The Israeli prison guard who executed Adolf Eichmann, one of the masterminds behind the Holocaust, passed away on Wednesday at the age of 86. Shalom Nagar, who carried out Eichmann’s hanging after the Nazi leader was convicted in a historic trial in Jerusalem, played a critical role in one of the most significant moments in Israeli history.
Eichmann, apprehended during a daring operation in Argentina, was responsible for overseeing the deportation and mass murder of European Jews during World War II. As head of the Gestapo’s Jewish Affairs Department, he was instrumental in executing the Nazis’ “Final Solution,” which led to the systematic extermination of millions.
Orphaned at just 8 years old, Nagar immigrated to Israel four years later as part of a group of Yemenite Jews. He initially lived in temporary camps for new arrivals before settling in the town of Rosh HaAyin.
At 18, Nagar enlisted in the prestigious IDF Paratroopers Brigade, where he distanced himself from his religious roots. After completing his army service, he joined the Israel Prison Service, embarking on a career as a corrections officer. It was in this role that he was assigned as Adolf Eichmann’s personal guard, charged with maintaining constant watch over the prisoner and ensuring the safety of his food to prevent any possibility of suicide by poisoning.
In June 1962, Eichmann’s execution was carried out by hanging following the rejection of his clemency plea. Nagar was entrusted with the task of conducting the execution. Afterward, Eichmann’s body was cremated, and his ashes were scattered in international waters to ensure no final resting place remained.
In the years that followed, Nagar spoke of the psychological toll the execution had taken on him, including recurring nightmares. Over time, he returned to a life of religious observance, raising his family with a renewed focus on faith and working as a kosher ritual slaughterer.
During a ceremony held a decade ago to honor the prison staff who guarded Eichmann and took part in his execution, Nagar reflected on the somber events of that time. Speaking of the aftermath, he revealed that “there were those who, in the final seconds, still tried to pull hair from his head.”
{Matzav.com}