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Kasztner: Hero or Devil?

JL;DR SUMMARY In his review of Gaylen Ross's documentary "Killing Kasztner," Jerome A. Chanes explores the controversial legacy of Rezso Kasztner, a Hungarian Jewish lawyer who negotiated with Nazis during World War II to save thousands of Jews. A way out west there was a fella, fella I want to tell you about, fella by the name of Jeff Lebowski. At least, that was the handle his lovin' parents gave him, but he never had much use for it himself. This Lebowski, he called himself the Dude. Now, Dude, that's a name no one would self-apply where I come from. But then, there was a lot about the Dude that didn't make a whole lot of sense to me. And a lot about where he lived, likewise. But then again, maybe that's why I found the place s'durned innarestin'.

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Tags

Israeli SocietyHolocaustJewish AgencyMapai PartyNazi NegotiationsHolocaust TrialsRezso Kasztner1950s Israeli PoliticsKilling Kasztner

Places mentioned

Budapest, Hungary
"In Budapest during the war, Kasztner headed up the Zionist Aid and Rescue Committee (Vaada) in Hungary, and it was in that position that he entered into negotiations with Adolf Eichmann and other Nazis to rescue Jews."
Tel Aviv, Tel Aviv District, Israel
"In mid-1955, Tel Aviv District Court Judge Benyamin Halevy ruled against Kasztner, saying that he sold his soul to the devil."
Israel
"It took more than 20 years for Israel to understand what Kasztner did and what he accomplished and even today there are many in Israel and the Diaspora who view Kasztner as a villain or worse."
New York, United States
"Killing Kasztner opens October 23 at New Yorks Cinema Village."

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Cairo Item ID 73168
Cairo Source ID 35
Retrieved 2026-01-21 05:31:16 UTC
Curated 2026-01-21 08:32:22 UTC