SnatchingBy Yaakov Astor Eichmann

Zman interviewed Rafi Eitan, commander of the team that pulled off the highly dramatic capture of . Supplemented with insights from the one person most intimately involved with all the operational details, this is the gripping account filled with surprising twists and turns, told from beginning to end. Today the Mossad has earned the reputation as a highly sophisticated organization using state-of-the-art technology, but back then it was an unknown, underfunded organization operating in a foreign land, without weapons or communications, and using things like old escape cars that could break down at any moment. Read about the hashgachah that helped turn a potential disaster into one of the most spectacularly successful undercover operations in history.

92 | ZMAN • May 2012 ZMAN • Iyar 5772 | 93 COVER STORY 51-year-old man. skinny, ashort, for look to away miles 9,000 sent Mossad, the organization, spy Israeli the from agents secret are they fact, In be. to appear they notwho are they locals, Argentine like dressed Though hood. the middle. the in house lone concrete one-story small, a with field, empty large, a near road paved apoorly than more little is street The Street. Garibaldi up to pulls car Commander Field – Eitan Rafi N 11,May 1960. 6:30 PM. 94 |ZMAN •Iyar2012 Zman He told there. from continued Warand 1948Arab-Israeli the during grew specialist operational of . city port the near Carmel on Mount radar British blow up the to was operations major first his of One illegal. entry survivors’ into sneaking these made had and British the since Palestine, Nazis the fleeing were who survivors Holocaust 1944. He assisted in school high of completion upon division elite more the to graduated 12 and age at the Hejoined Russia. from immigrants were parents his of Palestine, Mandate British of the era operations. clandestine and dangerous most in the in involved service, commander secret Israeli the field intelligence fearsome and daring most the once was story, this Zman whom gentleman friendly, elderly disarmingly the Eitan, he can stand trial…. stand he can that so to alive back him bring and him abduct to but him, kill notto there are Israelis the and Eichmann, Adolf Solution,” Final of the “Architect the than none Heother is hands. his on million of six blood the with someone is but The car stops. Four men get out and open open outand Four men get stops. car The That man, too, is not as he appears to be, be, to he appears notas is too, man, That His reputation as an army intelligence intelligence army an as reputation His the during 1923 in Born on akibbutz “Rafi” Rafael how imagine to hard is It Aires, capital of Argentina. A black Ablack of Argentina. capital Aires, of Buenos asuburb Fernando, of San outskirts the engulfs shadow ight’s that as early as 1950 as early as that interviewed for for interviewed Adolf Eichmann in 1942. in Eichmann Adolf agents but it could prove fatal to the already already the to fatal prove could it but agents of the lives the risked notonly they failed, it If diplomatically. as well as physically dangerous extremely be would mission the that 1958), clear in was he it was where know (they didn’t abduct to Nazi the as Eichmann Israel.’” in trial stand to but revenge, for ex-Nazis—not one of the Israel to bring to now is duty ‘Your following: the with him instructed and Isser called 1958, “In Ben-Gurion us. told Eitan operation. Eichmann the in involvement his to led that relationship 1951. in this It was created was it after year a Mossad over the took later who and Bet, director Shin agency, first security of Israel’s internal the became who Harel, Isser was years those during he made friends the of One Eichmann. abduct to together put be eventually would that members team of the many with worked already he had Although Ben-Gurion had not yet chosen chosen yet not had Ben-Gurion Although years,” many for Isser known had “I Who WasWho Adolf Eichmann? he turned to none other than Rafi Eitan. Eitan. Rafi than other none to turned he job the for man best the needed Harel Isser when Therefore, state. Jewish nascent the of standing political international fragile death camps required, first of all, the use use the all, In system. of train complex of ’s highly first required, camps death killers. the to the bring to possible it made camps the Jews, the for to killers the bringing specifically than built Rather extermination. one purpose: were These camps. death of camp: type adifferent demanded however, Solution, Final The death. to worked literally were they where camps, and/or labor to sent of disease die to allowed murdered, beaten, starved, were they war. There of the beginning the from ghettos into corralled been had dominion Nazi under Jews Most Solution. Final the in role apivotal played Trains Poland. in camps death the to Jews carry would that trains the of all charge in him put theTransportation Administrator, which Solution. Final the implement to and Jews of Europe’s extermination systematic the streamline to brass Nazi of high-ranking meeting top-secret a convened Heydrich 20, 1942, where on January Conference Wannsee infamous the at present was Eichmann assistant, primary Heydrich’s As Solution.) Final outthe carrying for responsible was ultimately service—and security of the police political secret the Gestapo, the controlled that SS of the part the was “evildoer.” for RSHA word Hebrew outrasha spell that initials by known Reichssicherheitshauptamt— for, RSHA—short that remarkable is (It Office Security Reinhard Heydrich, “Hitler’s Hangman.” Central infamous Reich the by headed (RSHA), the of department Affairs Jewish the joined eventually and specialist,” “Jewish its as reputation the earning SS, of the ranks To get the Jews from the ghettos to the the to ghettos the To from Jews the get made was Eichmann Wannsee, After the in risen had Eichmann Adolf became became , the the , task of carrying out Hitler’s goal to exterminate the Jews. the exterminate to goal Hitler’s out carrying of task here Himmler, with Heinrich head of the SS, was which given the Reinhard Heydrich (right), who chaired the Wannsee conference, by the Italian delegation of the Red Cross of Geneva. to enter Argentina in 1950 under the name Riccardo Klement, issued The International Red Cross identity document Adolf Eichmann used the Nazis’ disposal and the massive task task massive the and disposal Nazis’ the at trains the With victims. Jewish his for available tracks making and trains the of acquiring complexities and challenges the overcame he who was it Administrator, Transportation As instrumental. was contribution Eichmann’s where is This place. to place from soldiers and weapons of supplies, amounts large of moving means the were trains needs, civilian to addition ZMAN •May5772| 95