Chabad Lubavitch presented a request Monday to Yad Vashem to recognize a high-ranking military commander in the Third Reich as a righteous gentile for saving Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef Schneerson, the sixth Chabad rebbe.
Admiral Canaris, commander of the Nazi Abwehr, or intelligence, had a central role in securing Schneerson's escape from the Warsaw Ghetto along with members of Schneerson's family and entourage, said Yosef Kaminetzky, a writer who recently completed a book on the escape story.
Chabad: Make Nazi Commander a ‘Righteous Gentile’
Chabad Lubavitch presented a request Monday to Yad Vashem to recognize a high-ranking military commander in the Third Reich as a righteous gentile for saving Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef Schneerson, the sixth Chabad rebbe.
Admiral Canaris, commander of the Nazi Abwehr, or intelligence, had a central role in securing Schneerson’s escape from the Warsaw Ghetto along with members of Schneerson’s family and entourage, said Yosef Kaminetzky, a writer who recently completed a book on the escape story.
Kaminetzky, along with Kfar Chabad secretary Rabbi Binyamin Lipshitz sent a letter of request to Yad Vashem to consider Canaris as a candidate for righteous gentile status.
“He saved the rebbe, why shouldn’t he be recognized as a righteous gentile?” said Kaminetzky, explaining why it was important to Chabad.
“What makes Canaris even more worthy of praise is the fact that he came from the Nazi leadership.”
However, Dr. Ephraim Zuroff, director of the Wiesenthal Center in Israel called Chabad’s request “problematic.”
“It smacks of a certain particularism,” said Zuroff in a telephone interview. “It is not fair to judge Canaris by a specific good deed when at the same he was in the upper hierarchy of the Third Reich.”
A Yad Vashem spokesperson said that since they had not yet received an official request they could not comment on the Canaris issue.
Chabad’s effort was based on new information revealed by historian Danny Orbach, the author of a new book in Hebrew entitled Valkyrie -German Resistance to Hitler.
Orbach, a doctoral student at Harvard University of modern Japanese history, said he has devoted the last six years to researching German opposition to the Nazi regime.
Orbach said that in 2002 he issued a request to Yad Vashem that was later rejected to recognize Canaris as a righteous gentile.
Orbach said that Yad Vashem’s rejection of the request was based on two claims: first, that Canaris did not risk his life to save Jews, rather he used his authority as a commander; second that Canaris helped the war effort and did not oppose it.
“For the sake of historical justice I believe Canaris should be recognized as a righteous gentile,” said Orbach.
“I have proof that he did risk his life to save Jews and that he also actively attempted to hurt the Nazi war effort by convincing Franco the Spanish dictator not to join the Nazis.”
Another request presented by Orbach in 2002 was accepted. Canaris’s aide Hans von Dohnanyi, who acted on Canaris’s behalf, was named a righteous gentile in 2003.
Both Von Dohnanyi and Canaris were executed by the Nazis.
Canaris was executed in the last days of the war after it was discovered that he had tried to assassinate Hitler.
He was hanged naked by SS guards on April 9, 1945 together with Hans Oster, deputy head of the Abwehr under Canaris, and Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a Lutheran pastor and theologian who opposed the Nazi regime.
SB
This isn’t new information. Bryan Mark Rigg wrote about this in detail in his book “Rescued From The Reich: How One Of Hitler’s Soldiers Rescued The Lubavitcher Rebbe” Apparently, this has been a known “secret” within Lubavitch for decades, but nobody talked about it.
Ulterior Motive?
If he had no ulterior motive for
helping Jews, then, why not consider
him a righteous gentile? But keep in mind
that many Nazis,Y”SH, hid and helped Jews
because they wanted to look good in the eyes
of the allies; they wanted to avoid prosecution.
Rabbi Mendel Gordon
i am sure that because of him a few hundred thousand jews were killed too
Whatever
Since from a religious perspective, being awarded a “righteous gentile” award is basically meaningless, why is this so important? In any event, the man’s entire record should be studied to decide his “righteousness, not a just a single event.
Cant Believe
I cant believe someone would come up with such a rediculous way of thinking!!!To honor someone who saved a rebbe thats nice.But if was also involved in the millions who died!!!And as written above they had no ulterior motive in really helping jews, in most cases.
I just dont see the sense to it!!!ya just go ahead and award someone who was part of the “team” in the killing of millions of jews!!!!!THINK!!!
Yechuda hasky
Just don’t talk about this Ultra Sensitive topic. R”l jews Kedoshim turning over in the grave who may have other opinions on him…
Ariela Yael
While I agree that “Whatever” makes a valid point we also have to consider that sometimes a single event can be of great significance. So long as Canaris did not benefit monetarily when getting the Rebbe and his family out of the Warsaw ghetto then his act could be considered a good deed with no strings attached.
