Lothar Hermann, 72. a German-born Jew residing in Argentina, and responsible for tipping off the Israelis as to the whereabouts of Adolf Eichmann, died yesterday of a heart attack. Hermann, who was an inmate of Dachau concentration camp, wrote to Tuvia Friedman, who heads the Haifa Documentation Center for Nazi Crimes, confirming the suspicions of the Israeli government that Eichmann was indeed living in Argentina.
It took three years for the Israeli government to capture Eichmann who headed the Jewish section of the Gestapo. Eichmann was smuggled out of Argentina, tried and hanged in Israel. There was a question of a $10,000 reward for information leading to Eichmann’s capture, offered by the Haifa Documentation Center. When Hermann claimed the reward, the Israeli government said that they would not honor it because the offer was not an official one. In 1971, the claim was renewed via a letter to Premier Golda Meir and Hermann was finally paid.
Help ensure Jewish news remains accessible to all. Your donation to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency powers the trusted journalism that has connected Jewish communities worldwide for more than 100 years. With your help, JTA can continue to deliver vital news and insights. Donate today.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.