The Counterfeit Countess: The Jewish Woman Who Rescued Thousands of Poles During the Holocaust
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- Create Date：2024-01-30 13:22:09
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Elizabeth B. White
- ISBN：1982189126
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
Reviews
Jeanne
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I am grateful to everyone that brought this amazing story to light。 I cannot imagine how she stood up to the Nazis to force them to let her provide aid。 I appreciate that the author explains what went into verifying the memoir and found that there was so much more than what was written in it。 I highly recommend this book。Thank you to the author， publisher， and NetGalley for the Advanced Reader Copy （ARC） copy of this book and I am voluntarily leaving an honest review。
Helen
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Although this book was hard to read， I did learn a lot about the extent of courage in the face of what seems insurmountable events， prejudice and hate。
Jennifer
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DNF I wanted to love this book， but it just dragged in too many places。
Maranda Barry
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Dr。 Josephine Janina Mehlberg led an extraordinary life of sacrificing her own safety in an effort to provide solace and sustenance to those locked within the confines of WWII concentration camps。 Her efforts， her network of brave resistors， and her liaisons within the camps are all highlighted beautifully throughout the story for their remarkable bravery， cunning， and determination。The story was well written in an easy-to-comprehend way。 My only criticism is the amount of information jammed pac Dr。 Josephine Janina Mehlberg led an extraordinary life of sacrificing her own safety in an effort to provide solace and sustenance to those locked within the confines of WWII concentration camps。 Her efforts， her network of brave resistors， and her liaisons within the camps are all highlighted beautifully throughout the story for their remarkable bravery， cunning， and determination。The story was well written in an easy-to-comprehend way。 My only criticism is the amount of information jammed packed into every single sentence really forced me to re-read to ensure I grasped it all--which explains why roughly the last one quarter of the text was references。Overall: 4。5 stars （I really liked it！）I'll tell my students about: abuse， starvation， intimidation， antisemitism/racism， murder/death， language **Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the free ARC。 All opinions expressed are my own。** 。。。more
Greville Waterman
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A book celebrating the true heroism and chutzpah of a Jewish mathematician， Josephine Janina Mehlberg who fooled the Nazis into believing that she was a Polish Countess ensuring that the inmates in the Majdanek concentration and extermination camp at Lublin in Poland received food and medical supplies and this saving the lives of thousands。What a story， beautifully researched and told and her bravery takes your breath away。 A true heroine。
Angie
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Thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for an Advanced Reader Copy - pub date 1/23/2024。 Having a teacher in high school obsessed with educating us on the horror of the Holocaust and having a professor in college whose specialty was the same， you would think that I would have come across the story of Dr Josephine Janina Mehlberg aka Countess Janina Suchodolska aka Pepi Spinner aka rather a lot of other names。 Yet I had not and I am so grateful now to know it through this book。 Janina stands ou Thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for an Advanced Reader Copy - pub date 1/23/2024。 Having a teacher in high school obsessed with educating us on the horror of the Holocaust and having a professor in college whose specialty was the same， you would think that I would have come across the story of Dr Josephine Janina Mehlberg aka Countess Janina Suchodolska aka Pepi Spinner aka rather a lot of other names。 Yet I had not and I am so grateful now to know it through this book。 Janina stands out as one of the smartest， toughest， most ballsy rescuers I have ever read about and， indeed， is one of the most amazing mixtures of logic and emotion that I bet you will ever find。 Born a Polish Jew to very well-off parents， she grew up surrounded by comfort and friends and all of the intellectual stimulation her incredibly active brain could want。 In fact， for quite a while， she lived the contented life of the upper intelligensia， a respected mathematician and statistician; her and her husband teaching and learning and having parties with clever conversation and the like。 Then the Nazis rose to power and invaded Poland and everything changed。 So did Janina。 