Pt. 1 (pp. 43-172) discusses various aspects of the Eichmann trial in 1961, including Israeli reactions to Eichmann's capture, especially those of David Ben-Gurion; technical and investigative preparations for the trial; the witnesses, most of whom were Holocaust survivors; the appointment of the defense attorney and the judges; and the sentencing. Pt. 2 (pp. 175-240) deals with effects of the trial on various groups in Israel: Holocaust survivors, youth, the Sephardi community, and the educational system. Pt. 3 (pp. 243-287) discusses various issues which were raised and debated as a result of the trial, as well as whether it was actually a show trial. Contends that it was a trial about the past, for the future.

Describes the reactions of the Jews of Mandatory Palestine to Nazism and the Holocaust; their ambivalent attitude to the refugees and survivors; the debate in the State of Israel over relations with Germany; the political aspects of the Kasztner libel case; the Eichmann trial; changes in the ideology governing presentation of the Holocaust, from emphasis on the ghetto fighters' heroism and rejection of the passivity of the masses to a more balanced view and mourning for the victims; the development of memorial sites such as Yad Vashem and of commemoration rituals; the treatment of the Holocaust in the educational system (including trips of young people to Auschwitz); and the constant presence of the Holocaust in the consciousness of Israelis, coloring their view of the world and affecting their reactions to all events that seem to threaten their survival.