On-Site Book & Author: “The Counterfeit Countess”
The Counterfeit Countess: The Jewish Woman Who Rescued Thousands of Poles during the Holocaust is based on the memoir of Dr. Josephine Jahina Mehlberg, a Jewish woman posing as a Polish aristocrat in German-occupied Poland.
With guile, cajolery, and steely persistence, the “Countess” persuaded SS officials to release thousands of Poles from Majdanek concentration camp. She won permission to deliver food and medicine—and even decorated Christmas trees—for thousands more of the camp’s prisoners. At the same time, she personally smuggled supplies and messages to imprisoned resistance fighters. Incredibly, she eluded detection, survived the war, and emigrated to the U.S.
In honor of Women’s History Month, be sure to join us with The Counterfeit Countess’ authors, Dr. Joanna Sliwa and Dr. Elizabeth B. White, as they discuss this riveting tale, challenging the traditional perspective on Polish-Jewish wartime relations and highlighting the unique experiences of non-Jewish Poles during World War II.
Book signing to follow.
Members: Free; Non-Members: Museum Admission
Reservations required.
Community partners: Polish American Congress Illinois Division; Polish Daily News; Women’s Board of Illinois Holocaust Museum; Consulate General of the Republic of Poland in Chicago