asked immigration officials to permit it to send observers to the hearing. The request was denied.
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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.
