Eichmann Trial -- Session 69 -- Testimony of A. Beilin and Y. Bakon
Creator(s)
- Capital Cities Broadcasting Corporation (Producer)
- Milton Fruchtman (Producer)
- Leo Hurwitz (Director)
- Steven Spielberg Jewish Film Archive
- Emil Knebel (Camera Operator)
- J. Jonilowicz (Camera Operator)
- J. Kalach (Camera Operator)
- Rolf M. Kneller (Camera Operator)
- F. Csaznik (Camera Operator)
Biographical History
Emil Knebel was a cinematographer known for Andante (2010), Adam (1973), and Wild Is My Love (1963). He was one of the cameramen who recorded daily coverage of the Eichmann trial in Jerusalem (produced by Capital Cities Broadcasting Corp and later held academic positions in Israel and New York teaching filmmaking at universities. Refer to CV in file.
Scope and Content
Session 69. Court room. 00:00:59 Witness Dr. Aharon Beilin is asked about whether he saw Jewish boys who had had experiments carried out upon them. He describes seeing 40 Greek Jews who had burns on their genitals from x-rays - tests performed by Dr. Schumann. 00:02:10 Describes giving them treatment - ointments. Mengele would come and look at the wounds, one day he took them away - disappeared. Also describes a case of castration. 00:03:35 Describes Schillinger as committing the worst atrocities in Birkenau. Schillinger was murdered by a woman in transport [Note: accounts of his death vary]. 00:06:05 The witness is asked to speak about Dr. Globersohn, the liquidation of Sonderkommando, and Globersohn's role as physician of Sonderkommando. Globersohn poisoned himself - Moll, commander of the Sonderkommando, beat him for trying to avoid his job by killing himself. 00:09:38 He describes being transferred to the sick quarter in January 1945; the closeness of liberation, being forced to march - describes the route they took. 00:13:15 Describes the process of the walk - mercy shooting, counting the number of shots - work out the number of deaths. Entering a bunker to sleep - turned out to be air tight, people suffocated during night, 1000 people died. 00:17:00 Claimed to be a chemist to get out of the march - told they would be sent to Flossenbuerg "to forge dollars", ended up at Götterland - Reichenau - factory for radio sets. Made to pave the road. Given bread by woman - SS found the bread, was going to give him an injection of petrol in the heart but the syringe was being borrowed. 00:24:30 Just before liberation he lost consciousness, woke up in clean bed with flowers next to him. 00:27:22 Talks about being chosen as a physician. 00:29:34 Mr. Yehuda Bakon continues his testimony - asked to read a passage, signed by Bakon. Passage contains information about the Edelstein family being put to death under special instructions from Eichmann. A discussion on accuracy of translation and witness ensues. 00:36:29 Judge Halevi confused by Bakon's story - Mrs. Edelstein was promised by Eichmann to see her husband - went to meet him twice. She was eventually executed. 00:38:13 Testimony is finished. Judge announces that session will end and that tomorrow the films will be shown, there is a discussion of the practicalities of showing the films. 00:40:06 Court adjourns.
Note(s)
See official transcripts, published in "The Trial of Adolf Eichmann", Vol. I-V, State of Israel, Ministry of Justice, Jerusalem, 1994. Also available online at the Nizkor Project.
Subjects
- TRIALS
- JUDGES
- EICHMANN, ADOLF
- FILMS
- LIBERATION
- RACIAL SCIENCE
- GREECE
- DOCTORS
- EICHMANN TRIAL
- SHOOTINGS
- MEDICAL EXPERIMENTS
- MEDICAL PERSONNEL
- COURTS/COURTROOMS
Places
- Jerusalem, Israel
Genre
- Unedited.
- Film