How an Unremorseful Nazi Officer Saved Israel

In the 1960s, Israel’s Mossad hired a former (and unapologetic) Nazi assassin to prevent Egypt from developing a missile program with the help of former Nazi scientists. This sensitive operation required the help of expert in psychological warfare and Mossad agent, Yosef Raanan. Raanan supervised the operation to recruit former WW2 Nazi SS Lieutenant Colonel Otto Skorzeny, because of his personal connection to German scientists working on Egypt’s missile program. But the recruitment of a Nazi who showed no remorse for his actions required caution, wile, and moral compromise. Although Israel was hesitant to work with a former Nazi, ultimately, Skorzeny’s insider knowledge was critical to successfully stopping a major threat to Israeli national security. 00:00 Intro 00:35 Threats from Arab countries 01:46 Egyptian collaboration with Nazis 02:43 Mossad collaboration with Nazi 03:29 Recruitment of Skorzeny 06:27 Holocaust Museum 06:52 Mossad operations against Nazis in Egypt 07:40 Otto Skorzeny’s death 08:15 Israel’s moral question Subscribe and turn on your notifications so you don’t miss future uploads! Recommended video—Did Jews Fight the Nazis During the Holocaust? We have merch! – Let’s connect: Website — Instagram — Twitter — TikTok — @jewishunpacked Facebook — ----------- Image and footage credits: National Archives and Records Administration National Library of Israel British Pathé Fairway International Pictures U.S. Holocaust Museum Memorial U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, gift of Arthur Schleifer, Jr Israeli Government Press Office: Fritz Cohen, Zoltan Kluger Yoman Geva Jerusalem Cinemateque Warner Bros. Eagle-Lion Films / Bryan Foy Productions / Contemporary Productions Reuters : St. Joseph Gazette, The Jewish Press Imperial War Museum Bundesarchiv Steven Spielberg Archives and the Israeli Ministry of Culture and Sport Carmel Newsreel Israeli State Archives Munch Museum Skagens Museum United Artists / MGM / Associated Players and Producers / Edward Small Productions Universal International News Dutch National Archives Kan Archive Associated Press Narodowe Archiwum Cyfrowe AT&T Prelinger Archive PRC Pictures Artgrid Pixabay ----------- About Explainers: From ancient Jewish traditions to the modern State of Israel, we explain it all. Diving into anything and everything related to Jewish culture, history, and even religion. Understand Jewish holidays, Israeli politics, Jewish diasporic communities, and more. Learn about Judaism in pop culture, debunking myths about Jews, and explore obscure Israeli landmarks. We’re asking questions as basic as “What is the Talmud?”, and as obscure as “How did hip-hop boost Kosher wine sales?”, and everything in between. About Unpacked: We provide nuanced insights by unpacking all things Jewish. People are complex and complicated — yet we’re constantly being pushed to oversimplify our world. At Unpacked we know that being complex makes us more interesting. Because of this, we break the world down with nuance and insight to drive your curiosity and challenge your thinking. #Israel #nazi #WorldWarII