First escaping one city for another with her husband， then becoming someone else entirely - an ethnic Polish aristocrate， the Countess Suchodolska - formidable negotiator with the German overseers of the nearby prison camp， Majdanek， and diminutive but determined do-gooder out to save as many lives as she could。While this book is definitely scholarly， it does not come across as cold。 Yes， there are a lot of dates and numbers and the purely overwhelming figures of prisoners and food and the logistics of getting everything together。 Janina was a master of calculation and risks and probability。 This book is based on her personally written memoir， bolstered by a lot of research and first hand sources by the authors。 You get the sense that she almost had to focus on the numbers at times to keep safe。 Plus she used her brain to calculate the risks and work the numbers towards as high a success rate as she could。 In the end， though， Janina always held her own life at a lower risk value than any of the thousands of Polish prisoners， dozens of Underground Army colleagues， her husband， and the city citizens。 Repeatedly through the book， you come up against her personal motto - if her single life can save multiple others， then that is the best thing she could do。 It is/was worth the risk。She took many risks indeed and narrowly escaped captured a few times。 One of her comrades even lost his life saving her， not regretting the action one bit - something that clearly stayed with her throughout her life and drove her even harder to save as many as she could。 Outside of the amazing feats she managed in offering hope and succor to the prisoners， Janina also managed to observe humans at their bet and worst and come to the conclusion that， where there is evil， there is also a chance for grace - often in the same person。 Time and again， she was faced with kindness from a cruel tormentor。 While you never feel that she excused such people from their actions， you feel her underlying grasp of the hope such lights represented。Even if Janina did not think she did saved enough people， helped enough， and it clearly bothered her that she could not single out the Jewish inmates as she wished。。。 Many people would argue that every single thing she did was a mark in the column of good and worthy。 Please read this book for both hope and horror and to learn about a truly amazing woman。 。。。more
MarilynW
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The Counterfeit Countess: The Jewish Woman Who Rescued Thousands of Poles During the Holocaustby Elizabeth B。 White and Joanna SliwaDr。 Josephine Janina Mehlberg was a highly accomplished Jewish mathematician。 As Jewish people were being rounded up Janina and her husband were helped to change their identities。 They became a Count and a Countess， with Janina taking on the identity of Polish aristocrat Countess Janina Suchodolska。 As they watched neighbors， friends， coworkers， and all those around The Counterfeit Countess: The Jewish Woman Who Rescued Thousands of Poles During the Holocaustby Elizabeth B。 White and Joanna SliwaDr。 Josephine Janina Mehlberg was a highly accomplished Jewish mathematician。 As Jewish people were being rounded up Janina and her husband were helped to change their identities。 They became a Count and a Countess， with Janina taking on the identity of Polish aristocrat Countess Janina Suchodolska。 As they watched neighbors， friends， coworkers， and all those around them be carted off， if not sometimes killed in the streets， close calls for Janina and her husband caused her to resign herself。 Death was imminent， nothing was going to stop her and her husband from being rounded up and hauled off to certain death。 As Janina accepted this fact， a heavy weight was lifted from her heart and shoulders。 If she was going to die then before she died， she was going to get food， supplies， and comfort to as many people as she could possibly help。 It no longer matter that Janina was masquerading as a Polish aristocrat， Poles were being killed along side Jews， her days were numbered。 What did Janina do？ She put herself right there in front of the very enemy who would kill her if they knew she was deceiving them。 Since she must take on the persona of a Countess she carried herself as one。 She made it clear she wasn't accustomed to hearing the word "No"。 She asked to be heard by those high up in the enemy party， when she asked for a finger， she knew she'd be going for the hand and getting it later on。 The authors took Janina's unpublished memoir， conducted massive amounts of research， documented the things Janina wrote about， and have presented us with a remarkable work， detailing what Janina did for so many when just the slightest slip could mean certain death for her。 Included， too， are stories of other people risking everything to help those who were surely going to die。 Janina saw the horror from the outside and the inside， as she demanded to visit the camps and often got permission to do so。 At all times she had to act as if she was Countess Janina Suchodolska when her former self was inside， screaming in horror at all she saw and knew。 