World Jewish Congress mourns the death of former Israeli cabinet member and intelligence officer Rafi Eitan

JERUSALEM – The World Jewish Congress mourns the death of the legendary Israeli intelligence officer and cabinet member Rafi Eitan, who passed away on Saturday at the age of 92. Among his life’s work, Eitan was in charge of the Mossad operation which led to the capture of Adolf Eichmann.

“The World Jewish Congress and our affiliated communities in more than 100 countries mourn the loss of Rafi Eitan, a founder of the State of Israel’s intelligence community, without whom one of the masterminds of the Holocaust that decimated European Jewry might never have been brought to justice,” said WJC President Ronald S. Lauder.

“Rafi Eitan fought endlessly and tirelessly across continents to ensure that those responsible for the deaths of millions of Jews and the attempted destruction of millions more be brought to trial and punished,” Lauder said. “He was also a champion in the struggle for the restitution of Holocaust-era Jewish property who devoted himself to restoring a modicum of dignity for the victims and their families.”

“He was a dedicated soldier who risked his life for the Jewish people and the State of Israel. We extend our deep condolences to Rafi’s family,” Lauder said.