On Sunday, Jan. 3, a pair of old friends will talk about Adolf Eichmann before an audience at the Jewish Museum Milwaukee, 1360 N. Prospect Ave.
Israeli Yannay Spitzer, a historian and the grandson of the chief judge at the Eichmann trial, will speak about Eichmann publicly for the first time. Eichmann was one of the key players in the implementation of the “final solution,” and his trial was held in Israel.
Shay Pilnik, now the executive director of the Nathan and Esther Pelz Holocaust Education Resource Center, was an undergraduate student at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem with Spitzer. The pair have kept in touch, meeting up when in the Midwest together, and now they’ve arranged this talk.
The event is free, held at 4 p.m. at Jewish Museum Milwaukee, 1360 N. Prospect Ave.
The Chronicle emailed with Spitzer in Israel in advance of the event:
Why are you coming to United States?
There are multiple reasons that coincide nicely. First, I am invited to participate in a round table discussion at the American Historical Association Meeting in Atlanta. I am an economic historian, coming from the economics side of the field, but here I am given the opportunity to speak with historians on advances in my field of study, migration history. Additionally, my girlfriend is currently in Chicago, and the invitation from Shay came in the right time for me.
Have you talked on Eichmann before?
Never, really. To be honest, there has always been a great reluctance in my family, starting with my grandfather, to publicly talk about his role in the trial. This is the first time I am doing such a thing.
What do you remember of the topic from your childhood or from talking with family?
My grandfather was not a secretive man by any means. However, it was important for him to keep a clear separation between his professional and family life. Moreover, he detested the idea of building up his reputation based on his role in the trial. As a result, it was very hard to get my grandfather to speak about the events. And my mother, who experienced it as a middle-school student, had surprisingly little understanding of the procedure. I knew of his role, and it has always been a source of concealed pride, but to be honest, we did not live the legacy of the trial. Most of my knowledge of the events is due to sources outside the family.
What is your profession and job in Israel?
Assistant professor in the department of economics, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem
What part of Israel do you live in?
What is most important or interesting for us to know about the Eichmann trial?
That it was a serious legal procedure. Above all, this is what I believe my grandfather would have wanted us to know.
***
Sunday, Jan. 3 talk at Jewish Museum Milwaukee
· “Eichmann in Jerusalem, before and after conversation between Yannay Spitzer and Shay Pilnik.”
· Sponsored by the Nathan and Esther Pelz Holocaust Education Resource Center and Jewish Museum Milwaukee, both programs of the Milwaukee Jewish Federation. Free. 4 p.m. at Jewish Museum Milwaukee, 1360 N. Prospect Ave.
· The talk will be followed by the screening of a short documentary on the Nazi colonies established in Argentina and Paraguay in the wake of World War II.
Loading ...