The Eichmann Trial

Just 15 years after the end of World War II, the Holocaust was already considered ancient history. Barely taught in high school or college courses, the attempted extermination of the Jewish people had been largely forgotten outside of the still-young refuge of Israel. All that changed on May 11, 1960 when Adolf Eichmann, a former Nazi officer hiding in Argentina, was captured and whisked to Jerusalem to stand trial. Over the course of a nearly four-month proceeding, filmed in its entirety and broadcast worldwide on television, many learned for the first time about the extent and horror of Nazi atrocities. During Eichmann's fiery cross-examination, a debate over disobedience to orders and the banality of evil began which continues to this day. Told entirely through archival footage of the trial itself and attending news coverage, 'The Eichmann Trial' documents one of the most shocking trials in history, and the birth of Holocaust awareness and education.