Of course， for all the supplies that Janina and others got to the prisoners， they were also delivering and receiving messages and information from resistance fighters imprisoned at Majdanek。 This book is well written and full of details and facts while still allowing the emotions of what was going on to come through on the page。 Once again， I'm amazed at the work of people who faced certain death （and often not quick deaths） to fight to the end to help others， no matter how hopeless the situations they faced。 And things were hopeless for the vast majority of the prisoners。 I'm thankful for the works， some written long ago， that have been making their way into publication， so we can read first hand what was going on during World War II and the Holocaust。Publication January 23， 2024 Thank you to Edelweiss and Simon & Schuster for this digital ARC。 。。。more
Sylvia
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"The Counterfeit Countess: The Jewish Woman Who Rescued Thousands of Poles During the Holocaust" by Elizabeth B。 White and Joanna Sliwa is a poignant and inspiring exploration of a lesser-known hero during the Holocaust。 The book stands out for its meticulous research and the compelling narrative that sheds light on the incredible acts of bravery carried out by a remarkable individual。One commendable aspect of the book is the authors' dedication to uncovering and sharing the story of the Jewish "The Counterfeit Countess: The Jewish Woman Who Rescued Thousands of Poles During the Holocaust" by Elizabeth B。 White and Joanna Sliwa is a poignant and inspiring exploration of a lesser-known hero during the Holocaust。 The book stands out for its meticulous research and the compelling narrative that sheds light on the incredible acts of bravery carried out by a remarkable individual。One commendable aspect of the book is the authors' dedication to uncovering and sharing the story of the Jewish woman who rescued thousands of Poles。 Elizabeth B。 White and Joanna Sliwa's thorough research brings to light the remarkable actions of this unsung hero， offering a tribute to her courage and compassion during a dark period in history。The writing style is both informative and engaging， allowing readers to connect with the individuals involved and the historical context of their actions。 The narrative is structured in a way that captures the gravity of the events while honoring the resilience and bravery of those who risked their lives to save others。 The authors strike a balance between historical documentation and storytelling， making the book accessible to a wide audience。However， some readers may find the book emotionally intense due to the harrowing nature of the Holocaust and the courageous actions depicted。 Potential readers should be aware of the heavy subject matter and be prepared for the emotional impact of the stories shared。In conclusion， "The Counterfeit Countess" stands as a powerful testament to the extraordinary acts of a Jewish woman who played a crucial role in rescuing thousands during the Holocaust。 Elizabeth B。 White and Joanna Sliwa's dedication to preserving this story is evident， making the book a valuable contribution to Holocaust literature。 While the emotional weight of the subject matter may be challenging， the book succeeds in honoring the courage and compassion of those who defied the darkness of that historical period。 。。。more
BethFishReads
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This excellent biography of Josephine Janina Mehlberg and her life in Poland under Nazi rule is based on her own unpublished memoir and extensive research。 As I've said in other reviews over the years， it's extremely important to bring as many firsthand， eyewitness accounts of the Holocaust as possible to the attention of the world。 This is a powerful weapon against repeating the past and against the constant and increasing gaslighting and revisionist history currently gaining traction。Though we This excellent biography of Josephine Janina Mehlberg and her life in Poland under Nazi rule is based on her own unpublished memoir and extensive research。 As I've said in other reviews over the years， it's extremely important to bring as many firsthand， eyewitness accounts of the Holocaust as possible to the attention of the world。 This is a powerful weapon against repeating the past and against the constant and increasing gaslighting and revisionist history currently gaining traction。Though we've been aware of a number of stories of ordinary people across Europe who were active in the resistance and saved Jews and other "undesirables" from the death camps， we are much less familiar with people like Janina Mehlberg。Janina and her husband were educated Polish Jews who were able to get falsified identity papers and move to Lubin， where people knew her as Countess Suchodolska。 After learning about what was going on in the Majdanek concentration camp outside her new city and worrying about family and friends she had left behind， she knew she had to do something to help the prisoners。 