The Eichmann Trial

SESSION 30 of the trial of Adolf Eichmann took place in the morning of Monday, May 8, 1961. It begins with the resumption of an ongoing discussion on the complications of bringing witnesses from abroad to testify for the defense. After a brief discussion, Liona Neumann testifies about her experience in a labor camp in Riga and in the Stutthof concentration camp. Shmuel Horowitz then testifies in regard to the Nazi treatment of Jews in Kolomea in Eastern Galicia. Rivka Yoselewska, whose testimony was scheduled for the previous session but was postponed after she suffered a heart attack, appears next to testify about the Powost ghetto. Her emotional and harrowing recounting of the murder of her family and her narrow escape from death was widely reproduced in the international media. Following her testimony, the prosecution submits several documents into evidence. Aaron Silbermann then testifies briefly about the abduction of his brother-in-law. More documents are submitted into evidence by the prosecution before the session is adjourned.

Almost all footage from SESSION 30 has been lost, including the testimony of Neumann, Horowitz and Silbermann. Although none of Yoselewska’s testimony survives on the trial tapes, portions of it have been recovered via commemorative audio recordings and news broadcasts from 1961. These sections are presented here with watermarks and minor edits from the broadcasters. In some instances, the only surviving audio includes the simultaneous English translation.