A new Yad Vashem publication has just now been released. Edited by the late Prof. David Bankier and Prof. Dan Michman, this volume addresses the representation and historiography of the Holocaust in post-war trials. The historical significance of the Nuremberg Trials is widely acknowledged, and it is equally agreed by most people today that the murder of European Jews was the greatest crime committed by the Third Reich. So why wasn't the Holocaust a central issue in any of the thirteen trials conducted by the International Military Tribunal in Germany between 1945 and 1949? The book addresses the Holocaust and its coverage by the media in the post war trials of Nazi criminals conducted in various European countries.
The publication of the book follows a symposium held in memory of Prof.Bankier at Yad Vashem this past Thursday. During the symposium Prof. Bankier's colleagues and students recalled his intellectual honesty and curiosity, as well as his personal integrity and humility. Prof. Bankier, the Head of the International Institute for Holocaust Research passed away in February. The void he left behind is felt by all who had the privilege of knowing him.
