Holocaust architect Heinrich Himmler’s dagger up for sale in US

Auction house in Oregon is selling off Nazi memorabilia from one of the architects of the Holocaust.

By World Israel News Staff

An auction house in the United States is selling off some Nazi memorabilia, including a dagger it claims once belonged to notorious Nazi leader Heinrich Himmler, the Jerusalem Post reported Monday.

The O’Gallerie auction house in Oregon said it expected the dagger and its sheath will fetch between $8,000 and $12,000.

Himmler was one of the major Nazi architects of the Holocaust, which sought to commit genocide and kill all the Jews in Europe.

“Every time a piece of Nazi memorabilia is up for sale as though it’s ‘rare,’ ‘exclusive,’ or any other term that glorifies an item which belonged to someone responsible for MILLIONS of deaths without mention of its evil roots, it ought to be condemned,” tweeted Jerusalem Post managing editor Tamar Beeri.

The listing at the auction house says the dagger is engraved with “Meine Ehre Heisst Treue,” meaning “My Honor Is True,” as well as “In Herzlicher Freundschaft H. Himmler,” meaning “In Heartfelt Friendship.”

The photographs of the item show the SS symbol on the butt of the knife and the Nazi war eagle on its handle, but the listing does not describe any of the crimes committed by the Nazi leader.

The auction house is keeping quiet and has not responded to requests from the Jerusalem Post or from Bob Horenstein, director of community relations for the Jewish Federation of Greater Portland, the report said.

“We don’t believe that a business or an individual should be able to profit from something like this — it’s shameful,” Horenstein told The Oregonian.

During the Holocaust, Himmler served as Reichsführer, or the commander of the SS, and was appointed directly by Adolf Hitler.

Himmler committed suicide in May 1945 by cyanide poisoning after British forces caught him while World War II came to a close.