In brief
Shalom Nagar, who held the grim title of hangman for Adolf Eichmann’s execution, has passed away, leaving behind a story intertwined with Israel's complex history of justice and morality.
Shalom Nagar, the reluctant executioner of Adolf Eichmann, passed away on November 26 in Israel, reported to be in his late 80s. Nagar, then a 23-year-old prison guard, was unexpectedly assigned to carry out the death sentence of Eichmann, a fugitive Nazi war criminal responsible for the genocide of six million Jews during the Holocaust. His death was confirmed by Avigail Sperber, director of the documentary "The Hangman," which chronicled Nagar’s harrowing experience.Eichmann was executed on May 31, 1962, in Israel’s sole case of capital punishment. Before his death, he requested white wine and cigarettes, eschewing a blindfold. Nagar vividly remembered the moment he had to release the trapdoor, resulting in Eichmann's fall. The psychological burden of this assignment stayed with him for decades; he initially kept his identity a secret, fearing backlash from neo-Nazi groups.On that fateful day, Nagar was out with his family when a police van arrived to take him back to the prison for the execution. He managed to reassure his wife, Ora, of his safety. After the execution, he faced another grim task: retrieving the body and transferring it for cremation, a process that deeply affected him and haunted his memories for years. Despite his profound moral conflict and the weight of his role, Nagar's story remains an essential part of the narrative surrounding justice after the Holocaust, underscoring the complex human experiences tied to it.