Whatever
Ariela, you seem to be making a point based on a rather limited understanding of the history of WWII and the inner workings of the nazi high command. I think the best you can say about Canaris is that he wasn’t totally evil. Unfortunately, that wasn’t enough to save millions of Jews, nor is it enough to redeem the man.
Esquire, Montreal
There is a big difference between the very few (or too few)Germans who resisted the Nazis in 1938-1941 and the very few Germans who saved Jews in 1945.
The former, such as Canaris and Oster, were consistent in their anti-Nazi politics. As patriotic Germans they felt (already in 1938) that following Hitler y“m would ultimitely be disastrous for Germany. In addition, many of these anti-Nazis (though by no means all) were appalled by the Nazis’ behaviour towards the Jews as indicated by statements made post-Kristellnacht and from occupied Poland by officers connected to Canaris. I am not championing the ”innocence“ of the Wehrmacht nor its command. The far majority of whom were at the very least accomplices to genocide. Still, Canaris cannot be said to be responsible or accountable for these horrific crimes. Anybody who studied the mechanisms of the cursed Third Reich knows that Canaris and his nemsis, Heydrich, had a ”cold-peace“ between them which played out with Heydrich not interfering with Canaris’ operations and vice-versa. We all know that Heydrich y”m, prior to getting shot was resposnible for instituting the final-solution – not Canaris. Canaris was strictly involved with foreign/military intelligence. Furthermore, had this “cold-peace” not been in place, it is highly doubtful that Canaris (al pi teva) would have been able to save the Previous Rebbe, since Heydrich y“m would have certainly foiled Canaris’ rescue efforts. The most important fact we should take away from all of this is that when millions of German citizens democratically voted for Hitler y”m, a very, very few risked their lives to fight evil and of those, fewer like Canaris, Oster and Von Dohnanyi saved Jewish lives. This is why it is so important to commerate Canaris.
Correction (I Think)
A correction (from Wikipedia)
Admiral Wilhelm Canaris, Chief of German Military Intelligence (1887-1945)hanged at Flossenburg concentration camp, 9 April 1945
Dovelle
Canaris chose to be a Nazi and must have strived to go up in rank in the Nazi party and military. His choice to be a part of the evil Nazi machine shows that he was mostly evil (although he made have done a few good things). If he had no other choice he should have fled his country, rather than to be a Nazi.
He should not be considered for righteous gentile.
Haman
Dr. Zuroff has a very strong point. At the end of the Conner is a member of the nazis at least officially.
Another point mentioned in the comments is the lack of heroic self sacrifice. This is not the case of a women shuttling hundreds of blacks to the north via undergound networks during the civil war, rather it is a political pull off via some high ranking official. In Russia too there was this guy by the name of Kalinin, a buddy of Stalin and held the title President of the regime, who is credited for voiding prison sentences of many yidden. I’ts very nice, but he still held the official title President the the cursed regime.
Achashveirosh did a great thing for the Jews but he still isnt a tzadik.
Esquire, Montreal
Canaris was a patriotic German officer,perhaps guilty of harbouring political and racist opinions of that zeitgeist. Therefore, I agree he was not a tzaddik. Nevertheless, he was never a nazi and evidence proves that he paid with his life for fighting the nazis even before the invasion of Poland. Moreover he did save yidden, amongst them the Previous Rebbe z’l. In addition yad vashem has in the past awarded German soldiers for saving Jews – even in the latter part of the war. (E.g. Wilm Hosenfeld from “The Pianist”)
Therefore, Canaris should receive the award from yad vashem.
dovi
Not that Hashem couldn’t have found another way to save the Rebbe, but canaris is the one who did it. and because of him chabad survived and became the most active out reach group in world jewish history! You can. Possibly say that no one good deed ever had more of an effect on the world scene then canaries’
Aaro Blesofsky
not all news is for public consumption, and let that suffice.
anonymous
BS“D
At the same time that he helped the Freidikher Rebbe escape, he left Rebbetzin Sheina HY”D and her husband (HY”D) behind, not to mention- so many others. While it is impossible to fault other rescuers for not saving more Jews- he was in a position of power and he could have saved more.
Did the Rebbe ever request any recognition for this guy?
Sarah
Remember, a righteous gentile is one who follows ALL of the sheva mitzvos b’nei Noach – including not to murder. That means, he can’t murder ANYONE, even if he saved some lives. Is that what he did?
Shmuli
People! Please look up your info before you comment.
Canaris organized an assassination attempt on Hitler and was therefore executed by the Nazis. Does he not deserve some recognition for it???