Holocaust diaries returned

A heated debate over the fate of a historical artifact chronicling one woman's experience of the holocaust has been resolved, at least for now, by a recent court decision.

The Lorain County Court of Common Pleas recently ordered Professor of German Heidi Thomann Tewarson to return documents to Oberlin resident Michael Simon, who had entrusted them to her. The papers in question are the diaries his mother kept during her time at a Nazi concentration camp in Czechoslovakia.

Simon offered the documents to Tewarson in 1996. Tewarson was the first to translate the writings, which were scribbled in German shorthand by his mother, Minni.

His mother's diaries recount her experience in the concentration camp Theresienstadt, where she and her husband Fritz were held captive during World War II. A native of Germany, Minni gave birth to Simon while imprisoned. In addition to her diaries, the collection includes correspondence with Simon's aunt, as well as medals, identity cards, badges and other items. They possibly included the memoirs of Simon's father.

In his suit, Simon contended that Tewarson was instructed to translate the documents, and that he was to be kept abreast of the professor's progress. He claims that he received little, if any, information from Tewarson, whose intention was to publish a book based on her research. Tewarson, on the other hand, contends that she and Simon had agreed that she would write a book, and that she would return the material upon publication of her work.

Simon's argument that the diaries should be returned to him was upheld in court by Lorain County Common Pleas Judge Lynette McGough. The Judge ruled that any agreement between the two parties was not contractually binding, and that Tewarson must surrender the documents, which were being held in a safety deposit box pending the outcome of the case. Tewarson, who was understandably dismayed by the outcome of the suit, is also prohibited from publishing any of her work without the consent of Simon. She claims to have translated approximately 75 percent of the text.

It is not immediately clear what Simon will do with his returned possessions. He will likely consider the numerous offers to publish the papers that he has received, though a decision will wait until he has read the translations.

The works are quite valuable, both in terms of dollars and historical significance, because they are one of the few surviving items of their nature. They will hopefully allow for a better understanding of life in the Nazi concentration camps and provide for Simon and others a vivid link to the tragedy of the holocaust.