Eichmann Trial -- Sessions 23 and 24 -- Testimony of L. Wells, H. Ross, and J. Buzminsky

Leon Weliczker Wells was born in Stojanow near Lvov, Poland on March 10, 1925. At the outbreak of the Soviet-German War, Wells was in Lvov. In July 1941, the Ukrainian police who were working with the SS arrested Wells and his father. The police officers took Wells to the police station; they were severely beaten, and taken to Pelczynska Street, where other Jews were assembled. Wells and the other Jews were instructed to lay face down on the street; they remained facedown for the rest of the night as the SS men randomly chose Jews for physical abuse and death. This continued for two days; on the third day, the Nazis selected certain people for relocation, and the rest of the Jews returned home. Two days later, Nazis arrested Wells and forced him to work at the railroad, unloading ammunitions and weaponry. After returning home, Wells went into hiding; he remained in hiding until December 1941, and joined the Working Brigade on the railroad. In March 1942, Wells was transferred to the Janowska concentration camp. Wells health was poor due to horrible conditions in the camp. In May, the Nazis took a group of Jews including Wells on a death march; they were given shovels to dig their own graves. Just as Wells walked into the pit to be shot, the Nazis instructed him to return to camp and retrieve the body of an inmate who had died of sickness. On his way back to camp, Wells slipped away from his SS guard; the SS pronounced him dead, and this inattention allowed Wells to escape. Upon learning of his mother's death, Wells attempted to commit suicide, but a neighbor found him, and saved him from death. Soon thereafter, Wells traveled to Radziechow (Julag) Ghetto in an attempt to find his father and brothers. He eventually found his family, helped them to hide, and began working as a canal cleaner. The Nazis decided to liquidate the Julag Ghetto; during and after selection, Wells's father and brothers were shot, and Wells was taken back to the Janowska concentration camp. In June 1943, the Nazis gathered a group of Jews including Wells for road construction. However, instead of road-building, the Jews were placed in a Sonderkommando (Special Commando/death brigade), and instructed to cover all traces of Jewish extermination. Wells and the other Jews had to carry dead bodies to a trench and burn them; this continued for many days. In September, Wells was relocated to Krzywicki to continue covering up all traces of Jewish extermination on Pelczynska Street. In November 1943, after the liquidation of the Janowska concentration camp, Wells escaped and remained in hiding until liberation. Out of 76 immediate and extended family members, Wells is the sole survivor. He has a PhD in mechanical engineering and post-graduate work in physics. From 1950-1953, Wells worked as an associate researcher a New York University; in 1953-56, he worked as Research Director at Commerce International, an international tanker organization. In 1956-57, Wells worked as a Project Engineer at Curtis-Wright Aeronautics, and since 1957, Wells held the position of technical Director and Vice-President of Ark Projection Company. In 1961, Wells resided in New Jersey, United States of America with his wife and two children.

Emil Knebel was a cinematographer known for Andante (2010), Adam (1973), and Wild Is My Love (1963). He was one of the cameramen who recorded daily coverage of the Eichmann trial in Jerusalem (produced by Capital Cities Broadcasting Corp and later held academic positions in Israel and New York teaching filmmaking at universities. Refer to CV in file.