Israeli hiker dies after slipping off cliff at Hitler’s ‘Eagle’s Nest’

A 30-year-old Israeli tourist died in southern Germany on Friday after falling down a steep rock face while hiking to Adolf Hitler’s infamous “Eagle’s Nest” estate in the Bavarian alps.

The Foreign Ministry said Sunday the family of the man from Emek Hefer had been notified and that the Israeli consulate in Munich was assisting in bringing his body home for burial.

Hebrew-language media outlets identified the man as Adi Mass, a resident of Kibbutz Ma’abarot in central Israel.

His family told the Ynet news site that the Israeli embassy in Germany was initially unhelpful and did not look into their son’s disappearance until the German media began reporting that an Israeli tourist died in the area.

Media reports quoted eyewitnesses who said they saw Mass, who was hiking alone, slip off a cliff near the Austrian border.

טרגדיה באלפים הגרמניים-

עדי מס, צעיר בן 30 מקיבוץ מעברות נהרג ביום ו' האחרון כתוצאה מנפילה מהר "קן הנשרים" בגרמניה, במהלך טיפוס אתגרי באלפים הגרמנים שבדרום המדינה.

ממשרד החוץ נמסר שקונסולית ישראל במינכן והמחלקה לישראלים בחו"ל באגף הקונסולרי במשה"ח מסייעים בהעברתו לקבורה בישראל. pic.twitter.com/YteR3o1TEN

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Shai Kadmi, Mass’s brother-in-law, told media outlets he was an avid athlete and recent university graduate.

“He was such a loving and caring person. He had that contrast that everyone seems to want; extraordinary mental and physical resilience coupled with compassion and love for everyone around him… he used to compete in Iron Man competitions and then go tutor underprivileged kids in Brazil.”

Kadmi said Mass recently completed a degree in Biology and Mathematics from the Hebrew University in Jerusalem and just started his career at a high-tech company.

The Eagle’s Nest is a Nazi-era building that sits some 6,000 feet high in the Obersalzberg mountains of southern Germany. Known in Germany as the Kehlsteinhaus, the estate was built for Nazi leader’s 50th birthday and is now a popular tourist attraction with a beer garden and restaurant.