Orthodox Jew Buys Mengele’s Diaries at Auction
An American Orthodox Jewish man reportedly bought the diaries of notorious Nazi war criminal Josef Mengele in a controversial auction.
The buyer, who was not named, is said to be a collector of World War II-era artifacts.
News outlets variously reported the value of the sale at between $245,000 and $300,000. The sale was run by the Connecticut-based Alexander Historical Auctions, which did not identify the seller.
Mengele, who died in 1979, was notorious for conducting ghastly experiments on prisoners at Auschwitz. His notebooks were written after the war in South America, where he fled to escape justice.
The sale of the diaries was strongly criticized by some Holocaust historians and some in the Jewish community.
Did you know that only 2% of Forward readers donate to support our nonprofit newsroom? That 2% make it possible for millions to read the Forward without a paywall or subscription — removing any barriers to the full and fair Jewish story.
But while the Forward is free to read, it isn’t free to produce. Big stories — like deep dives into the antisemitism data, political scoops or reporting trips to college campuses — take months of research and fact-checking. All while we keep you informed of what you need to know each day.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Forward Publisher & CEO
Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
