The Jewish Community's Reactions to the John Demjanjuk Trials

In September 1993, accused Nazi war criminal John Demjanjuk stepped off the small private plane at the tiny Medina, Ohio, airport, about 20 miles from Akron. Demjanjuk's most recent journey had taken him from Israel back to the United States, eventually home to Seven Hills, Ohio, a suburb just south of Cleveland. Formerly an obscure Ukrainian who was brought to the world's attention through his imprisonment and subsequent trials in both the United States and Israel from 1975 to 1998, Demjanjuk became a martyr to some and a monster to others during his two-decade-long legal ordeal. This paper will examine the various reactions to the Demjanjuk case, concentrating particularly on America's Jewish community. In using this case as a focal point I hope to illuminate certain issues regarding national and religious identity and discuss the question of the pursuit of war criminals in the name of justice.¹ The Demjanjuk case proved to be a forum for longstanding conflicts between Ukrainians and Jews, as both sides pushed for an acknowledgment of atrocities committed against their respective communities.     

Maritime and Underwater Cultural Heritage in South Africa: The Development of Relevant Management Strategies in the Historical Maritime Context of the Southern Tip of Africa

South Africans have a long association with water. It has provided a source of food, a medium for trade and a catalyst for migration and development. The country??s geographical position as a crossroads of maritime trade between Europe and the East means that its history is inextricably linked to the history of the rest of the world. The result is a multi-faceted representation of sites, objects and mythologies related to water and maritime heritage that reflect not only local historical and social development, but global cultural change as well. Given the importance of South Africa??s underwater cultural heritage (UCH), managers have grappled with management principles, ethics and theoretical models in an effort to produce and enforce heritage legislation that is relevant and effective. This paper outlines South Africa??s maritime context from 1.5 million years ago until the present, summarises legislative and mitigation developments over the past half century and provides details of current trends in maritime archaeology and UCH management at the southern tip of Africa. Training programmes and public awareness are keys to this strategy to bring UCH and maritime archaeology into the mainstream and counter treasure hunting and looting of this rich, friable resource.