Obersturmfuehrer Fritz Scherwitz's file / תיק – אוברשטורמפיהרר פריץ שרוויץ

The documents presented review the history of Fritz Scherwitz (also known as Alka Sirevitz), a Jew who served as an officer SS And commanded the labor camp Tire In Latvia during World War II. Sources include photographs, Testimonies of survivors, and official reports describing the acts of violence he committed alongside claims that he aided some of those imprisoned under him. A significant portion of the text focuses onLegal proceedings conducted against him in Germany after the war, where he was sentenced to six years in prison for murder and abuse. Correspondence between Jewish organizations Revealing the public uproar and controversy surrounding his complex identity and the lenient sentence he received, the materials ultimately document the international effort to bring him to justice and the attempt to understand how a man with Jewish roots Became part of the Nazi extermination apparatus.
The sources reveal the extraordinary story of a Jew who managed to impersonate an ethnic German ("Volksdeutsche"), enlisted in the SS, and rose to the rank of Unter-Sturmführer (H17-2f).

Key figures and notable events

• Command of the "Lenta" camp: During World War II, he commanded the SD "Lanta" workshops in Riga, Latvia (H17-1f). The camp brought together expert Jewish craftsmen, among whom the prominent figure was Boris Rudov, a master tailor who gained the trust of Sharbitz and managed the workshops (H17-1f). The sources describe "Lanta" as an island of relatively humane conditions within the inferno of Riga, with its workers receiving improved food and some protection from deportation to extermination, all under Sharbitz's patronage (H17-1f, H17-2f).
• The double identity: Sirevitz claimed after the war that all his actions, including his joining the Nazi apparatus, were intended to save Jews, and in particular his parents, Jankel and Sora Sirevitz, who ultimately perished in 1944 (H17-2f). However, other testimonies, such as those of Rafael again, presented a more complex and cruel picture, accusing him of directly murdering Jews and plundering their property (H17-2f).
• The arrest and trial in Munich: In April 1948, Sherbetz was arrested in Munich after being identified by survivors (H17-1f, H17-2f). The trial caused a great public uproar, as his Jewish roots were revealed. Figures such as Max Kaufman, author of "The Extermination of the Jews of Latvia," were very active in exposing his past and in trying to bring him to justice (H17-2f). In the end, Sharbits was convicted of the murder of several Jews and sentenced to six years in prison (H17-1f, H17-2f).

Central places

• Riga, Latvia: The main focus of Sharbitz's activity during the Holocaust, where he managed the "Lanta" camp and operated within the SD (H17-1f).
• Munich and Augsburg, Germany: The places where Sharbat lived after the war under a false identity, engaged in helping Jewish refugees, and was later arrested and tried (H17-1f, H17-2f).
• Vilnius: Sharbitz's hometown and place of origin of his family (H17-1f).

The documents also include excerpts from the research of Gertrude Schneider, "Journey into Terror", which describes the "Lanta" camp as a "paradise" of forced labor, and addresses the complexity of Sharbitz's character (H17-2f).

List of sources

• H17-1f : A collection that includes testimonies, archival documents and biographical reviews about Alka (Fritz) Sierewitz, his command of the Lanta camp in Riga and his legal proceedings in post-war Germany.
• H17-2f : A file that includes archival photographs of Sharbitz, official arrest documents from Munich, correspondence from Jewish organizations regarding his trial, press clippings, and quotes from studies on the Riga Ghetto.

 

– H17-1f

– H17-2f

** end of Obersturmfuehrer Fritz Sheritz/Elke files **

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