IRENA'S VOW - CRITICAL HISTORICAL CORRECTION

[anb92652]

Posted: 4/8/09 at 2:32pm

Eduard Rugemer, the German major featured in "Irena's Vow" was NOT a member of the SS as he is being portrayed. Rather, he was a career army major in the German Wermacht. Rugemer personally despised the SS and their treatment of Jews. To associate him with the SS and its murderous thugs is an affront to history and to the memory of a man who by all accounts was "righteous" in his own right.

Wikipedia Article about Irene Gut Opdyke Updated On: 4/8/09 at 02:32 PM

[Ole Chum]

Posted: 4/8/09 at 2:40pm

im not sure what the difference is: i mean its technically historically inaccurate maybe, but either he was an SS Officer who saved Jews despite his direct orders, or he was a Wermacht officer who saved jews despite indirect, general orders?

id actually argue he comes off as more heroic if his salvation emanated from within the SS

[anb92652]

Posted: 4/8/09 at 4:18pm

It was illegal for any German to help Jews, let alone help save Jewish lives - Wermacht, SS or otherwise. Thus, any German officer who helped Jews was heroic. And there weren't that many. Rugemer was among the very few. (Yad Vashem even recognized Rugemer as a "Righteous among Nations" at one time.)

The SS started out as murderers fighting for Hitler intent on wiping out Jews - The Wermacht, on the other hand, was the German army originally motivated to fight for Germany. When Hitler became Chancellor they ending up fighting for Hitler as well - but their intent was never to kill Jews, just fight for Germany. It is an important distinction. To equate Rugemer with the SS is out and out character assassination.

[April Saul]

Posted: 4/8/09 at 11:17pm

I saw the play and actually got the impression that Rugemer was indeed a career Army guy who disagreed with what Hitler was doing to the Jews. I don't remember if he was identified as a member of the SS, but I know he made a remark about hating all the killing in the play...am I forgetting something in the play that was damning of his character? Because he didn't come across as a rabid Nazi, more like a German officer trying to survive...

[BobbyBubby]

Posted: 4/8/09 at 11:27pm

I'm convinced that every poster without an avatar on here is the same person talking to themselves.