In September, Yad Vashem joined the international Jewish community in mourning the passing of Simon Wiesenthal, in Vienna. The symbol of “Nazi-Hunting,” Wiesenthal began his mission immediately after the war ended, working unceasingly until his final days. Through his tireless efforts, many Nazi war criminals were prevented from escaping their due punishment, compelled instead to face the force of international law.

In 1955, Wiesenthal closed the Jewish Historical Documentation Center in Linz, Austria, and gave Yad Vashem close to a thousand files from the Center, containing tens of thousands of pages. These included original Nazi documents (and copies signed by Wiesenthal) referring to the planning and implementation of Jewish legislation and the “Final Solution.” The archive also contains lists and information about war criminals—organized according to concentration camps and locations where the crimes were perpetrated—as well as correspondence with Jewish organizations regarding war criminals and their capture. In addition, there is also original material on the lives of survivors in DP camps, the migration and settling of Jewish survivors in Austria after the war, the establishment of the Jewish community in Vienna, and Holocaust commemoration.

In October 1960, Wiesenthal gave Yad Vashem a signed personal testimony, and in December 1986, audio testimony.

Chairman of the Yad Vashem Directorate Avner Shalev expressed “deep appreciation for Wiesenthal’s activities,” and said his contributions should be recognized worldwide. “In his resolve to expose the crimes of Nazis, Wiesenthal was the world’s conscience, determined to document the full extent of Nazi war crimes, and hold those responsible accountable for their actions. Yad Vashem mourns this tremendous loss to the Jewish and international community.”

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