The Nazi Hunters

Chapters 1-3

Reading Check

1. Because he wants to advance his career (Chapter 1)

2. Manus Diamant (Chapter 2)

3. 1953 (Chapter 2)

4. Mossad (Chapter 3)

5. The trail goes cold (Chapter 3)

Short Answer

1. Eichmann’s plan to execute Hitler’s policy follows four stages: first, isolation; second, acquisition of Jewish wealth; third, moving them into the ghettos; and fourth, sending them to the camps. (Chapter 1)

2. Determined to complete his mission despite the encroaching Allied victory, Eichmann remains in Budapest and carries out his plans to exterminate the Jewish population. With the war almost over, he then returns to Austria and bids farewell to his family, where he promises to write to them again after finding somewhere safe. Zeev meanwhile struggles for survival on various marches to camps. He is rescued by Russian forces in January 1945. (Chapter 1)

3. Simon Wiesenthal is a Jewish person who lost his family during WWII. Having been to 12 different concentration camps, he is hired by the US to track down escaped Nazis, one of which is Eichmann. (Chapter 2)

4. Sylvia is Nick Eichmann’s ex-girlfriend, who soon realizes that Nick is the son of the wanted-criminal Adolf Eichmann. She risks her safety by traveling to his house after they break-up in order to confirm Adolf Eichmann’s identity. (Chapter 2)

5. In 1957, Mossad director Halel determines that in order to find Eichmann, “They w[ill] need much more than an extradition request to the proper authorities in Argentina.” He confirms the validity of the information then has Eichmann’s house in Buenos Aires surveilled, where it is determined unlikely that he was living in such poor conditions. (Chapter 3)

Chapters 4-6

Reading Check

1. Ricardo Klement (Chapter 4)

2. A political party in West Germany with Nazi sympathies (Chapter 4)

3. A sayan  (Chapter 5)

4. They claim they are scouting locations for a sewing factory. (Chapter 5)

5. He retrieves the surveillance jeep from the ditch outside of Eichmann’s house. (Chapter 6)

Short Answer

1. David Ben-Gurion is the first prime minister of Israel. Despite the time and the expense, he wants Eichmann alive so he can be brought to trial for his crimes. (Chapter 4)

2. From multiple surveillance trips, Zvi Aharoni determines that Eichmann and his family moved from Chacabuco street to a remote house on Garibaldi Street. (Chapter 5)

3. Harel develops a three-step plan: first, capture Eichmann; second, keep him in a secure place; and third, smuggle him from Argentina to Israel. (Chapter 6)

Chapters 7-9

Reading Check

1. “‘[A] term for any marked container that had immunity from search or seizure because it was sent as part of a country’s diplomatic mission” (Chapter 7)

2. The celebration of its “150th anniversary of independence from Spain” (Chapter 7)

3. “[T]he special El Al flight w[ill] leave Tel Aviv for Argentina.” (Chapter 8)

Short Answer

1. In the years after WWII, Eichmann first hides in German forests until he identifies a smuggler to get him out of Europe. He then travels to Austria and Italy, where he assumes a new identity from the Red Cross: Ricardo Klement. Finally, he boards a boat to Argentina, where he receives support in receiving documents and finding work. He sends for his family two years later. (Chapter 7)

2. Harel selects Rafi Eitan to be the mission leader, as well as Avraham Shalom. For the operations team, they select Shalom Dani (a forger), Moshe Tabor (“strong man” and "technical master”), Aharoni, “cool-headed” agent Yaakov Gat, Peter Malkin (“expert in disguises”), Ephraim Ilani for local knowledge, Dr. Yonah Elian, and Yaakov Medad (“front-man”). (Chapter 7)

3. Aharoni is surprised to see Eichmann on the bus, who boarded earlier than expected. After this encounter, Aharoni has no doubt this was the man they wanted: “He felt they were closing in on evil itself.” (Chapter 9)

Chapters 10-12

Reading Check

1. Because they are worried about the gardener (Chapter 10)

2. So Eitan does not run the risk of being seen by the police two days in a row (Chapter 10)

3. The Sh’ma, “the holiest prayer in the Jewish religion” (Chapter 12)

4. Blacked-out goggles (Chapter 12)

Short Answer

1. On May 11, the team prepares for their mission. They are deterred when Eichmann’s bus arrives later than scheduled; however, they carry through with their plan and successfully capture him. (Chapter 11)

2. Upon his arrival at the safe house Tira, Dr. Elian checks Eichmann’s health, looks for hidden cyanide pills, and searches for recognizable signs that indicate the man is actually Eichmann. After the check-up, Aharoni begins his interrogation. (Chapter 12)

3. Believing that he has developed enough confidence with his captive, Aharoni asks Eichmann if he would stand trial in Israel. At first, Eichmann says that he will not, since he did nothing wrong and was just “follow[ing] orders,” but he later decides that he “will think about it.” (Chapter 12)

Chapters 13-15

Reading Check

1. Eichmann’s alias for his Israeli papers (Chapter 13)

2. A Jewish synagogue (Chapter 14)

3. The signed statement for Eichmann to be tried in Israel (Chapter 14)

Short Answer

1. Eichmann’s family finds his glasses in a ditch and realizes he has been kidnapped. Realizing that “[m]ost of their father’s associates wanted nothing to do with them,” the family reaches out to the radical organization Tacuara for help. (Chapter 13)

2. Eichmann tells Malkin that he loves Jewish people and was only following orders to kill them; in reality, he preferred the plan to give them their own country. (Chapter 13)

3. They decide to disguise Eichmann as a member of the El Al cabin crew. They provide him with a sedative and get him on board without the suspicion of airport security, but their plans do not go as expected. There is a minor delay with receiving their papers from passport control, and when the Israel is prepared to take off, a problem with their flight plan detains them further. (Chapter 15)

Chapter 16-Epilogue

Reading Check

1. Dakar, Senegal (Chapter 16)

2. Genocide (Chapter 17)

3. Zeev Sapir (Chapter 18)

Short Answer

1. Without the modern technology of computers, aviation during the 1960s “depended on charts, pencils, compasses, dividers, rulers, and lots of math.” As a result, the pilots used star positions to navigate. (Chapter 16)

2. The police are concerned that Eichmann’s life may be in danger from suicide or assassination. In order to prevent either occurrence, several measures are instituted: They ensure that there are always two guards on watch, that his food is always taste-tested, and that all guards did not lose a family member in the Holocaust. (Chapter 18)

3. After months of trials, the court finds Eichmann guilty on the counts of indictment, ultimately sentencing him to death by hanging. Significantly, “[I]t was the first — and to this day only — sentence of death by an Israeli court.” (Chapter 18)