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| The Entertainment Review |
| By: David Cesarani Publisher: Da Capo Press |
Global interest in the genocidal activities of the Third Reich rose dramatically after the capture and the subsequent
trial of Adolf Eichmann in Jerusalem in 1961. The single most influential supplier of information about the trial and
also about the mindset of Eichmann was Hannah Arendt by means of her prominent book “Eichmann in Jerusalem.”
In this book, Arendt argued that Eichmann was not a dangerous anti-semite who derived pleasure from slaughtering
Jews. Eichmann’s crimes were not from an evil instinct but instead from sheer thoughtlessness. Put differently,
Eichmann never realized what he was doing.
“Becoming Eichmann” by David Cesarani is meant to shed light on this subject. The author covers a vast amount of
information to shed light on the subject. A key point made by the author in this book is that if one is to truly
comprehend the answers to questions brought up by this topic, then it is necessary to look not at specific
chronological sequences in Eichmann’s life but instead at his entire life.
Given this perspective, Cesarani takes the reader on a detailed tour of the life of Adolf Eichmann along with his early
employment history in Austria, his membership in the Austrian Nazi party, his subsequent move to Germany and his
early career there. Parts of the book tends to drag a little, and it is not altogether clear why it was necessary to
provide so many details about what, until then, had been a fairly ordinary existence.
The chapters discussing Eichmann’s activities and his life from 1941 to 1945 are interesting. The author notes that
over time, Eichmann adapted to policy that was not of his making. Therefore, it is appropriate to look at him as a
middle ranking player who was operating in an environment of conflicting power elites and policymakers. When
looked at in this way, Eichmann’s actions are more comprehensible, more human, but still reprehensible. Along
these lines, the author chronicles many instances in which Eichmann could have shown compassion toward the many
Jews he dealt with but routinely chose not to.
Eichmann’s trial is well documented in this book. The faults of both Gideon Hausner, the Attorney-General of Israel,
and Robert Servatius, Eichmann’s lawyer, are well recorded, and the author notes that the three judges presiding
over the trial did a fine job under difficult circumstances. The author points out, on more than one occasion, that the
influence of Hannah Arendt’s Eichmann in Jerusalem notwithstanding, it is salient to note that she witnessed only a
small amount of the trial. Finally, in spite of Dr. Servatius’s best efforts, Adolf Eichmann was found guilty of most of
the charges against him and he was hanged on June 1, 1962.
This is a thoroughly researched book that does a good job of intelligently discussing Eichmann’s life and the factors
that led him to become an abominable desk murderer. The book occasionally rambles on and is sometimes
repetitious and assumes that the reader has some prior familiarity with the underlying subject matter. However, these
are small blemishes and Cesarani provides what is probably the complete perspective on one of the most notorious
implementers of the so called Final Solution.
trial of Adolf Eichmann in Jerusalem in 1961. The single most influential supplier of information about the trial and
also about the mindset of Eichmann was Hannah Arendt by means of her prominent book “Eichmann in Jerusalem.”
In this book, Arendt argued that Eichmann was not a dangerous anti-semite who derived pleasure from slaughtering
Jews. Eichmann’s crimes were not from an evil instinct but instead from sheer thoughtlessness. Put differently,
Eichmann never realized what he was doing.
“Becoming Eichmann” by David Cesarani is meant to shed light on this subject. The author covers a vast amount of
information to shed light on the subject. A key point made by the author in this book is that if one is to truly
comprehend the answers to questions brought up by this topic, then it is necessary to look not at specific
chronological sequences in Eichmann’s life but instead at his entire life.
Given this perspective, Cesarani takes the reader on a detailed tour of the life of Adolf Eichmann along with his early
employment history in Austria, his membership in the Austrian Nazi party, his subsequent move to Germany and his
early career there. Parts of the book tends to drag a little, and it is not altogether clear why it was necessary to
provide so many details about what, until then, had been a fairly ordinary existence.
The chapters discussing Eichmann’s activities and his life from 1941 to 1945 are interesting. The author notes that
over time, Eichmann adapted to policy that was not of his making. Therefore, it is appropriate to look at him as a
middle ranking player who was operating in an environment of conflicting power elites and policymakers. When
looked at in this way, Eichmann’s actions are more comprehensible, more human, but still reprehensible. Along
these lines, the author chronicles many instances in which Eichmann could have shown compassion toward the many
Jews he dealt with but routinely chose not to.
Eichmann’s trial is well documented in this book. The faults of both Gideon Hausner, the Attorney-General of Israel,
and Robert Servatius, Eichmann’s lawyer, are well recorded, and the author notes that the three judges presiding
over the trial did a fine job under difficult circumstances. The author points out, on more than one occasion, that the
influence of Hannah Arendt’s Eichmann in Jerusalem notwithstanding, it is salient to note that she witnessed only a
small amount of the trial. Finally, in spite of Dr. Servatius’s best efforts, Adolf Eichmann was found guilty of most of
the charges against him and he was hanged on June 1, 1962.
This is a thoroughly researched book that does a good job of intelligently discussing Eichmann’s life and the factors
that led him to become an abominable desk murderer. The book occasionally rambles on and is sometimes
repetitious and assumes that the reader has some prior familiarity with the underlying subject matter. However, these
are small blemishes and Cesarani provides what is probably the complete perspective on one of the most notorious
implementers of the so called Final Solution.
