When I read parts of Yankel Wernik's "Year in Treblinka" I was amazed by the ridiculousness and obvious lies. In one passage after just reading something particularly stupid, he mentioned a guard named "Ivan" and I thought to myself "oh my God, please don't have this be the source of the 'Ivan the Terrible' story!"
Well sure enough guess what a key piece of evidence was in the John Demjanjuk trial? None other than the Yankel Wernik account. In fact at the trial, the prosecution presents a photo of the camp. But on looking at the photo, the defense points out that it's not a photo of the camp, but a photo of a model of the camp. Guess who made the model: Yankel Wernik! According to UKAR, they couldn't come up with even a real photo of the camp. Here's the kind of prose you get when you read Wernik. It is a passage about burning bodies:
The gangsters are standing near the ashes, shaking with satanic laughter. Their faces radiate a truly satanic satisfaction. They toasted the scene with brandy and with the choicest liqueurs, ate, caroused and had a great time warming themselves by the fire.
Thus the Jews were of some use to them even after they had died. Though the winter weather was bitter cold, the pyres gave off heat like an oven. This heat came from the burning bodies of Jews. The hangmen stood warming themselves by the fire, drinking, eating and singing.
Now read what UKAR says about Treblinka. I've got to say that the writer's sense of humor involving the pathetic nature of the trial is hilarious. The court can't even get Yankel Wernik's name right. Calling him "Yaakov Vernick" or just the one word "Yakovyorek."
http://www.ukar.org/arad02.html
It's hard to imagine what Demjanjuk went through. An old man, a retired American auto worker, extradited to Israel by the United States, based on Yankel Wernik-type evidence. Dealing with Yankel Wernik evidence in a courtroom as his life is on the line. It's hard to fathom.
