Local news- Press Release
New Rochelle New York - Bayberry Lane Named for Benjamin B . Ferencz 20 May 2022 ( news )
New Rochelle , state New York ( By Press Release office)
May 20,2022
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Joined by members of the Bayberry neighborhood association , students from New Rochelle High School , community partners and state and local elected officials , the City of New Rochelle honored the legacy of longtime resident Benjamin B . Ferencz with an honorary street naming on Thursday , May 19 at the corner of Bayberry Lane and High Ridge Road .
In December 2021 , the New Rochelle City Council voted unanimously to honor the accomplishments of Mr . Ferencz , a resident for over six decades whose international stature began in 1945 with his appointment as Chief Prosecutor for the United States in The Einsatzgruppen Case - one of the subsequent Nuremberg trials - and continues through today with his advocacy for international law and global peace ( see bio below ) . Most recently , Mr . Ferencz has voiced his support for Ukraine and joined with others in advocating for the creation of a special tribunal for the punishment of the crime of aggressions against that nation . The Bayberry street naming was championed by Deputy Mayor and District 5 Council Member Sara Kaye and former District 5 Council Member Barry Fertel . “Sadly , the evils that Nuremberg sought to correct are still with us today , anti - Semitic incidents and other hate crimes are on the rise in our nation and just this past week in New York State , ” said Deputy Mayor Sara Kaye , “but Ben Ferencz is an illustrious example of the continued importance of speaking out . He has never stopped pushing his message of ‘law , not war’ . And he’s still at it , at the age of 102 . ”
“As the last surviving Nuremberg prosecutor , Ben Ferencz bears invaluable witness to one of history’s greatest acts of justice and redemption , ” said Mayor Noam Bramson . “And yet Ben’s service to peace , human rights and international law , did not end in Nuremberg , but merely began . Throughout his long and fruitful career across the span of decades and continuing today , Ben has been a champion for the institutions and principles that make a just world . We in New Rochelle have been privileged to live side by side with such a towering figure and to draw inspiration from his example . ”
New Rochelle High School teachers Mrs . Saglibene and Mr . Dower incorporated Mr . Ferencz’s life’s work into their respective curriculums for Political Issues through Film and Facing History . Seniors Carys Nardozzi , Skylar Morais - Cruz , Jeycof Carrion , Navid Torres and Diego Mungia attended the event with Department Chair Gustavo Barbosa , and read essays detailing the impact Mr . Ferencz’ life experiences had on each of them .
“We continue to be awed by the fact that this man from New Rochelle was in the room at the Nuremberg Trials and prosecuted dozens of Nazi commanders . ” Mr . Dower explained . “Working together , Ms . Saglibene and I were able to reinforce the power of living history . This was a great way for our students to understand the strong connection between New Rochelle and a major international event . Interacting with Mr . Ferencz was an unmissable opportunity for our students . ”
BIO
www . benferencz . org
Benjamin B . Ferencz immigrated to America from the Carpathian Mountains in 1920 , and from a young age felt a deep yearning for universal friendship and world peace . He graduated from City College in 1940 and from Harvard Law School in 1943 , and enlisted to serve in World War II under General Patton , fighting in most of the major campaigns in Europe . As Nazi atrocities were uncovered , he was transferred to a War Crimes Branch of the Army to gather evidence of Nazi brutality and apprehend the criminals .
After an honorable discharge from the U . S . Army in 1945 , Ferencz was recruited as a lawyer for the Nuremberg war crimes trials , traveling with a team of 50 researchers to Berlin to scour Nazi offices and archives . At age 27 , he became Chief Prosecutor for the United States in The Einsatzgruppen Case , which the Associated Press called “the biggest murder trial in history” , leading to the conviction of all twenty - two defendants charged with murdering over a million people . He continued his work in law until 1970 , when after careful deliberation decided to withdraw from private practice and dedicate himself to studying and writing about world peace .
Ferencz’s first book Defining International Aggression - The Search for World Peace was published in 1975 , followed by another two - volume documentary history , An International Criminal Court - A Step Toward World Peace , intended as a tool that nations could use to build a structure for peace . In 1983 another two - volume book , Enforcing International Law - A Way to World Peace , was published; and in order to spread the word to a larger audience , subsequently published a condensed paperback , A Common Sense Guide to World Peace , the title influenced by patriot and New Rochellean Thomas Paine , whose pamphlet Common Sense had inspired the American Revolution . In 1988 Ferencz wrote Planethood with Ken Keyes , Jr . to offer practical steps for the average citizen to take to help establish international law and urge U . N . reform .
In the 1990’s Ferencz asserted the need for an ICC - international criminal court - to replace “rule of force with the rule of law” , and continues to be active making available his expertise on current efforts to define aggression , and writing and speaking worldwide for international law and global peace at the age of 102 .
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