An Eye for an Eye

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The worst fate for some Holocaust survivors was becoming like their oppressors. This book explores how and why this transformation occurred, along with the eventual cessation of such actions. It reveals a narrative of Jewish revenge and redemption, detailing the harrowing events at the end of World War II. In 1945, the Soviet Union, which occupied parts of Germany and Poland, created the Office of State Security, recruiting Holocaust survivors to enforce de-Nazification. This office targeted German civilians—99 percent of whom were innocent—rounding them up and sending them to prisons and concentration camps, where conditions were dire, leading to the deaths of 60,000 to 80,000 Germans. The author, John Sack, examines the motivations behind individuals who, after enduring immense suffering, inflicted similar horrors on others. He highlights figures like Lola, a young woman who became a prison commandant seeking vengeance for her family, and Pinek, her childhood friend who oversaw security but turned a blind eye to atrocities. Shlomo, another commandant, boasted of his brutal efficiency, revealing the chilling reality of the time. This compelling narrative is the result of seven years of research and interviews across multiple countries, shedding light on a largely untold story.