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Eichmann Trial -- Session 71 -- Testimony of Vera Alexander, Nachum Hoch, Gedalia Ben-Zvi

Film | Digitized | Accession Number: 1999.A.0087 | RG Number: RG-60.2100.090 | Film ID: 2090

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    Eichmann Trial -- Session 71 -- Testimony of Vera Alexander, Nachum Hoch, Gedalia Ben-Zvi

    Overview

    Description
    Footage begins during testimony from witness Vera Alexander. The witness is shown various sketches of scenes depicting life in Auschwitz which were drawn by another survivor following liberation (the sketches are shown on screen).

    00:09:38 Vera Alexander is excused and leaves the witness stand and the next witness, Nachum Hoch, is called to the stand. Hoch is sworn in and testifies in Hebrew (00:10:37) beginning with his deportation from Transylvania to Auschwitz and the selection process at the camp. He then goes on to describe being beaten (00:13:28) for attempting to get another ration of food and an instance in which he was taken with a group for disinfection (00:15:12). Hoch gives an account of how his block was locked up for several days, how they planned to break out, and how they were caught (00:16:52). Following this, Hoch states that they were taken to crematorium #3 where a selection took place and he was among fifty boys selected to remove potatoes from railcars and bury them (00:27:35). Nachum Hoch is excused and leaves the stand.

    Attorney General Gideon Hausner calls Gedalia Ben-Zvi to the stand. The witness walks down the aisle to the stand and takes the oath (00:34:12). Ben-Zvi begins his testimony by describing his deportation from Bratislava to Majdanek then to Auschwitz, followed by his arrival at the camp. He provides a long explanation as to the difference between Auschwitz and Birkenau (00:36:19). The witness goes on to give an account of how arrivals were quarantined (00:45:01) and then distributed into labor groups. Ben-Zvi recounts how he and his brother-in-law tried to obtain food and tells of his work detail, moving bodies to the mortuary (00:48:28). He then describes being sent to the punishment unit and the Bunakommando. The remainder of his testimony concerns a description of the mass executions that happened in the block (00:54:14), his imprisonment in a Stehbunker (a small vertical cell where he could only stand), (00:57:54) and the presence of good and bad block elders. Testimony ends with Ben-Zvi beginning to describe his work detail in "Canada" (01:02:22). "Canada" was the prisoners' name for the looted property taken from arriving transports, and referred the supposed riches possessed by people who lived in Canada. The section on "Canada" is duplicate footage also found on Tape 2091 (at 00:00:38 to 00:02:46) but is less complete on this tape. The footage on this tape becomes distorted beginning at 01:03:24.
    Film Title
    Eichmann Trial
    Duration
    01:04:22
    Date
    Event:  1961 June 08
    Production:  1961 June 08
    Locale
    Jerusalem, Israel
    Credit
    Accessed at United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, courtesy of The Steven Spielberg Jewish Film Archives of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem
    Contributor
    Director: Leo Hurwitz
    Producer: Milton Fruchtman
    Camera Operator: Rolf M. Kneller
    Camera Operator: F. Csaznik
    Camera Operator: J. Jonilowicz
    Camera Operator: J. Kalach
    Camera Operator: Emil Knebel
    Producer: Capital Cities Broadcasting Corporation
    Biography
    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.

    Physical Details

    Language
    English German Hebrew
    Genre/Form
    Unedited.
    B&W / Color
    Black & White
    Image Quality
    Mixed
    Time Code
    00:00:20:00 to 01:04:42:00
    Film Format
    • Master
    • Master 2090 Video: Digital Betacam - NTSC - large
      Master 2090 Video: Digital Betacam - NTSC - large
      Master 2090 Video: Digital Betacam - NTSC - large
      Master 2090 Video: Digital Betacam - NTSC - large
    • Preservation
    • Preservation 2090 Video: Betacam SP - NTSC - large
      Preservation 2090 Video: Betacam SP - NTSC - large
      Preservation 2090 Video: Betacam SP - NTSC - large
      Preservation 2090 Video: Betacam SP - NTSC - large

    Rights & Restrictions

    Conditions on Access
    You do not require further permission from the Museum to access this archival media.
    Copyright
    Public Domain
    Conditions on Use
    To the best of the Museum's knowledge, this material is in the public domain. You do not require further permission from the Museum to reproduce or use this material.

    Keywords & Subjects

    Administrative Notes

    Film Provenance
    Capital Cities Broadcasting Corporation recorded the proceedings of the Adolf Eichmann trial in 1961. The original recording was made on two-inch format videotape. One set of videotapes contained selected portions of the trial for distribution to television stations. The "selected portions" version remained in Israel and was later turned over to the Israel State Archives. Capital Cities Broadcasting retained the set of videotapes containing the complete trial proceedings at offices in New York City until 1965, when they gave the videotapes to the Anti-Defamation League of B'nai B'rith. The Anti-Defamation League, in turn, gave the complete set to the Steven Spielberg Jewish Film Archive at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in 1972. With a grant from the Revson Foundation, Hebrew University transferred the two-inch videotapes to U-Matic format. During the transfer process, Hebrew University created three duplicate sets. One set was given to the Steven Spielberg Jewish Film Archive, one to the Israel State Archives, and one set to the Jewish Museum in New York City. In 1995, the Israel State Archives transferred the trial footage to digital videoformat with a grant from the Israeli Prime Minister's Office. Three subsequent digital videotape copies resulted from this transfer of footage. The Israel State Archives retained one digital copy and a second set was deposited at the Steven Spielberg Jewish Film Archive at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. The Steven Spielberg Film and Video Archive at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum received the third set of digital videotapes in May 1999.
    Note
    See official transcripts, published in "The Trial of Adolf Eichmann", Vol. I-V, State of Israel, Ministry of Justice, Jerusalem, 1994. Also available online at the Nizkor Project.

    *Digital hits one minute into tape.
    Copied From
    2" Quad
    Film Source
    Steven Spielberg Jewish Film Archive
    File Number
    Legacy Database File: 2306
    Source Archive Number: VTEI 193
    Record last modified:
    2024-02-21 07:45:33
    This page:
    https:​/​/collections.ushmm.org​/search​/catalog​/irn1001718

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