The counterfeit Countess : the Jewish woman who rescued thousands of Poles during the Holocaust
(Book)
Author
Contributors
Sliwa, Joanna author.
Published
New York, NY : Simons & Schuster, 2024.
Format
Book
Edition
First Simon & Schuster hardcover edition.
Physical Desc
xxix, 305 pages, 8 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations, maps ; 24 cm,
Status
Zephyrhills Public Library - BOOK - Adult
940.5318 WHITE
1 available
940.5318 WHITE
1 available
Description
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More Details
Published
New York, NY : Simons & Schuster, 2024.
Edition
First Simon & Schuster hardcover edition.
Language
English
Notes
Bibliography
Includes bibliographical references (pages 253-290) and index.
Description
"The astonishing story of Dr. Josephine Janina Mehlberg--a Jewish mathematician who saved thousands of lives in Nazi-occupied Poland by masquerading as a Polish aristocrat--drawing on Mehlberg's own unpublished memoir. World War II and the Holocaust have given rise to many stories of resistance and rescue, but The Counterfeit Countess is unique. It tells the remarkable, unknown story of "Countess Janina Suchodolska," a Jewish woman who rescued more than 10,000 Poles imprisoned by Poland's Nazi occupiers. Mehlberg operated in Lublin, Poland, headquarters of Aktion Reinhard, the SS operation that murdered 1.7 million Jews in occupied Poland. Using the identity papers of a Polish aristocrat, she worked as a welfare official while also serving in the Polish resistance. With guile, cajolery, and steely persistence, the "Countess" persuaded SS officials to release thousands of Poles from the Majdanek concentration camp. She won permission to deliver food and medicine--even decorated Christmas trees--for thousands more of the camp's prisoners. At the same time, she personally smuggled supplies and messages to resistance fighters imprisoned at Majdanek, where 63,000 Jews were murdered in gas chambers and shooting pits. Incredibly, she eluded detection, and ultimately survived the war and emigrated to the US. Drawing on the manuscript of Mehlberg's own unpublished memoir, supplemented with prodigious research, Elizabeth White and Joanna Sliwa, professional historians and Holocaust experts, have uncovered the full story of this remarkable woman. They interweave Mehlberg's sometimes harrowing personal testimony with broader historical narrative. Like The Light of Days, Schindler's List, and Irena's Children, The Counterfeit Countess is an unforgettable account of inspiring courage in the face of unspeakable cruelty"
Copies
Location | Call Number | Status |
---|---|---|
Zephyrhills Public Library - BOOK - Adult | 940.5318 WHITE | On Shelf |
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Subjects
LC Subjects
Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945) -- Poland -- Lublin.
Impostors and imposture -- Poland -- Biography.
Jewish women -- Poland -- Biography.
Lublin (Poland) -- Biography.
Majdanek (Concentration camp)
Mehlberg, Josephine Janina, -- 1905-1969
Women mathematicians -- Poland -- Biography.
World War, 1939-1945 -- Underground movements -- Poland -- Lublin -- Biography.
Impostors and imposture -- Poland -- Biography.
Jewish women -- Poland -- Biography.
Lublin (Poland) -- Biography.
Majdanek (Concentration camp)
Mehlberg, Josephine Janina, -- 1905-1969
Women mathematicians -- Poland -- Biography.
World War, 1939-1945 -- Underground movements -- Poland -- Lublin -- Biography.
Citations
APA Citation, 7th Edition (style guide)
White, E. B., & Sliwa, J. (2024). The counterfeit Countess: the Jewish woman who rescued thousands of Poles during the Holocaust (First Simon & Schuster hardcover edition.). Simons & Schuster.
Chicago / Turabian - Author Date Citation, 17th Edition (style guide)White, Elizabeth B. and Joanna Sliwa. 2024. The Counterfeit Countess: The Jewish Woman Who Rescued Thousands of Poles During the Holocaust. Simons & Schuster.
Chicago / Turabian - Humanities (Notes and Bibliography) Citation, 17th Edition (style guide)White, Elizabeth B. and Joanna Sliwa. The Counterfeit Countess: The Jewish Woman Who Rescued Thousands of Poles During the Holocaust Simons & Schuster, 2024.
MLA Citation, 9th Edition (style guide)White, Elizabeth B.,, and Joanna Sliwa. The Counterfeit Countess: The Jewish Woman Who Rescued Thousands of Poles During the Holocaust First Simon & Schuster hardcover edition., Simons & Schuster, 2024.
Note! Citations contain only title, author, edition, publisher, and year published. Citations should be used as a guideline and should be double checked for accuracy. Citation formats are based on standards as of August 2021.
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