The conviction of John Demjanjuk earlier this year has led Nazi-hunters to offer a $30,000 reward for information leading to capture of the last remaining Nazi criminals guilty of the horrors of the Holocaust.
The Simon Wiesenthal Center announced the reward because time is running out as both Holocaust survivors and their murderers are rapidly disappearing as the end of World War II fades deeper into history.
"The passage of time in no way diminishes the guilt of the killers," said the Center’s Israeli director Efraim Zuroff. "Old age should not afford protection to mass murders. Each of the victims deserves that an effort be made to find their murderers."
He cited the conviction last summer of Demjanjuk, whose trial set a legal precedent by establishing the principle that proving the employment of a Nazi guard is enough implicate him in the murder of Jews, even if there is no evidence of specific murders. Most of the survivors of the Holocaust have died.
"The Demjanjuk case should pave the way for the prosecution of many people who on a daily basis, for an extended period of time, were involved in mass murder," Zuroff said at a press conference.
“Operation Last Chance 2” is aimed at finding approximately 40 men who still are living and who worked in Nazi death camps.
"We are hoping that this effort will inspire and encourage and motivate faster action.” Zuroff added.