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Why was Adolf Eichmann tried in Jerusalem in 1961?

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Samuel Bak: Smoke — Holocaust *Smoke*, oil on linen by Holocaust survivor Samuel Bak, 1997.

Adolf Eichmann was tried in Jerusalem in 1961 because the State of Israel insisted on prosecuting him for his central role in the Holocaust, the Nazi extermination of Jews during World War II.

After being captured by Israeli secret service agents in Argentina and brought to Israel, Eichmann faced a special three-judge court. While some argued for an international tribunal or a trial in Germany, Israel maintained that the trial was a matter of justice and national honor. Furthermore, the proceedings provided a significant opportunity to educate a new generation about the atrocities of the Holocaust. Despite controversies regarding the jurisdiction of the court and accusations of ex post facto justice, the trial proceeded, resulting in Eichmann’s conviction and subsequent execution in 1962 for his actions as a high-ranking official who coordinated the identification, assembly, and transportation of millions of victims to extermination camps.12