Eichmann's Jews

This insightful book, Eichmann's Jews, examines the difficult topic of Jewish collaboration with the Nazis during the Holocaust, revealing complex motivations and tragic outcomes.

The book Eichmann's Jews presents a significant exploration of the complex and sensitive issue of Jewish collaboration with the Nazi regime during the Holocaust. By utilizing newly uncovered archival materials, the author investigates the role of the Judenrat, or Jewish Council, in Vienna during this dark period. The collaboration of Jews with the Nazis raises challenging questions about human behavior in the face of oppression. It compels readers to consider how individuals could be coerced into participating in their own annihilation. Why would some assist the Nazis in identifying and deporting their fellow Jews, managing collection points, and overseeing the deportation process until the very end?

Focusing on Vienna, where Adolf Eichmann developed his strategies for Nazi Jewish policy from 1938 onwards, Eichmann's Jews sheds light on how the leaders of the Viennese Jewish community served as prototypes for Jewish councils across Europe. This unique perspective allows for a deeper understanding of how the Nazi regime integrated the Jewish community into its systematic machinery of destruction.

Through extensive interviews and a thorough examination of newly discovered archives, Doron Rabinovici meticulously details the actions of individual Jews and Jewish organizations. The book illustrates how their efforts to protect themselves and others often ended in failure. This compelling narrative invites readers to grasp the harrowing reality faced by victims, who, confronted with the grim options of death or cooperation, frequently chose the latter in the hope of mitigating their fate.