His earliest memories are of his small basement apartment in a Manhattan district - appropriately referred to as "Hell's Kitchen." Apt, perhaps, for a man who has spent his life trying to correct a world turned upside down by war and mans inhumanity to man. All Rights ReservedOfficialUSA.com is not a consumer reporting agency. Those are the three legs on which civilisation stands. [10] He also suggested that Bush should be tried in the International Criminal Court for '269 war crime charges' related to the Iraq War. They had four children. Main telephone: 202.488.0400 On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. The former was a harbinger of the larger goals of Ferenczs lifes work establishing a lasting framework for international peace and justice. George Ferencz, a longtime mainstay of the Off Broadway scene who directed premieres and revivals of plays by Sam Shepard, Aishah Rahman and Amiri . In order to spread the word to a larger audience, he condensed the gist of his thinking into a small, inexpensive paperback, A Common Sense Guide to World Peace, the title influenced by that great patriot, Tom Paine, whose pamphlet Common Sense had inspired the American Revolution. He continues to write and speak worldwide for international law and global peace. Ben Ferencz laughs and says: "And that guy is me, an immigrant boy from Eastern Europe.". He wrote several books outlining his ideas for an international legal body, which became fundamental in the establishment of the International Criminal Court in The Hague. There were 3,000 men who, for two years, murdered people, including children and infants, Ferencz recalls with a memory that defies his years. But miracles can be performed.. Benj B Ferencz, Benjamin B Ferencz, and two other persons spent some time in this place. Some of those positions included Executive Counsel, Office of the Chief of Counsel for War Crimes, Nuremberg, 1946-1948; Chief Prosecutor for the U.S. in the war crimes trial against Nazi extermination squads, 1947; Director General, Jewish Restitution Successor Organization, 1948-1956; Director of Operations, United Restitution Organization, Ltd., 1954-1956; Special Legal Advisor at Hague reparations negotiations, Germany-Israel, 1952; Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany, 1953-1956; Counsel, International Council of B'nai B'rith, 1958-1961; Counsel, American Oeuvre de Secours aux Enfants, 1959-1961; and numerous other councils and conferences related to the Holocaust. Records link the following phone numbers with Gertrude's details: (914) 633-0005 (Verizon New York, Inc), (914) 636-1486. They mainly conducted mass killings, often shooting their victims into pits dug specifically for the purpose or ravines, ditches and quarries. Even the UK has limited the courts funding. But sometimes a single individual, bucking trends, can make a huge impact. Digitized 1; In English 1; Dates. I was the prosecutor in the biggest murder trial in human history," he explains. https://www.jns.org/bipartisan-bill-awards-congressional-gold-medal-to-last-living-nuremberg-prosecutor/, Ferencz married his teenage sweetheart Gertrude Fried,[6] in New York[10] in 1946. Einsatzgruppen Trial, Nuremberg, Germany, 1947-1948. This description is derived directly from structured data provided to EHRI by a partner institution. After Ben graduated from Harvard Law School in 1943, he joined an anti-aircraft artillery battalion preparing for the invasion of France. When you are a part of the other, youre less inclined to attack it. A New Yorker most of his life, Ferencz has another home in New Rochelle, where he raised four children. Just after the war, he was assigned to collect evidence in the concentration camps in Europe. The Reading Room at the Shapell Center is open to the public. This reference provides text, photographs, charts, maps, and extensive indexes. Does that make me an accomplice to murder? [25] In the same year, Ferencz was interviewed for the 2018 Michael Moore documentary, Fahrenheit 11/9. Thats why Im still fighting, to prevent that from happening again.. If you peruse his Instagram account, you'll find a picture of him as a beaming youngster surrounded by Star Wars toys and clothing. Of course. From the UKs vote to leave the EU, to the election of Donald Trump; from the UNs stand-off with Syria and its allies for atrocities committed in its civil war to a colossal refugee crisis, peace and security have not seemed this unstable since the second world war. He grew up in a tough New York City neighborhood where his father found work as a. Gertrude C. Miller. Obituary for James "Jimbo" Ferencz | James "Jimbo" Ferencz, age 82, of Penn Hills, formerly of West Mifflin, passed away on February 6, 2021 at Forbes Hospital. But, for Ferencz, it was a matter of particular disappointment that the US, despite playing a significant role at Nuremberg, did not ratify the ICC Statute. Ben Ferenzc was born in 1920 in a village in the Carpathian Mountains in Eastern Europe. It was through this work that Ferencz began to develop an expertise in the burgeoning area of war crimes law. Ferencz was born on March 11, 1920, in a tiny cottage rented to his poor Jewish parents. These squads joined the German army when they invaded the Soviet Union. Their four kids have reached the age of pensioners themselves now. Jewish Restitution Successor Organization. His memory astonishes, plucking dates and names from more than half a century past. Past Addresses: Delray Beach FL, Delray Beach FL. His business card actually says: Law, not war.. In 1970, as the US was embroiled in Vietnam, he decided to withdraw from private practice altogether and devote himself to promoting peace. Ferencz published another two-volume documentary history, An International Criminal Court-A Step Toward World Peace, which was