A Plan Born of War
In 1945, a group of Holocaust survivors formed Nakam, led by Abba Kovner. Their goal: revenge for six million murdered Jews. After an early attempt to poison Nuremberg’s water supply failed, the group turned to a new plan—poisoning German POWs in U.S. camps.
Infiltrating the Bakery
Nakam operatives posed as displaced persons and gained access to the Konsum-Genossenschaftsbäckerei in Nuremberg. They smuggled in arsenic and applied it to 3,000 loaves of bread destined for SS prisoners at the Langwasser internment camp.
Thousands Sickened
On April 13, 1946, the poisoned bread was delivered. Reports later stated that more than 2,200 German prisoners became ill, with over 200 hospitalized. Despite the scale of the poisoning, no confirmed deaths were recorded.
Aftermath and Silence
The attackers escaped through Czechoslovakia and Italy. Though Nakam’s actions stirred global attention, most members remained silent for decades. In 2000, German prosecutors closed a case against two former members, citing the “unusual circumstances” surrounding the events.
In 1945, a group of Holocaust survivors formed Nakam to seek revenge for the six million Jews killed.
Led by Abba Kovner, they first planned to poison a city’s water supply. When that failed, they launched a daring attempt to poison Nazi POWs in Nuremberg…🧵👇 pic.twitter.com/3dGnFUxPfe
— Detective Tiger's Stories (@TigerDetective) April 24, 2025