The Kastner Trial

This three-part television courtroom drama series is based on one of the most controversial trials in Israel’s history. In 1944 Dr Yisrael Kastner, a member of the committee for the rescue of Hungarian Jewry, succeeded in saving the lives of 1,685 Jews by gaining permission for them to leave Budapest. A decade later he was accused of collaborating with the Nazis and was assassinated. Focusing on the courtroom procedures of 1954–5, as well as on the private lives of the protagonists, and drawing on court proceedings and interviews, the drama deconstructs the narrative of the Holocaust, bringing out issues such as the ineffective policy of the Zionist leadership regarding the Holocaust and the morally ambivalent stance of the survivors.

Directed by —, The Kastner Trial leans on a strong ensemble — Ya'akov Alperin, Avigail Ariely, Idit Gideon Ben-Eliyahu — to carry a story that balances spectacle with character.

The series landed with audiences for its craft and performances, and remains one of the most talked-about drama titles of 1994.