| Abstract: | 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. |
