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.
This is a moment of great uncertainty. Here’s what you can do about it.
We hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, we’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s independent Jewish news this Passover. All donations are being matched by the Forward Board - up to $100,000.
This is a moment of great uncertainty for the news media, for the Jewish people, and for our sacred democracy. It is a time of confusion and declining trust in public institutions. An era in which we need humans to report facts, conduct investigations that hold power to account, tell stories that matter and share honest discourse on all that divides us.
With no paywall or subscriptions, the Forward is entirely supported by readers like you. Every dollar you give this Passover is invested in the future of the Forward — and telling the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
The Forward doesn’t rely on funding from institutions like governments or your local Jewish federation. There are thousands of readers like you who give us $18 or $36 or $100 each month or year.
Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