She didn't question who she was helping or why they were held at Majdanek--she simply saw human beings who were undergoing unthinkable horrors。Risking her own life every day for years， Janina saved thousands of men， women， and children， most of whom were Christian Poles。 She stood strong in the face of evil men and managed to bring food， clothes， and medicine inside the compound。Hers is a story of bravery and ethics。 As she wrote， what is one life worth unless it can be used to save others？ This is an important book that reminds us that individuals have the ability to make real changes。 It's also a book that is blunt in its account of how the Nazi regime treated those they deemed subhuman or not worth their concern--Jews， Romas， Poles， and many others were murdered by the millions， sometimes tens of thousands a day。The audiobook is performed by Gilli Messer， who did an excellent job。 She was expressive without distracting the listener from the historical facts and without dramatizing the everyday atrocities Janina witnessed。 Her pronunciation of German， Russian， Polish， and other languages seemed authentic。I was lucky enough to also have a digital review copy of this book， so was able to see the maps and get a clearer picture of Janina movements in and around Lubin。Thanks to the publishers for review copies in different media。 。。。more
book_bear
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Very well written book！ It is wonderful that there were some heroes during that horrible time！ My grandfather fought in that war and saw the same horrible things described in this book。
Jennifer Jones
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This book was absolutely one of my favourite of the year that I got to review for an ARC with Netgalley。 This was a story that I had not heard before， and will be something that I absolutely purchase for my collection。 I don't want to give anything away， but this was a brilliant recounting of this woman and her amazing rescues。 Considering the state of the world currently， everyone should give it a try。 This book was absolutely one of my favourite of the year that I got to review for an ARC with Netgalley。 This was a story that I had not heard before， and will be something that I absolutely purchase for my collection。 I don't want to give anything away， but this was a brilliant recounting of this woman and her amazing rescues。 Considering the state of the world currently， everyone should give it a try。 。。。more
Thomas
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Five stars for an inspiring story of a truly courageous woman。 。 Josephine Janina Mehlberg，aka Countess Janina Suchodolska， was a Jewish woman who masqueraded as a Polish aristocrat in WWII German occupied Lublin， Poland and saved at least 10，000 people from certain death。 She dealt with SS， Gestapo， and Majdanek concentration camp guards， doctors and officers。 She got permission to supply food， medicine， Red cross packages and mail to prisoners。 She faced down threats from SS， and Gestapo。 She Five stars for an inspiring story of a truly courageous woman。 。 Josephine Janina Mehlberg，aka Countess Janina Suchodolska， was a Jewish woman who masqueraded as a Polish aristocrat in WWII German occupied Lublin， Poland and saved at least 10，000 people from certain death。 She dealt with SS， Gestapo， and Majdanek concentration camp guards， doctors and officers。 She got permission to supply food， medicine， Red cross packages and mail to prisoners。 She faced down threats from SS， and Gestapo。 She did all this for 5 years， all the while knowing that discovery meant torture and death。One quote "Hitler assigned the task of ruling the General Government to Hans Frank， his personal lawyer and a committed N**I since 1933。 Frank's assignment was to govern the Polish territory just as Germany had once ruled over its African colonies: by seizing or exploiting everything of value， using the forced labor of its indigenous inhabitants， and eradicating all those who resisted。"I read this page turner in 2 days。Thanks to Tyanni Niles from Simon & Schuster for sending me this eARC through Edelweiss。 。。。more
Maine Colonial
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I read a free digital advance review copy provided by the publisher via NetGalley。The subject of this book cycled through a lot of names during her life， so I’ll just call her Janina， as the authors do。 She was born to a wealthy and influential family， knew several languages， earned a Ph。D。， and married a fellow scholar。 When the Jewish Janina and her husband had to flee Lviv after the German invasion， they moved to Lublin and lived under false papers provided by an aristocrat friend。 That frien I read a free digital advance review copy provided by the publisher via NetGalley。The subject of this book cycled through a lot of names during her life， so I’ll just call her Janina， as the authors do。 She was born to a wealthy and influential family， knew several languages， earned a Ph。D。， and married a fellow scholar。 