A newly published book titled, The Counterfeit Countess: The Jewish Woman Who Rescued Thousands of Poles During the Holocaust relates the astonishing but forgotten story of Dr. Josephine Janina Mehlberg — a Jewish mathematician who saved thousands of imprisoned Poles by masquerading as a Polish aristocrat.
The authors, Elizabeth White and Joanna Sliwa, professional historians, and Holocaust experts, relate how Mehlberg operated in Lublin, Poland, at the headquarters of Aktion Reinhard, an SS operation that murdered 1.7 million Jews.
Using the identity papers of a Polish aristocrat, Mehlberg worked as a welfare official while serving in the Polish resistance. She persuaded SS officials to release thousands of Poles from the Majdanek concentration camp. She also got permission to deliver food and medicine to thousands more camp prisoners.
She also 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, survived the war, and emigrated to the U.S.
{Matzav.com}
Dera Matzav Editors/Readers,
This woman had a dubious connection to Judaism if at all. In addition if you read the book you’ll discover that she did NOT prioritize saving any Jewish people nor does it seem she took any real interest in saving the Jewish prisoners of Majdanek.
To quote from the yivo book review, “She even managed to negotiate the release of over three thousand Catholic Poles who were incarcerated as political prisoners.”
Understand that the political prisoners were segregated under much lighter conditions than our brethren. In her she put herself in harms way because “many lives are more important than one.” But apparently that philosophy didn’t extend to the Jewish nation. Not even to smuggle them food or clothing as she did for the poles.
I’m sure there is more to this sordid narrative that is being bandied around as righteous.
Chodesh Tov
It makes a lot of sense that she’s not Jewish because one who has no Jewish heart does not have a Jewish soul.
As I was reading this the first thing that came to my mind was what kind of Jew ignores her own people.
Apparently she was the precursor of today’s Jews for Justice who support Hamas.
B’kol dor v’dor…