Avner Avraham curated “Operation Finale: The Capture & Trial of Adolf Eichmann”
October 26, 2017 [St. Petersburg, FL] — The Florida Holocaust Museum (The FHM) is pleased to announce career Mossad agent Avner Avraham as the Keynote Speaker for the Museum’s annual gala, To Life: Honoring the Past; Empowering the Future! Avraham curated the blockbuster exhibition Operation Finale: The Capture & Trial of Adolf Eichmann, opening February 10, 2018 at the Museum.
Operation Finale: The Capture & Trial of Adolf Eichmann is the first exhibition in the United States to fully document the pursuit, capture, extradition, and trial of a Nazi war criminal. Over the past seven years, Avraham has dealt extensively with the subject, met with thousands of people, and collected and documented the details of the operation. Avraham acquired his vast knowledge in special meetings and interviews with people who took part or were involved in the operation.
Fifty-six years ago, Adolf Eichmann, who had been in charge of transporting millions of European Jews to death camps, sat in a courtroom for a trial that would be among the first in history to be completely televised. The trial captivated millions of people across the globe and it was the first time that many of them learned the details of the Holocaust.
Operation Finale: The Capture & Trial of Adolf Eichmann tells the dramatic spy story behind one of the world’s most notorious escaped Nazi war criminals being brought to justice using recently declassified artifacts from the Mossad, Israel’s Secret Intelligence Service. The exhibition includes objects and images made available for the first time – original 1960s-era artifacts, photographs, Telly Award winning films and audio, as well as contemporary design elements and interactive features, to tell a story of espionage, intrigue and, ultimately, justice served. Also included in the exhibition is one of the most iconic objects of the century – the bulletproof glass booth in which the accused sat as the courtroom drama was broadcast around the globe.
During World War II, Eichmann was the key functionary in the Nazis’ attempt to annihilate all of Europe’s 11 million Jews. After the war he disappeared, but his crimes made him a wanted man. Operation Finale – the code name of Israel’s effort to find him – reveals exactly how Mossad agents located Eichmann in his hiding place in South America, and how they abducted and smuggled him safely to Israel to stand trial.
The exhibition, co-produced by The Mossad – Israel Secret Intelligence Service; Beit Hatfutsot – The Museum of the Jewish People, Tel Aviv, Israel; and the Maltz Museum of Jewish Heritage, Cleveland, Ohio, opens to the public on February 10, 2018 at The FHM.
To Life, featuring Avner Avraham, will take place on Saturday, February 10, 2018 at 6:00 p.m. at the Grand Hyatt Tampa Bay. The Grand Hyatt Tampa Bay is located at 2900 Bayport Dr, Tampa, FL 33607.
To Life sponsorship opportunities are available, please call 727.820.0100 ext. 276. For additional information, please visit: www.TheFHM.org/to-life-annual-benefit.
Operation Finale: The Capture & Trial of Adolf Eichmann is a co-production of The Mossad – Israel Secret Intelligence Service; Beit Hatfutsot – The Museum of the Jewish People, Tel Aviv, Israel; and the Maltz Museum of Jewish Heritage, Cleveland, Ohio.
This exhibition is made possible by a generous grant from the Maltz Family Foundation.
About The Florida Holocaust Museum
2017 marks a monumental milestone for The Florida Holocaust Museum (The FHM) as the Museum celebrates its 25th Anniversary. One of the largest Holocaust museums in the country, and one of three nationally accredited Holocaust museums, The FHM honors the memory of millions of men, women and children who suffered of died in the Holocaust. The FHM is dedicated to teaching members of all races and cultures the inherent worth and dignity of human life in order to prevent future genocides. For additional information, please visit www.TheFHM.org.
Photos and credits
Avner Avraham.
-Photo courtesy of Avner Avraham
Eichmann Trial at Beit Ha’am in Jerusalem, Israel, 1961.
-Government Press Office
Eichmann raises his hand to vote at a Nazi gathering, 1942.