When the Jewish Janina and her husband had to flee Lviv after the German invasion， they moved to Lublin and lived under false papers provided by an aristocrat friend。 That friend， Count Andrzej Skrzynski， decided to go big and gave them papers identifying them as a Count and Countess。 Clever， really， because nobody would think that a woman swanning about as the Countess Suchodolska in Nazi-controlled Poland could be faking it， let alone that she was actually Jewish。Janina decided it would be a waste of her privilege if she didn’t do something with her life， so she took full advantage of that Countess identity and went to work to help her fellow Poles。 As a practical matter， there was little she could do for Jews caught up in the machinery of the Nazis’ Final Solution。 But there was plenty she could do for others。 She hectored the Nazis running the Majdanek concentration camp to allow aid organizations to provide better conditions， and she herself brought in food multiple times a week， putting herself at risk each time， especially because she often smuggled in and out information and other material。 Though she often had an antagonistic relationship with the Nazi guards and officials at Majdanek， she was able to persuade higher-ups that what she wanted was in their best interests and usually got her way。 She was even able to secure the outright release of thousands of （non-Jewish） Poles who were imprisoned only because they’d been ousted from their homes in areas the Nazis wanted to occupy entirely。 She was a member of an underground Polish resistance group—whose members were unaware that she was Jewish。Her immediate postwar life was still dangerous。 Poland came under the control of the USSR， which immediately went after members of all Polish resistance groups that weren’t communist， and that included hers。 Life for Jews in Poland after the war wasn’t great， either， with an estimate of 500-1，500 Jews being killed by Poles。 It’s nerve-wracking to read about the dangerous conditions for her and her husband before they were finally able to escape to the west。This book details Poland’s history during World War II， when its unfortunate position between the USSR and Germany resulted in its abuse by both countries， and the pitting of ethnic Poles and Ukrainians against each other， and often both against Poland’s Jews。 Janina’s story is based on her own written recollections， but with much additional information resulting from years-long research by the historian authors。 This additional research is detailed in the lengthy acknowledgements， endnotes， and bibliography。 This is the story of a life that you’d think would have to be fictional， except that so much of what really did happen in World War II is almost unbelievable。 This story would lend itself well to a film adaptation。 。。。more
Melisende
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The story of how one Jewish woman took on the Nazis， and came out the other side。Much of what is written about Dr Josephine Melberg - aka Countess Janina Suchodolska - is based upon her own memoirs and what the authors could verify， as her story is without a doubt， fantastic。 Here was this fearless Polish， Jewish woman who took on the persona of a Countess， worked for the Resistance in Poland， and then had the audacity and wherewithal to take on the might of the Nazis on behalf of the Jews held The story of how one Jewish woman took on the Nazis， and came out the other side。Much of what is written about Dr Josephine Melberg - aka Countess Janina Suchodolska - is based upon her own memoirs and what the authors could verify， as her story is without a doubt， fantastic。 Here was this fearless Polish， Jewish woman who took on the persona of a Countess， worked for the Resistance in Poland， and then had the audacity and wherewithal to take on the might of the Nazis on behalf of the Jews held at the Majdanek concentration camp。 And she survived it all！"Janina" defied stereotypes - she was so concerned for the welfare of those at the concentration camp， that she took on this alter-ego of the Countess and literally badgered the officials into allowing her to feed the inmates and improve conditions。 Along the way we learn of Janina's early life before the war and what became of her after it。 A remarkable woman whose heroic achievements became renowned long after they occurred。Highly recommended reading！ 。。。more
Jo Ann
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I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley。Elizabeth White and Joanna Sliwa did an excellent job of telling us the story of Dr。 Josephine Janina Mehlberg。 Mehlberg was a Jewish mathematician who hid from the Nazis under the guise of Countess Janina Suchodolska - the Counterfeit Countess。 Mehlberg felt that just surviving was not enough; she had to save the lives of as many Jews as she could。 She defied the Nazis at every turn by delivering food and medical supplies to Majdanek concentration c I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley。Elizabeth White and Joanna Sliwa did an excellent job of telling us the story of Dr。 Josephine Janina Mehlberg。 Mehlberg was a Jewish mathematician who hid from the Nazis under the guise of Countess Janina Suchodolska - the Counterfeit Countess。 Mehlberg felt that just surviving was not enough; she had to save the lives of as many Jews as she could。 She defied the Nazis at every turn by delivering food and medical supplies to Majdanek concentration camp。The story is taken primarily from Mehlberg's unpublished memoirs as well as the authors own research。 。。。more
