The Trial of Adolf Eichmann – Participants, Then & Now

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Frieberg, Dov
Witness to mass killings in the Sobibor concentration camp, Poland


Photo 1961: Frieberg, Dov1961 Quote: 6/5/61: We finished taking out personal belongings from one shed. Paul was our commander. It so happened that, between the rafters and the roof, a torn umbrella had been left behind. He sent one of our boys to climb up and bring the umbrella down. It was at a height of seven to eight meters – these were large sheds. The lad climbed up through the rafters, moving along on his hands. He was not agile enough and fell down, breaking his limbs. Because he had fallen, he received twenty-five blows. This appealed to Paul, and he went and called other Germans. I remember Oberscharfuhrer Michel, Schteufel and others. He called out to them: “I have discovered parachutists amongst the Jews. Do you want to see?” They burst out laughing and he began sending people up, one after the other, to go on to the rafters. I went over it twice – I was fairly agile; and whoever fell- these were older people, or they fell out of fear – fell to the ground. When they fell to the ground, they were given murderous blows, and the dog bit them incessantly. In the midst of all this, Paul began running around, went into ecstasy; when anyone was bitten, he put a bullet into him on the spot. All of those working went through this “game.”


Photo 1996: Frieberg, Dov1996 Quote: When Eichmann was caught, I didn’t know who he was. And then people they know me, they know I am a survivor and they asked me as a survivor who is Eichmann and I didn’t know. And I was a little bit ashamed because they look at me that I have to know, I was in the Holocaust and I have to know who is Eichmann. Although I never met Eichmann, I was called to testify about my experience in the Sobibor camp. Afterwards, I remember I get a letter from the United States. They say they read about my testimony in the New York Times. I say, wow! My testimony, it’s going around all the world.


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