For decades, a haunting photograph from 1941—known as “The Last Jew in Vinnitsa”—has stood as a stark illustration of the Holocaust’s brutality. The image depicts a kneeling man moments before execution, with a uniformed Nazi soldier holding a pistol to his head. While the scene’s horror was undeniable, the identities of the two men remained unknown, obscuring a key piece of history.
Solving a Decades-Old Mystery
That changed recently with research conducted by Jürgen Matthäus, former head of research at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum. Matthäus identified the soldier as Jakobus Onnen, a 34-year-old former teacher from Tichelwarf, Germany. The breakthrough came after a relative provided family photos, which were then matched to the soldier in the historical image with 99.9% accuracy using artificial intelligence.
The Photo’s History and Impact
The photograph first surfaced during the 1961 Jerusalem trial of Adolf Eichmann, obtained by Holocaust survivor Al Moss, who acquired it in 1945. Moss released the image to ensure the world would “know what went on in Eichmann’s time.” The photo’s power lies in its raw depiction of systematic murder—a chilling reminder that such atrocities were carried out by ordinary people, not abstract evil.
Why This Matters
The identification of Jakobus Onnen adds a human face to the machinery of genocide. It demonstrates that the Holocaust was not just a bureaucratic process but was enacted by individuals who made conscious decisions to participate in mass murder. This discovery underscores the importance of historical accountability, ensuring that the perpetrators of such crimes are never forgotten. The Vinnitsa photograph remains a harrowing testament to the depths of human cruelty, now made more complete by the revelation of the killer’s identity.
