Sixty-five years ago, Israel tracked down and arrested Adolf Eichmann, an architect of the Final Solution. In many ways, the capture and subsequent trial marked a turning point in Israeli history. A look back at a seminal event.
“Schwester Selma”: Jerusalem’s Legendary Nurse
She’s considered Jerusalem’s first Jewish head nurse, a trailblazer who introduced professional nursing practices many of which are still in use today. But what prompted a young woman from Germany to leave everything behind for the dusty, underdeveloped hills of the Land of Israel? This is the story of a woman for whom nursing was a calling—a way of life. Her legacy still shapes nursing in Israel to this day.
Where Did Friedrich Gernsheim Disappear To?
He was a musical prodigy, a gifted composer whose works were performed in Europe’s most prestigious concert halls. He was also a Jew, and his compositions were banned by the Nazi regime, which sought to erase his legacy. For nearly a century, he remained in the shadows of history. Now, thanks to his archive at the National Library, things are about to change—This is the story of Friedrich Gernsheim.
Walter Trier: The Jewish Illustrator Who Depicted Germany at Its Best
You likely know Walter Trier’s illustrations—even if his name doesn’t ring a bell. For many, the characters and landscapes he brought to life have been etched into memory through countless childhood readings of “Emil and the Detectives,” “Lisa and Lottie,” or “The Flying Classroom.” This is the story of the talented illustrator who breathed life into Erich Kästner’s characters.
From Hitler’s Beer Hall to the National Library in Jerusalem
In the immediate aftermath of the Holocaust, a large number of Jewish books were discovered by the Jewish Brigade in a famous Munich beer hall considered to be the cradle of Nazism. How did the books end up there? And after they were discovered, where did some of them disappear to?
Why Did Hitler Want a Jewish Delegation at the 1936 Nazi Olympics?
The 1936 Olympics in Berlin were an international event which Hitler used as an awesome spectacle. He wanted to show off Aryan Germany rising from the ashes, with its crowds giving the Nazi salute and shouting “sieg heil”. Yet still, Jewish athletes participated in competitions, and a delegation was even invited from Mandatory Palestine, which would be allowed to march under the Jewish flag. How did the Nazis attempt to legitimize the 1936 Olympics? What did the Germans really want? And how was the Nazi invitation received back home in the Land of Israel?
When the Nazis Stole Lea Goldberg’s Doctoral Thesis
What did the famous Israeli poet Lea Goldberg have to do with medieval translations of the Torah? Why did her doctoral thesis focus on this subject? And how did it fall into Nazi hands before eventually ending up at the National Library of Israel?
Jerusalem: City of Lepers?
For thousands of years, leprosy was one of the world’s most feared diseases | Jerusalem’s “Hansen House” is known as the city’s legendary leper asylum, but a look back through time reveals a longstanding relationship between the city and the illness | On Jerusalem: city of holiness and leprosy
What’s It Like Being a Nazi Hunter? The Files of Tuviah Friedman
Tuviah Friedman never forgot nor did he forgive. He dedicated his life to finding and capturing fugitive Nazis, as part of the effort to bring them to trial for their crimes. He was the first to obtain credible information that placed Adolf Eichmann in Argentina. Looking through his archive files preserved at the National Library of Israel offers a glimpse into the day-to-day work of a Nazi hunter…
The Holy Land “in Natural Color”: German Postcards From 1932
Less than a year before the Nazis came to power, a collection of postcards featuring holy sites and the developing Jewish settlement in the Land of Israel was published in Munich…
