To commemorate International Holocaust Remembrance Day, the Israel State Archives has made 380,000 pages from the historic 1961 trial of Adolf Eichmann publicly accessible in a new searchable digital collection. The documents, released on Monday, include court testimony, lists, photographs, correspondence, and files from the State Attorney’s Office, including exchanges with then-Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion. These materials were originally compiled by Bureau 06, a special police unit established to investigate and prepare charges against Eichmann, one of the chief architects of the Holocaust. One of the most striking pieces in the collection is the testimony of Holocaust survivor Yehiel De-Nur, also known by his pen name Ka-Tsetnik. De-Nur, who collapsed during the trial, was unable to testify in court but shared harrowing details with police about his time in Auschwitz. He recounted the inhuman conditions, the deadly selections, and his chilling encounter with Eichmann, describing his gaze as “hypnotic and terrifying” and comparing it to staring into “the eyeholes of the death’s-head symbol on his cap.” The digital archive also includes a video link to the dramatic moment of De-Nur’s collapse in the courtroom, offering a visceral reminder of the trial’s emotional intensity and the weight of its historical significance. This collection is now accessible to the public through the Israel State Archives website, providing scholars, educators, and the global community with an invaluable resource to understand one of history’s most significant war crimes trials. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
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