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From the Florida Holocaust Museum

to the Silver Screen.

    Operation Finale, the film version of the capture and trial of notorious Nazi Adolf Eichmann, starring Academy Award-recipient Ben Kingsley as Eichmann, opened in theaters at the end of August, 2018.  Kingsley won an Oscar for his portrayal of Mahatma Gandhi, and it’s hard to think of a bigger stretch of moral territory than from Gandhi to Eichmann.   Earlier this year, from February 10 to July 15, 2018, the Florida Holocaust Museum presented “Operation Finale: The Capture & Trial of Adolf Eichmann,” which is described below.   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.   The dramatic story behind one of the world’s most notorious escaped Nazi war criminals being brought to justice is told using recently declassified artifacts from the Mossad, Israel’s Secret Intelligence Service. The exhibition includes objects and images made available outside the country 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.   Career Mossad agent Avner Avraham curated the espionage artifacts featured in Operation Finale: The Capture & Trial of Adolf Eichmann. This exhibition is the first time that the recently declassified Mossad materials have been seen outside of Israel.   This exhibition was also the subject of a CBS News Sunday Morning segment.