Scherwitz : der jüdische SS-Offizier

Examines the controversial life story of Fritz Scherwitz who presented himself after the war as a Jewish survivor of the Riga ghetto. Scherwitz was arrested in April 1948 on charges of war crimes; at the time, he was serving as a regional director for Support of Victims of National Socialism in München. The prosecuting attorney portrayed him as a former member of the Nazi Party, a Police and SS officer who had operated two forced labor workshops in Riga. In 1941 Scherwitz took over the SD workshop at Washington Square in Riga, which employed ca. 100 Jews, and used his influence to protect those working for him. Following mass executions in late 1941, Scherwitz brought in more workers and moved to the former Lenta factory. His work force reached more than 900 in September 1943. When he learned of plans for the liquidation of the Riga ghetto, he locked his workers in the shop, permitting none to return to the ghetto. After his arrest in 1948, Scherwitz insisted his given name was Eleke, son of Yankel and Sore Sirewitz, but provided conflicting information on his birth and life. He was charged in 1948 with manslaughter in the shooting of three prisoners at Lenta. Found guilty in March 1949, he received a sentence of seven years in prison. Concludes that the true identity of Scherwitz (whether he was actually a Jew) remains a mystery. 1. Aufl. 757 pages : illustrations ; 22 cm