Move over Pacino: Join Nazi hunter Efraim Zuroff to hear true tales of justice
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In this week’s installment of The Times of Israel’s new Behind the Headlines online video series, journalist Matthew Kalman speaks with Efraim Zuroff, the Chief Nazi Hunter, Director of the Israel Office, and Director of Eastern European Affairs at the Simon Wiesenthal Center.
Zuroff is an American-born Israeli historian who has played a key role in bringing Nazi war criminals to trial for the past 40 years.
When recently asked by The Jewish Chronicle what initially and still motivates him in his work, Zuroff simply stated, “Justice.”
“Western society depends on justice, and it’s basically a covenant between the governments and the population that they will protect people. If there are those who commit criminal acts, they will not be allowed to go unpunished,” said Zuroff.
The video conversation with Zuroff will be presented to Times of Israel Community members this Wednesday, August 19, at 1 p.m. Eastern Time/ 8 p.m. Israel Daylight Time. If you’ve not yet joined the ToI Community, you can sign up here.
Among his other accomplishments, for almost two decades Zuroff has compiled a semi-annual “Status Report” on the global search for the “most wanted” Nazi war criminals, most of whom are already in their 90s and today appear as frail old men.
“In all my history of 40 years of hunting Nazis, in all the cases that I dealt with… not one said ‘I’m sorry. I’ve made a mistake,'” Zuroff told The Jewish Chronicle.
Zuroff will speak of his work as a Nazi hunter as well as his newly published book, “Our People: Discovering Lithuania’s Hidden Holocaust,” which he co-authored with renowned Lithuanian journalist Ruta Vanagaite.
As journalist Kalman wrote in a recent Times of Israel article featuring the two authors, the book — part road trip, part “buddy film” and part true-crime expose — sees Zuroff and Vanagaite take an unlikely journey through the haunted house of Lithuania’s past.
Check out last week’s Behind the Headlines with MK Merav Michaeli:
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In the coming weeks, ToI reporters and editors will continue video-interviewing more influential individuals from a wide spectrum of fields and on diverse topics for the series. Like The Times of Israel itself, the Behind the Headlines series aims to offer a fair, deep look at some of today’s burning issues and noteworthy personalities.
If you’d like to join the session with Zuroff — it’s not too late. Become a Times of Israel Community member today and you’ll gain access to this Wednesday’s session, along with all of our upcoming exclusive webinars. You’ll also gain an ad-free experience of the ToI site and apps, and a weekly insider letter from David Horovitz.
If you are already a ToI Community member, you’ll receive a link to the session by email on Wednesday.
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