Picture it: a man walks into a courtroom, looking like he’s about to do someone’s taxes. Nerdy glasses, nervous energy, and donning a knitting suit (yes, you read that right). This couldn’t possibly be the same dude who masterminded the deaths of millions of people… could it? The answer, of course, is yes. And I was there to see it go down.

My dad, Leo Hurwitz, was in charge of directing the television coverage of the infamous Eichmann trial. Basically, this was his big break after being blacklisted for a whole decade. Talk about a comeback! The prime minister of Israel and some other big whigs thought it’d be a good idea to air the trial live, and my dad was just the guy for the job. He already had some experience in the whole historical documentary film thing, and he helped shape early live TV as director of production at CBS. Plus, he was willing to work for cheap. Win-win!

To make a long story short, my mother and I joined my dad in Jerusalem, where I got to lurk in the control room and watch a trial be recorded like it was a dang feature film. Seriously, this was peak innovation. Instead of boring ol’ newsreel footage, my dad set up a whole network of concealed cameras to capture every juicy angle: the witnesses, the judges, the attorneys, and of course, the dude on the stand. Everything was so up close and personal that it made the audience feel like we were watching a soap opera. Move over, Netflix!

It’s crazy to think that the coverage style my dad pioneered would end up being what defined the Eichmann trial for generations to come. Sure, Eichmann himself made a pretty big confession, but let’s be real: it was my dad’s work that made the whole thing really pop. Who knew that a guy in a knitting suit could be such a trailblazer?

Serious News: nytimes