The French Railroad On Trial
By Symi Rom-Rymer
Reuters reported this week that 100 French and American plaintiffs are suing SNCF, the French national railroad company, for their role in transporting French Jews to concentration camps during the Holocaust. The group, made up of Holocaust survivors and their descendents, insist that it’s not about the money, but rather about exposing the crimes in which the rail company participated. "‘It is about money but not in the way they mean,’" said William Wajnryb, whose father died at Auschwitz. “When people make accusations about money, they should look at the SNCF first of all," he said. "The core of this story is that the SNCF got money for deporting Jews.’”
I certainly understand the motivation that is driving these plaintiffs to sue the SNCF. The trauma of the Holocaust coupled with the French government’s...