46: The Needle
Israel Story
Israel Story
4.8 • 1.2K Ratings
🗓️ 25 October 2019
⏱️ 43 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
In May 1960, the Mossad captured Adolf Eichmann in Buenos Aires, and brought him to stand trial in Jerusalem. It's one of Israel's most glorified chapters, right up there with Entebbe, the bombing of the Iraqi Nuclear Reactor and Operation Solomon. So why did the doctor who sedated the Nazi mastermind minimize his role in the saga? And what can that tell us about the legacy of World War II, eighty years after its start?
Last month, the world marked the eightieth anniversary of Hitler's invasion of Poland and the start of WWII. In Israel, too, this was a big milestone: Kids discussed it at school, academics held conferences at the various universities, newspapers ran articles and editorials. But this wasn't, of course, always the case in Israel. For years, the war - and the Holocaust - were taboo topics. European Jews, many Israelis felt, had gone to the camps like sheep to the slaughter, without resisting, without putting up much of a fight. That perception began to change, almost overnight, as a result of one major event - the capture and trial of Adolf Eichmann.
This episode is a collaboration with "Rough Translation," an NPR podcast that tells stories from around the world that offer new perspectives on familiar conversations. Gregory Warner and Daniel Estrin bring us the complicated story of Dr. Yonah Elian, the anesthesiologist who sedated one of the world's most notorious Nazis.
Marianne McCune edited the piece, and scored it together with Mike Cruz. Joel Shupack arranged the rest of the episode with music from Blue Dot Sessions. It was produced by Jess Jiang, Neal Carruth, Will Dobson, Anya Grundman, Sarah Knight, Andy Huether, John Ellis, Matt Orton, Autumn Barnes, Zev Levi, Yoshi Fields, Niva Ashkenazi, James Feder and Yochai Maital. Sela Waisblum mixed the episode. The end song, "Perurim Shel Or" ("Sparks of Light") is the first single from the new album of Israel Story's band leader, Dotan Moshonov.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Attention at all passengers. You can now book your train tickets on Uber and get 10% back in Uber credits to spend on your next train journey. |
| 0:11.0 | So no excuses not to visit your in-laws this Christmas. |
| 0:16.5 | Trains now on Uber. T's and C's apply check the Uber app. You're listening to this podcast, so I know you care about the war in Israel right now. |
| 0:30.0 | And you've been reading the headlines, Massacre and Gaza, genocide perpetrated by Hamas, no by Israel. |
| 0:38.0 | But if you've been listening to this podcast long enough, you know one thing. This stuff seems complicated and honestly |
| 0:46.1 | you shouldn't just pick aside or decide your opinion without really learning, |
| 0:50.3 | without really knowing what you're talking about. |
| 0:54.0 | And that's where this podcast comes in. |
| 0:57.0 | Check out unpacking Israeli history. |
| 1:00.0 | They have episodes with topics ranging from what is Hamas anyway to whether Israel should ransom |
| 1:06.5 | captured soldiers and the history of Israel and its disengagement from Gaza in 2005. Unpacking Israeli history cuts through the noise |
| 1:16.9 | and helps you understand Israel's present through understanding Israel's |
| 1:20.5 | history. So educate yourself. Learn the history behind the headlines. |
| 1:27.0 | Find unpacking Israeli history wherever you get your podcasts. |
| 1:42.0 | Germany invades Poland and the pre-state of Danzi. The efforts and hopes of diplomats for |
| 1:43.9 | peaceful settlements are transformed into the roar of gunfire. Warsaw is bombed |
| 1:49.2 | blasted and shells. Poland is in ruin. Last month the world marked In |
| 1:53.8 | the world marked the 80th anniversary of Hitler's invasion of Poland |
| 1:57.8 | Great Britain and France declare war on Germany and the start of the second World War. In Israel too of course this was a big |
| 2:06.0 | milestone. Kids discussed it at school. Academics held symposiums and |
| 2:11.5 | conferences at the various universities, newspapers, |
| 2:15.2 | ran articles and editorials. |
... |
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