Brendan Dowd （History Nerds United）
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Dr。 Josephine Janina Mehlberg was the best fraud ever。 Elizabeth White and Joanna Sliwa tell her story in their book The Counterfeit Countess and it's nice to be rooting for the imposter。 Mehlberg was a Polish Jew who during World War II became "Countess Janina Suchodolska" just to survive。 However， she decided surviving wasn't enough and became a resistance member along with the boldest humanitarian I have ever read about。 What made her bold？ Well， she willing went to the nearby concentration c Dr。 Josephine Janina Mehlberg was the best fraud ever。 Elizabeth White and Joanna Sliwa tell her story in their book The Counterfeit Countess and it's nice to be rooting for the imposter。 Mehlberg was a Polish Jew who during World War II became "Countess Janina Suchodolska" just to survive。 However， she decided surviving wasn't enough and became a resistance member along with the boldest humanitarian I have ever read about。 What made her bold？ Well， she willing went to the nearby concentration camp and proceeded to manipulate every single Nazi she could to get food and medicine within the camp。 A lot of books try to oversell what their main character accomplished。 This is not one of those books。I especially appreciated how White and Sliwa approached the story。 They make it clear in the introduction to the book that much of this is pulled from Mehlberg's unpublished memoir， but nothing is taken at face value。 There is a lot of scholarship and significant research to make this story both readable but also complete （and verified）。 There are portions of the book which lag a bit as there is a fair amount of paperwork wrangling or administrative arguments。 These sections are short and the story inevitably picks up immediately after with Mehlberg descending into the lion's den of Nazis。 This is a book that truly does justice to its subject。（This book was provided as an advance copy by Netgalley and Simon & Schuster。） 。。。more
Jennifer
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This was an incredibly engaging story。 I learned so much about Poland， not only in ww2， but the time before as well。 The story was sad but powerful， and it was amazing to learn about such an incredible woman。
Marcus Wolfshire
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A countess determined to risk her life to save prisoners of Madajczyk during Germany's occupation of Poland。 Germany's invasion of Poland bought unspeakable horrors to its citizens during World War II。 Janina Spinner Mehlberg was born Pepi Spinner and enjoyed a carefree life prior to the war。 German's invasion changed her life leading her family to escape the turmoil that was to come。 A family friend offered her the opportunity to take on a new identity to avoid being detained by the SS。 Her new A countess determined to risk her life to save prisoners of Madajczyk during Germany's occupation of Poland。 Germany's invasion of Poland bought unspeakable horrors to its citizens during World War II。 Janina Spinner Mehlberg was born Pepi Spinner and enjoyed a carefree life prior to the war。 German's invasion changed her life leading her family to escape the turmoil that was to come。 A family friend offered her the opportunity to take on a new identity to avoid being detained by the SS。 Her new identity as Countess Janina Schodolska allowed her access to prisoners detained at Madajczky under the harsh punishment of the SS。 Her new identity allowed her to become a vital part in a resistance effort to keep as much prisoners of alive as the World War II came to an and leading to Germany's defeat。 This book is a fascinating story of one woman's transformation from an ordinary girl to a countess willing to risk her life to save as many prisoners in Madajcyk。 The author's vivid descriptions gives the reader a look at the chilling scenes of what the Countess saw and felt in her determination to keep her country's men alive no matter if they were Jewish or Polish and anyone in-between。 The Countesses ability to get food， medicine and other needed items pass SS guards is remarkable in terms of dealing with the most cruel men assigned to guard this prison。 I highly recommend this book for anyone interested in World War II。 The authors writes an interesting account of one woman's hidden identity to defeat Nazi Germany in her own way。 。。。more
J Earl
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