Wellington: LEGACY: Father, Son and Nation: Reflections on the Adolf Eichmann Trial

This is a presentation about an historic trial of international importance, which resonates today as it did in 1961. Adolf Eichmann’s capture and trial in Jerusalem in 1961 captivated world attention at a time when Israel was a fledgling state. It exposed to the world the horrors of genocide by allowing ordinary people to tell their stories and grappled with complex legal issues that are still relevant today. Gideon Hausner was the Chief Prosecutor and in his opening address he stated:

“I am not standing alone. With me are six million accusers, but they cannot rise to their feet and point an accusing finger. Their ashes are piled up on the hills of Auschwitz and in the fields of Treblinka and are strewn in the forests of Poland …”

His son Amos followed his father into law and went on to shape law in a range of legal arenas. Reflecting on the trial and how it has shaped his world, Amos Hausner will address the legal issues and a range of other aspects.

BIOGRAPHY

Amos Hausner is a lawyer and graduate of The Hebrew University School of Law, Jerusalem. His legal practice encompasses international, constitutional, business, civil and administrative law. He was a Supreme Court Judge of the World Zionist Organization and its Attorney General 2006-2010. His work in the smoking arena was recognised by The World Health Organization with an honorary medal in 2004. Hausner is a board member of the Massuah Institute for the Study of the Holocaust and served on Hebrew University’s Disciplinary Tribunal

Acknowledgement

We’d like to acknowledge the assistance of the following organisations in bringing this event to pass:

• Holocaust Centre of New Zealand
• School of Government, Victoria University of Wellington