"He excelled especially in the expulsion of the Jews": Adolf Eichmann's personal case was revealed to the public

Almost 60 years after the execution of one of the architects of the "Final Solution", the State Archives publishes the documents in its personal file and their translations into Hebrew.

Along with letters of recommendation, medals of excellence and a resume, there is also a letter in which Adolf Eichmann asked to fund private lessons in Hebrew with a rabbi

Eli Ashkenazi

28/04/2022

Thursday, April 28, 2022, 12:00 p.m.

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"I recommend this increase based on the particularly good achievements of Eichmann, who has already excelled in expelling the Jews from Austria, as the director of the Jewish Immigration Authority. The Adolf Eichmann in the ranks of the SS.

The letter is dated October 9, 1941 and is signed by three SS officers.

Eichmann, according to the three, has already proven himself in the "Jewish Affairs Section."

The document in question is one of a series of documents that make up Eichmann's personal file.

Later, in the trial held for him in Israel 61 years ago, the personal case was used as presented in his trial - the trial that dealt with criminal case 40/61.

Now, almost 60 years after his execution, the State Archives is publishing the personal file of one of the leaders of the "Final Solution."

This file contains the original documents from his personal file, and their translations into Hebrew.

"Particularly good achievements."

Eichmann (Photo: Government Press Office, John Millie)

In the same document from October 1941, sailors recommend in Eichmann's praise that "his work was excellent, he carried it out with exemplary initiative and the necessary rigidity."

In a trial held for him in Israel, Eichmann tried to downplay the same praises given to him by the recommenders.

"'Personal toughness' or 'required toughness' was at that time a slogan required for any recommendation for promotion," he explained to the panel of judges.

He said that if a positive opinion had not been written in this section, "then the recommendation would have fallen under the table. Therefore, whether the rigidity was present or not - the answer was in any case positive," he claimed.

In the same letter, the recommenders also note that "now Eichmann is handling all the questions of evacuating and relocating the residents. Because of the importance of this area of ​​tasks, I think the promotion (of rank) of Eichmann is also desirable for the conditions of service."

If there is any further doubt about the need for his promotion, the officers recommend that Hans Gunther, who heads the "Central Authority for Jewish Immigration in Prague," be promoted and mention that "Eichmann plays a higher role."

"Performed his work with exemplary initiative and the necessary rigidity."

Letter of recommendation to Eichmann (Photo: Official Website, State Archives)

Among the documents in his personal file is also a letter dated June 18, 1937, in which the request of the Opt-Sharfihrer (corresponding to the rank of sergeant) Adolf Eichmann for approval and funding of Hebrew studies is raised.

The teacher, she points out, will be a rabbi "because it is impossible to find an Aryan teacher."

The letter states that a year earlier he had applied for a permit to learn Hebrew from Merav and his application was denied.

Because of this, "for a year he studied self-study the basics of the new Hebrew language. Eichmann continued to study this language on his own, a method that requires more time in view of the difficulty," reads the new application he submitted.

He has now made a double request - that he be given a permit to study with a rabbi as well as a request that Hebrew studies be funded for him, at a cost of three Reichsmarks.

His requests were denied again and in a trial held for him in Israel he was asked about it by his defense attorney, Dr. Robert Cervatius.

"It was impossible to find an Aryan teacher."

Eichmann's application for Hebrew studies (Photo: Official website, State Archives)

Adolf Eichmann in the courtyard of a prison in Israel (Photo: Government Press Office, John Millie)

"This desire aroused laughter at the time, as well as some suspicions among my superiors," he said in his testimony at the trial, explaining that "it was not normal for an SS man to suddenly think about learning the Hebrew language. Came to this idea if not from time to time came to my desk newspaper clippings from the newspaper 'Haynet' that appeared then in Riga. I looked at this newspaper and said in my heart that it would not be very difficult to learn this language and understand what is written in that newspaper. "(Kaleko) And I started studying. When I could not go any further, I applied to learn Hebrew from a rabbi. My superiors were filled with suspicion and did not allow me to do this."

In his testimony he said he was sorry he did not act in another way then.

"It would have been easier if I had offered: Let us ban a Jewish and kosher rabbi, he will be in prison, (and) impose on him to teach (me) the Hebrew language. However, I did not have such a tendency then, so I was interested and asked what the usual price for private lessons "I heard the price was three soups and that was my offer."

According to him, his superiors "apparently suspected that I would come into excessive contact with a Jewish rabbi and that such a thing was undesirable. I can imagine that they would think that by studying and being with him and getting to know him, we would also reach topics other than language teaching."

Watch: The opening session of the Eichmann trial

In the video: Eichmann trial opening session - the head of the court reads the charges (State Archives)

By the way, the newspaper "Heint" that Eichmann said he looked at from time to time, was published in Warsaw and not in Riga, and was written in Yiddish and not in Hebrew.

It is interesting to find out that in the same newspaper they were mistaken in thinking that Eichmann spoke fluent Hebrew, and that he was born in the Land of Israel at all.

An article published in the "Haynet" in December 1938 reported on the Nazi official Eichmann who was stationed in Vienna, stating that he was born in the German colony "Sharona" in Eretz Israel (today's central Tel Aviv - AA). He speaks in this language to Jews who come to

his

office in Vienna, and when they have difficulty answering him in Hebrew - he mocks them. In those years more Jewish newspapers attributed to him birth and childhood in Eretz Israel and knowledge of the Hebrew language.

Israel, however, the Mandatory authorities did not approve his entry, and he contented himself with a six-hour visit to Haifa in which he may have tried the Hebrew he had managed to learn on his own.

Two medals of excellence within four months

Among the defendant's documents was also a resume he had written in July 1937. In the document he wrote that he managed the Austrian agency of the company "Wacom Oil Company - Vienna".

In 1933 he was fired, according to the text, for joining the National Socialist Workers' Party.

He then details his route below, up to the date of writing the document:

The SS was the Nazi party's intelligence agency, whose people gathered information about elements who might have endangered the party.

At first, Eichmann was in charge of collecting material for the Masonic group, and later moved to the Jewish Affairs Section.

Signed, Heinrich Himmler.

Announcement of the Eichmann Medal of Excellence (Photo: Official Website, State Archives)

The last document in the file is dated December 3, 1945. In this document, Adolf Eichmann announces that in the name of the Fuhrer, he was awarded the Cross of Excellence in War, Level 1 with swords.

Signed by Reichsfuhrer Heinrich Himmler, SS commander.

Less than two months earlier, on October 9, 1944, he had been awarded a Level 2 Iron Cross. From the Jews of the country to the Auschwitz extermination camp.

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