Rigg’s Thesis

The outlandish thesis that thousands of Jews served in Hitler’s armed forces is pushing the envelope of historical interpretation to the absurd (“The Jews in Hitler’s Military,” Dec. 24).

Bryan Rigg, the researcher who gathered data on members of the Wehrmacht who could trace some Jewish ancestry or were married to a Jew, but nevertheless were acceptable to the likes of Goering and Hitler, gets caught in the web of Nazi propaganda. He neglects to mention that these men never thought of themselves as Jewish, were determined to prove they weren’t Jewish by fighting for Hitler and can only be viewed as Jews when one accepts the Nazis’ race theory. Since this deadly ideology has never been accepted by Jews, or by the free world, it is not legitimate to apply it in order to proclaim a sensational but ill-founded thesis.

Rigg adds theoretical insult to historical injury when he asserts that Jews consciously and deliberately served in the armed forces that killed their brethren. In fact, Jews were the victims of a Nazi regime that created and implemented the policy that led to the systematic murder of 6 million Jewish men, women and children. On this, the historical record is clear.

SUE STENGEL

Western States Counsel

Anti-Defamation League

Los Angeles