World War II Database

When Wiesenthal was an architect before the war, he thought he would spend this life building cities. Instead, he survived the Holocaust and became a Nazi hunter who brought justice to those responsible; more than 1,100 of them. As he passes away today in Vienna, Austria, many remembers him as the one who found Adolf Eichmann hiding in Argentina and brought at least a little bit of closure to the Holocaust survivors.

"When the Holocaust ended in 1945 and the whole world went home to forget," Rabbi Marvin Hier said. "[H]e alone remained behind to remember. He did not forget." In addition to acting as the Nazi hunter he was best known for, Wiesenthal also became an avid educator teaching the world of the dangers of intolerance.

"I'm not doing it for vengeance," Wiesenthal said in an interview with BBC. "I'm doing it for the future." He believed that if he could bring justice to those who committed crime in the past, it would deter those from committing crime in next generations.

To learn more about Simon Wiesenthal, please visit the Simon Wiesenthal Center website.

Back to Main | Back to 2005 News Index