I am still stubbornly pursuing "The Mascot" story which now many believe to be spurious, as you know. There are grave doubts whether Alex
Kurzem is even a Jew. And, of course, the publisher of the book has
continuously stonewalled on all questions of veracity.
In the meantime, Alex has for some years been getting a pension as a
Holocaust survivor from the Claims Conference. The latter is, of course,
well-known as a thoroughly mismanaged organization and they just refuse to cooperate with anyone who makes waves.
In the meantime, an Australian reporter, with whom I was also in
touch, who investigated the story, interviewed Alex and others and was all set to write an expose, but his paper's legal department chickened out for fear of a possible lawsuit.
Some details. Alex has refused an examination on whether he is
circumcised and has requested a payment of $100,000 to take a DNA test which would prove whether or not he is related to some specific Jewish family.
http://plogspot101.blogspot.com/2011/04/did-alex-kurzem-embellish-his-...
Product DescriptionThe “spellbinding” (The New York Times) true story of a Jewish boy who became the darling of the Nazis
When a Nazi death squad massacred his mother and fellow villagers, five-year-old Alex Kurzem escaped, hiding in the freezing Russian forest until he was picked up by a group of Latvian SS soldiers. Alex was able to hide his Jewish identity and win over the soldiers, becoming their mascot and an honorary “corporal” in the SS with his own uniform. But what began as a desperate bid for survival became a performance that delighted the highest ranks of the Nazi elite. And so a young Jewish boy ended up starring in a Nazi propaganda film.
After sixty-three years of silence, Alex revealed his terrible secret to his son Mark. With his son’s help, Alex retraced his past in search of answers and vindication. His story is at once a terrifying account of survival and its psychological cost as well as a brutally honest examination of identity, complicity, and memory.
Submitted by andie531 on Fri, 2011-04-22 15:28
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