Page 22 - Jewish News_February 2020

22A February 2020 JEWISH INTEREST

A Pulitzer-worthy investigation of escaped war criminals

Book review by Philip K. Jason, Special to The Jewish News

Citizen 865: The Hunt for Hitler’s well as legal experts, slowly excavated ter untold thousands of Jews in neighbor of Lucyna
Hidden Soldiers in America, the facts needed to turn the tide and Trawniki, Poland, where, in the and Feliks, whose saga
by Debbie Cenziper. Hachette Books. bring such people to justice. early 1940s, the Nazis set up a fills the beginning of
320 pages. Hardcover $28.00. In Citizen 865, author Debbie Cen- “school” for committing mass the book. Toward the
ziper provides stunning insights into murder. end, we discover that
hen Adolf Hitler’s defeat these Nazi hunters’ skills, accomplish- The book’s attention-get- the couple married in the
in World War II was im- ments and dedication. She retraces ting opening focuses on the Warsaw Ghetto, lived
Wminent, a great number of their steps, giving us two layers of story of 19-year-old Feliks through hell, made it to
Nazi functionaries made their way to investigation. We learn how these pro- Wojcik and Lucyna Stryjews- the U.S., raised a family,
the United States fessionals went about their work, in- ka, a few years younger. It is a enjoyed grandchildren
and essentially terpreted the law and prevailed in their story of overwhelming threats and realized most – if not
hid in plain sight. cases. We also learn quite a bit about to their lives and communities. These all – of their dreams.
They moved into how Cenziper did her own investiga- characters are vividly drawn individu- Passionate, provocative and art-
American cities tion of the investigators, making the als scrambling to survive the Nazi pro- fully constructed, this fully engaging
and suburbs, took case for our appreciation grams built to annihilate work of deeply humanized scholarship
on new identi- of their efforts. them. It is set in Lublin, a is a fine addition to the literature of the
ties, and success- To accomplish this, Polish town rich in Jewish Holocaust and its aftermath. It could
fully evaded any she provides capsule bi- history and institutions, very well bring Debbie Cenziper her
responsibility or ographies of many key but now without support second Pulitzer.
Phil Jason punishment for figures, illuminating their for Jewish survival. The Debbie Cenziper is an investiga-
their crimes. They obtained citizen- ambition, their frustra- horrors of Feliks and Lu- tive journalist, professor and author
ship. tions, their sacrifices, their cyna’s experiences bring based in Washington, D.C. A contribut-
Though attempts were made to home life, their intelli- them together, and readers ing reporter for the investigative team
bring these war criminals to justice, gence and their courage. are temporarily left won- at The Washington Post, she has won
most cases failed. Many plausible leads They are real people we dering about their chances many major awards in print journal-
were never pursued. However, the De- get to know and like. Debbie Cenziper for a future, allowing the ism, including the 2007 Pulitzer Prize.
partment of Justice’s Office of Special The title of the book refers to Jakob author to paint a different section of Cenziper is the co-author of the criti-
Investigations (OSI), in part by hiring Reimer, one of the monsters who did her broad canvas. cally acclaimed Love Wins: The Lovers
capable and committed historians, as what he was told and helped slaugh- That includes bringing into sharp and Lawyers Who Fought the Land-
focus Reimer’s trial, a small mas- mark Case for Marriage Equality. She
terpiece within the larger one that is was recently named the Director of
Citizen 865. Reimer’s studied yet con- Investigative Journalism at the North-
genial nature made him an excellent western University Medill School of
defendant, but the facts presented by Journalism.
the OSI finally revealed his true nature This review first appeared in Wash-
and criminality. ington Independent Review of Books
Like many other incognito former and is reprinted by permission.
Nazis, Reimer lived in a neighborhood Philip K. Jason is Professor Emeritus
very much like those inhabited by an- of English from the United States Na-
Quickly Locate all of your favorite Jewish other group of immigrants: Jews who val Academy. He reviews regularly for
organizations, clubs and service providers online. survived the Holocaust and migrated Florida Weekly, Washington Indepen-
to the U.S. to build new lives, perhaps dent Review of Books, Southern Lit-
JFEDSRQ.org/Directory shopping at the same supermarkets as erary Review, other publications and
the hidden SS functionaries and other
the Jewish Book Council. Please visit
Keyword Search Filter Options Drop Pin Locator Map mass murderers of the Third Reich. Phil’s website at www.philjason.word
Reimer might even have been a press.com.

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