Translated material
"There is a battle ahead to preserve history"
-- Does your center cooperate with Russia in searching for Nazi criminals?
-- No. But in the morning I discussed with the Chairman of the Federation Council Committee on International Affairs Mikhail Margelov the prospects for cooperation with Russia in countering the spread of Nazi ideas. Russia can play an important role in this by publishing archival documents it has.
-- From what sources is your center financed? Does he involve the intelligence services of Israel and other countries in his activities?
-- Since its founding in 1977, the Simon Wiesenthal Center has been a public organization, financed only by private donations. It does not receive funds from government sources. We do not use intelligence services. We are in contact with the police and private individuals, trying to get on the trail of Nazi criminals through them.
— Do you have information about the presence of Nazi criminals on Russian territory?
- The center does not have data that Nazi criminals live in Russia. If anyone has such information, we would like to receive it. I would not be surprised if such persons could be found in Russia.
--You receive information about hiding Nazi criminals from various sources. Has your center mistakenly prosecuted people who were not involved in Nazi crimes?
-- Each information received about criminals undergoes a three-level check. First we check the accuracy of the information. Then we look to see if the person is alive and well enough to stand trial. Then we find out whether this person was prosecuted for the crimes he committed during the war. Only after all stages of verification do we provide information to local justice authorities.
— How do you feel about the fact that in Russia they often talk in a broader sense about genocide during the Second World War, and not just about the Holocaust - the mass extermination of Jews by the Nazis?
- This is a question of terminology. During the Second World War, people of various nationalities were persecuted and killed. However, the Jews found themselves in a special situation; they were subjected to total extermination. It is no coincidence that in many countries around the world the study of such a school subject as the Holocaust is being introduced. It was a meaningful, systematic policy of exterminating people.
--As the years go by, the remaining Nazi criminals will soon die. What will the Wiesenthal Center do then?
“In a few years, the persecution of those personally guilty of Nazi crimes will end. It will turn into a battle to preserve history. And we must not fail in this fight. For example, we are seriously concerned about the growth of anti-Semitic sentiments among radical Muslims in Western Europe. We are monitoring this phenomenon.