The Jewish community of Munich today decided to erect a memorial for Philip Auerbach, former head of the Bavarian State Restitution office who committed suicide after being convicted of embezzling restitution funds. The decision was taken by the community as expression of gratitude to Auerbach for his efforts for Jewish victims of Nazism during the period when he was Restitution Commissioner.
The German press continues to discuss the verdict against Auerbach which was issued by the German court dominated by the judges who were members of the Nazi Party. Some section of the press are drawing more and more a parallel between the Auerbach case and the Dreyfus case. The possibility exists that a movement will be started to have Auerbach’s name cleared and the convictions removed from the records.
Auerbach was buried yesterday at the Jewish cemetery on the Ungarerstrasse. The funeral started from the local synagogue here where his body was laying in a coffin draped with the flag of Israel. The funeral was marked by violence when a policeman wanted to take away a placard reading “Down with the Nazi Dreyfus trial” being carried by the mourners. Four trucks of German policemen arrived at the scene and dispersed the crowd. Several persons were detained.
More than 1,000 people, many of them refugees from DP camps, participated in the funeral procession. Max Wermer, eulogizing on behalf of the German labor unions, said: “Auerbach attempted to weaken the tragic shame which burdens the German people. His tragic death is a warning to us that others must continue the work which he started.”
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.
