Learning from Nuremberg

·11 min·1 clip

Nisha reveals how the Nuremberg film shows it only took Supreme Court Justice Robert Jackson to insist on a trial instead of executions.

The episode begins with host Nisha introducing her return and intention to record three podcasts, starting with reflections on the film Nuremberg. She mentions having watched the actual trials online, noting their availability and impact on German society. Nisha highlights a positive takeaway: that it only takes one or two people, like American Supreme Court Justice Robert Jackson, to change history by insisting on a trial rather than executions. She references Jewish lawyer Ben Ferenczi, who lived to 103 and was instrumental in the judicial system, quoting Carl Jung's idea of choosing who to become. The discussion shifts to the ninth Nuremberg trial, which documented mass killings in Polish and Russian villages, describing harrowing details like victims digging their own graves. Nisha connects this to current events, noting similar images from Gaza and mental health crises in Israel. She explores the phrase by Ben Ferenczi that war makes murderers out of decent men. The host then researches Robert Jackson, reflecting on his role in Nuremberg while coming from segregated America, and mentions his involvement in pivotal cases like Brown vs. Board of Education. Nisha discusses psychiatrist Douglas Kelly, who interacted with Hitler's inner circle to study evil, and how his findings were rejected in America. She ties this to modern times, where nations like the U.S., U.K., and Russia commit atrocities without trials. The episode concludes with Nisha sharing personal experiences of balancing intellectual study with lived trauma, emphasizing that standing up to injustice requires little but makes a significant difference.

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