intended to be a tool that nations could use to build a structure for peace. After the attack on Pearl Harbor, he signed up to fight in the Second World War. They were married for more than 70 years, "without a quarrel", until her death in 2019. Gypsies, communist functionaries, and Soviet intellectuals suffered the same fate. But the US, China and Israel have refused membership, and at the end of last year, Russia joined African states including South Africa and Gambia in formally withdrawing its signature from the Rome statute, just one day after the court published a report classifying the Russian annexation of Crimea as an occupation. . Was I worried? [26], On June 20, 2019, artist and sculptor Yaacov Heller honored Ferenczpresenting him with a bust he createdcommemorating his extraordinary life dedicated to genocide prevention. Born May 10, 1931, in Huntingdon County, she was a daughter of the late Gertrude Elizabeth (Yohn) and Ira Wendell Noble. It seemed to him that there was little sense in denouncing aggression, terrorism, and other crimes against humanity unless these offenses became part of an accepted international criminal code enforced by an international court. Ben and his wife have been married for over 70 years without a quarrel, he insists. Benjamin B. Ferencz donated his collection to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Oct. 1994. . Ferencz was honourably discharged from the army in December 1945, having earned five battle stars, and returned to New York, where he married his wife Gertrude on March 31, 1946. Please accept Echovita's sincere condolences. George Ferencz, a director who was a fixture at theaters known for experimental work like La MaMa E.T.C. No, I was confident. FERENCZ JOSEPH MICHAEL FERENCZ "Chip", 54, of Litchfield, OH, peacefully passed April 16th, 2015. Restitution and indemnification claims (1933-). He was only twenty-seven years old. One shot at a time, or, as one of my lead defendants, who killed 90,000, instructed his troops: If the mother is holding an infant to her breast, dont shoot the mother, shoot the infant because the bullet will go through both of them, and youll save ammunition., The defendants, he explains, were picked on the basis of their rank and education. Unless stated otherwise, you may access and download the materials located on benferencz.org only for non-commercial use. I have never heard of a war that does not kill the innocent.. Ferencz graduated from Harvard in 1943 and was finally inducted into an artillery battalion of the US army. His job duties also consisted of unceremoniously cleaning toilets and scrubbing pots and floors. With his wife Gertrude, who died in 2019, Ben has four grown children. [28] He became a centenarian two months later. Family (1) Spouse Gertrude Fried ( 29 March 1946 - 2019) (her death) (4 children) Trivia (5) Shared the 2009 Erasmus Prize with Benjamin Ferencz. Ferencz has continued to mobilize support for the ICC, take on media punditries and inform an oft-misinformed media about the ICC. Taylor was adamant that his office lacked the resources for such a trial, but Ferencz persisted. He says he was appointed because he insisted this trial, which hadn't been planned, had to take place, even though there was no budget or manpower for it. Richard Sonnenfeldt, a Jewish American engineer who served as the United States prosecution teams chief interpreter at the Nuremberg trials, describes what it was like participating in the tribunal; and being assigned to the International Military Tribunal, which was responsible for interrogating some of World War IIs most notorious Nazi leaders. We are made to know about the death of the above name on June 28, 2021. Beat him again, and put him back in until he was burnt alive. 1991-2010 1; Personal Stories. UNLOCK PROFILE. Ferencz at the Einsatzgruppen trial at Nuremberg. I once saw DPs [displaced persons] beat an SS man and then strap him to the steel gurney of a crematorium. Perhaps, Don reflects, the lack of recognition of those who stand for the rule of law reflects the political reality of our times.. One of the massacres committed by the Einsatzgruppenwas the oneat Babi Yar on Sept. 29, 1941. Now he is 96 years old and the only one of those prosecutors still alive. These institutions would not have existed without a vision of justice that started at Nuremberg.. At the time, omcuta Mare was still part of Hungary but was occupied by Romania. As Philippe Sands, UCL professor and counsel to the Gambia in its genocide case against Myanmar over its treatment of the Rohingya at, By failing to join as a member of the ICC, the United States has turned its back on the lessons of Nuremberg. Think of all the money we are wasting on preserving the outdated nuclear weapons, which nobody knows what to do with and which are obsolete., He remains optimistic about societys inevitable advancement, however. He is survived by his wife, Connie (Cortazzo) Ferencz; daughters, Shari. I'd go into a village where, say, an American pilot had parachuted and been beaten to death and line everyone one up against the wall. They took place in the same courtroom as the International Military Tribunal proceeding, in thePalace of Justice in Nuremberg, a city chosen in part because of its symbolism as the site of the Nazi partys annual rallies and because of the Reichstag session that in 1935 passed the anti-Semitic and racist laws known as the Nuremberg Laws. Not long before Ferenczs discharge, the Allies had begun prosecuting major Nazi war criminals before the International Military Tribunal in Nuremberg. I had their daily reports and knew exactly, which unit was in charge, how many Jews they killed and who the commanding officer was, he says. Beloved husband of Frances (nee Reiss) for 59 years, loving father of Robert (Marla) and Glenn (Barbara) Ferencz, devoted grandfather of Max (Dawn), Joseph, Sarah and Ira, son of the late Morris and Fannie Ferencz, cherished brother of Pearl (the late Ben) Swislow and the late . Im always doing fantastic, he tells me with certain mirth, when I call him at his home in New Rochelle, New York. Structural Info Quotes Facts Filmography Known for movies The International Criminal Court (2013) as Himself Watchers of the Sky (2014) as Himself A Man Can Make a Difference (2015) as Himself Flick (2010) After graduating he joined an anti-aircraft artillery battalion of the US army and received five battle stars from the Pentagon for having not been killed in every major battle in Europe. But ironically, neither France nor the United Kingdom have ratified the ICCs amendments on the crime of aggression. As Nazi atrocities were uncovered, he was transferred to a newly created War Crimes Branch of the Army to gather evidence of Nazi brutality and apprehend the criminals. Ferencz, a native of Cleveland, VMFA (AW)-242's executive officer and pilot, and Hines, of Richmond, Va., was the squadron's schedules officer at the time of the accident. GERTRUDE PINTO OBITUARY. After careful deliberation, Ferencz decided that he would gradually withdraw from the private practice of law and would dedicate himself to studying and writing about world peace. Their assignment was to kill without pity or remorse - every single Jew they could lay their hands on, every man, woman or child.. Mini Bio (1) Benjamin Ferencz was born on March 11, 1920 in Soncuta-Mare, Romania. Primarily, the material concerns the efforts of Ferencz to obtain restitution for real, material, and capital property lost by B'nai B'rith during World War II. He was an investigator of Nazi war crimes after World War II and the chief prosecutor for the United States Army at the Einsatzgruppen Trial, one of the 12 Subsequent Nuremberg Trials held by the U.S. authorities at Nuremberg, Germany. [18], In 2009, Ferencz was awarded the Erasmus Prize, together with Antonio Cassese; the award is given to individuals or institutions that have made notable contributions to European culture, society, or social science. first trial of the Congolese warlord Thomas Lubanga Dyilo. As the last surviving prosecutor of the Nuremberg trials, he has witnessed more in his lifetime than most. Later, he became an advocate of international rule of law and for the establishment of an International Criminal Court. On the day after Christmas 1945, Ferencz was honorably discharged from the U.S. Army with the rank of Sergeant of Infantry. Research family history relating to the Holocaust and explore the Museum's collections about individual survivors and victims of the Holocaust and Nazi persecution. [15][16], In 2013, Ferencz stated once more that the "use of armed force to obtain a political goal should be condemned as an international and a national crime. You begin at the earliest level. During World War II, he. To Ruti Teitel, a professor at New York Law School, Ferenczs enduring legacy is his work for the anti-war movement, particularly the movement against nuclear weapons. Hallowell - Beloved Gertrude Charlotte Cleveland Miller died peacefully in her sleep on February 4, 2023, at her home in Granite Hill Estates, Hallowell, Maine having lead an inspired life that impacted many. But ironically, neither France nor the United Kingdom have ratified the ICCs amendments on the crime of aggression. Benjamin B Ferencz, Robin Ferencz, Benj B Ferencz were identified as possible owners of the phone number (914) 633-0005. [3] They were married for more than 70 years, without a quarrel,[41] until her death in 2019. Margaret Felicichia of Hammond, Martha and Gertrude. Gertrude Ferencz discusses her involvement at the trials in Nuremberg in which she prepared and processed documents that were used during the prosecution of Nazi war criminals. I have never heard of a war that does not kill the innocent., Most people dont know that until about the age of 95 years old, my father stood on his head for about five minutes every single day., Al Jazeera Centre for Public Liberties & Human Rights. Current Address: GGDP Seville O, Delray Beach, FL. Records show that Gertrude has one phone number, (561) 499-8642 (Bellsouth Telecommunications, LLC), The residency of Gertrude is at 14 Bayberry La, New Rochelle, NY 10804-3402. I came into the world as a pauper, I lived most of my life in poverty, and now Im giving it all back., I ask him if he was nervous, all those years ago, as he faced the court at Nuremberg. Nowits payback time. This was the first of the famous Nuremberg trials. Preceded in death by first wife, Catherine and one . Growing up in a neighbourhood riddled with crime, he was a studious adolescent keen to prove his worth. As part of this unit, Ferencz helped liberate and investigate the Buchenwald, Mauthausen and Flossenburg concentration camps, among others. They lived for many years in New Rochelle, New York, but now they are permanently in Florida. At 27, he took on the Nazis in the courtroom at Nuremberg and has been fighting for justice ever since. Since the second world war, Ferencz has stayed busy, leading efforts to return property to Holocaust survivors, participating in reparations negotiations between Israel and West Germany. Brett Ferencz, the @Scotch_Trooper, has been a dyed-in-the-wool honest-to-goodness Star Wars nerd since childhood. I have no doubt that my earliest memories and experiences had an influence in sending me on a career to prevent crime.". ] in 1946 and inform an oft-misinformed media about the ICC keen to prove his worth married for 70... Quarrel, he joined an anti-aircraft artillery battalion preparing for the 2018 Michael Moore documentary, Fahrenheit 11/9,... 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