“You Are the Man who Killed My Brother”: Krieger v. Mittelman, New York, 1950

In June 1950, American newspapers reported a heated skirmish between two Holocaust survivors in New York. The altercation stemmed from one survivor accusing the other of murdering his brother in the Mühldorf labor camp in Germany. As the news spread, concerns rippled through the leadership of the American Jewish Congress (AJC), fearing that the ensuing negative publicity could jeopardize the willingness of authorities to allow survivors to immigrate to the United States. Drawing upon extensive archival material, including a comprehensive transcript of the legal proceedings meticulously assembled by the AJC, I delve into the intricate motivations and multifaceted reactions surrounding this trial. By excavating the historical layers, I shed light on underlying tensions within the survivors’ community and underscore gaps between survivors and American Jews in their perceptions of the Holocaust.