The Nazi Hunters

Reading Check and Short Answer questions on key points are designed for guided reading assignments, in-class review, formative assessment, quizzes, and more.

Chapters 1-3

Reading Check

1. Why does Adolf Eichmann join the Jewish Affairs office?

2. Who is the first person to locate a photograph of Eichmann?

3. In which year does Wiesenthal finally learn of Eichmann’s whereabouts?

4. What is the name of Israel’s secret intelligence agency?

5. What happens to the Eichmann investigation by August of 1958?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. What is Eichmann’s four-step plan to execute Hitler’s goal?

2. What is 1945 like for Eichmann and Zeev? How are their experiences different?

3. Who is Simon Wiesenthal? How is he instrumental in the search for Eichmann?

4. Who is Sylvia Hermann? What important fact does she discover about Eichmann?

5. How does Isser Harel plan to locate Eichmann?

Paired Resource

“The ‘Jewish Question’”

• The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum explores the meaning of the “Jewish Question” and the “Final Solution.”
• This information connects with the theme Justice for the Victims of the Holocaust.
• What were some of the “solutions” offered by the Nazi German state to the presence of a Jewish minority in society? How did antisemites feel about conversion or acculturation?

“How South America Became a Nazi Haven”

• This article from History.com details the immigration of Nazi Germans to South America.
• This information connects with the text’s themes of Justice for the Victims of the Holocaust, The Malleability of Identity, and Legality Versus Morality.
• Why did the Nazis migrate to South America after WWII? How many of them “escaped” to this safe haven? Which infamous individuals were never convicted for their crimes?

Chapters 4-6

Reading Check

1. What is the alias that Fritz Bauer believes Eichmann is using in Buenos Aires?

2. What is the German Reich Party?

3. What is a Jewish volunteer who helps Mossad agents called?

4. What cover story does Aharoni and Michael use when talking to the people of Garibaldi Street?

5. What task does Yitzhak Vardi complete for Aharoni?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. Who is David Ben-Gurion? What outcome does he want for the Eichmann case?

2. What does Aharoni conclude after his surveillance trips?

3. What steps does Harel and Mossad plan to take to capture Eichmann?

Paired Resource

“National Democratic Party of Germany”

• This resources provides an overview of the Counter Extremism Project and the so-called “neo-Nazi” political party in Germany.
• What is the Counter Extremism Project? What were some of the reasons for the increase in Nazi sympathies from German voters?

“What is Extradition?”

• This resources contains information about the Council of Foreign Affair’s extradition process.
• This information connects with the theme Justice for the Victims of the Holocaust.
• What was the extradition process? Was it an advantage or a hindrance for the operative team’s mission?

Chapters 7-9

Reading Check

1. What is a diplomatic pouch?

2. What is “the ideal cover” for an irregular flight from Israel to Argentina?

3. What plan is set into motion on May 11?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. Summarize Eichmann’s postwar years. How does he finally leave Germany and travel to Argentina?

2. Who does Harel place as the mission leader? Which team members are compiled for the operative team?

3. Who does Aharoni encounter on the bus? How does he feel in this moment?

Paired Resource

“How Thousands of Nazis Were Rewarded With Life in the US”

• NPR analyzes the US government’s settlement of Nazis in America.
• This information connects with the themes The Malleability of Identity and Legality Versus Morality.
• What were some of the reasons that the US government supported some Nazi sympathizers with resettlement?

Chapters 10-12

Reading Check

1. Why does the team decide to switch safe houses at the last minute?

2. Why does the team delay the capture by one day?

3. What does Eichmann begin to recite that distresses the operative team?

4. What does the operative team make Eichmann wear?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response

1. What is the outcome of the situation on May 11?

2. What does the team do to Eichmann upon his capture?

3. What question does Aharoni ask Eichmann about the trial? How does Eichmann respond?

Paired Resource

“The True Story Behind the Movie Operation Finale”

• This 2018 article from Time magazine considers the movie version of the Eichmann operation alongside the true story.
• This connects with the theme Justice for the Victims of the Holocaust, The Malleability of Identity, and Legality Versus Morality.
• How does the movie compare with the historical events surrounding the capture of Eichmann?

“The Opening of the Shema Prayer Explained”

• Brandeis University explains the holy Jewish prayer line-by-line.
• Why is this prayer particularly important for the Jewish community?

Chapters 13-15

Reading Check

1. Who is Zeev Zichroni?

2. Where do Nick and Dieter Eichmann break into on May 19?

3. What is Malkin able to retrieve from Eichmann?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response

1. What does Eichmann’s family realize about him? Who do they turn to for help?

2. What sentiment about the Jewish community does Eichmann share with Malkin? How does Malkin respond?

3. How does the operative team decide to transport Eichmann to Israel? Does their plan go as expected?

Chapter 16-Epilogue

Reading Check

1. Where does the El Al plane land for a refueling pit stop?

2. Which crime is Eichmann charged with?

3. Who is called to the witness stand on May 28?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. What was aviation technology like during the 1960s? How did it affect the El Al flight?

2. What concerns do the police have about Eichmann, and what measures do they take to mitigate these concerns?

3. What is the court’s final verdict? Why is this particularly significant?

Recommended Next Reads 

The Grand Escape by Neal Bascomb

• Bascomb’s 2018 narrative nonfiction uncovers the story of Allied prisoners of war who escaped a WWII prison.
• This connects to the themes Justice for the Victims of the Holocaust and The Malleability of Identity.
• Shared topics include WWII, Nazis, wartime, and nonfiction accounts.

The Boys Who Challenged Hitler by Phillip M. Hoose

• Hoose’s 2015 young adult nonfiction account follows a group of Danish boys that defied Nazi law during the occupation.
• This text focuses on The Malleability of Identity as the boys disguise themselves, as well as Legality Versus Morality.
• Shared topics include defeating the Nazis, WWII, wartime, and nonfiction accounts.
• The Boys Who Challenged Hitler on SuperSummary