In May 1946, 19-year-old Lithuanian Holocaust survivor Ada Gens-Ustjanauskas attended the Nuremberg Trials, the first international military tribunal to prosecute major Nazi war criminals following World War II. Accompanied by other survivors from the Ex-Concentration Camp Orchestra, Gens-Ustjanauskas was invited to observe the proceedings, which took place in Nuremberg, Germany, from November 1945 to October 1946. The trials held 199 defendants accountable, resulting in 161 convictions and 37 death sentences, including that of Hermann Goering, Hitler’s second-in-command.
Gens-Ustjanauskas, who escaped Nazi-occupied Lithuania in 1945 along with her mother, had lost much of her family during the Holocaust, including her father, Jacob Gens. He was the Jewish chief of police in the Vilna Ghetto and was murdered by the Gestapo in 1943 after accusations of aiding partisan groups. Reflecting on the trials, Gens-Ustjanauskas expressed that justice was served and recalled the profound impact the courtroom confrontation with Nazi perpetrators had on her.
The trials also featured U.S. prosecutor Thomas J. Dodd, who later served as a Connecticut senator. Dodd’s involvement in the Nuremberg proceedings influenced his subsequent political work, particularly his support for the independence of the Baltic states—Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia—which were under Soviet control at the time. In 1965, he introduced a resolution advocating for the restoration of freedom to these nations. Dodd’s engagement extended beyond diplomacy; during the early 1960s, he and the Ustjanauskas family collaborated to send humanitarian aid to those living under Soviet rule.
Thomas Dodd’s tenure was marked by a belief in the importance of international law, which was exemplified in his role at Nuremberg. His son, former senator Christopher Dodd, praised his father’s efforts to unify diverse legal traditions from France, the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom, and the United States without discord. However, Thomas Dodd’s career also faced setbacks, including his 1968 censure by the Senate for allegations of misusing public funds.
After the war, Ada Gens-Ustjanauskas continued her humanitarian efforts, assisting thousands of immigrants in navigating U.S. immigration systems and running an international grocery business with her husband. She remained engaged with Baltic affairs, traveling with American leaders and contributing to cultural and community projects. Her grandson, Alexander Phibbs, established the Gens Family Project to preserve the history of Jewish Lithuania and its destruction during the Holocaust and Soviet occupation.
The Nuremberg Trials remain a historical milestone for establishing accountability for genocide and war crimes. Experts emphasize that the proceedings underscored the principle that perpetrators cannot evade justice, a legacy reflected in ongoing human rights advocacy. Gens-Ustjanauskas’s and Dodd’s experiences illustrate how the tribunal shaped personal and political commitments to justice and independence in the postwar era.
Throughout her life, Gens-Ustjanauskas carried the memory of the trials and her family’s losses, dedicating herself to service with a focus on optimism and compassion, traits that have continued to inspire her descendants. Christopher Dodd reflected on his father’s courage at Nuremberg, noting its lasting impact on his family and on broader international human rights efforts.