Nakam - The Avengers Groups

The Avengers Groups

For many Jews, the end of World War II meant freedom, but some felt a need to seek revenge against Nazis. The soldiers of the second brigade of the Jewish Brigade established the "Executioners Unit". They traveled wearing British uniforms and arrested many Nazis and secretly tried them in an instant field trial. They called themselves "The Avengers". The Avengers included Israel Carmi, Robert Grossman, Dov Goren, Sheike Weinberger, Meir Zorea, Marcel Tubias, Shimon Avidan and others. Meir Zorea used to tell how the Avengers traveled around Europe in groups of three or four. Zorea testified that the Avengers killed only people who were directly involved in killing Jews. Initially, they shot them in the head, but later adopted the method of strangling with their own hands. The Avengers would not reveal anything to their targets before the execution – not who they were nor why they were killing them. They said the killing was like "a killing of an insect".