The Fake Countess. She Deceived the Nazis and Saved Thousands from the Death Camp

The incredible story of Janina Melberg - a Jewish woman who saved thousands of lives in the death camp of Majdanek by masquerading as a Polish aristocrat - is based on her unpublished memoirs.

December 1941, Poland, Lublin. The Majdanek camp becomes the last refuge for tens of thousands of Polish Jews. Countess Janina Suhodolska, a local social welfare official, brings tons of food and medicine to Majdanek. And also - contraband for the camp resistance. Each of her packages saves thousands of people. Each of her arrivals is a deadly danger. However, the countess hides not only the fact of illegal supplies, but also that she is actually… Jewish. Under the guise of the "fake countess" Suhodolska, Pepi Spinner - a Jewish woman who decided to challenge the Nazis - saves the prisoners. With cunning, persuasion, and iron persistence, the "countess" convinces SS officials not only to accept her deliveries of soup and bread (and even decorated Christmas trees), but also to free thousands of Poles from the concentration camp.
Relying on the manuscript of Janina's unpublished memoirs, supplemented by stunning research, Holocaust historians Elizabeth White and Joanna Sliwa have recreated the story of her heroism. "The Fake Countess" is a thrilling saga of cunning, courage, and the strength of an ordinary person in the face of unimaginable cruelty.

"This book is an extraordinary testament to courage, resilience, and humanity in the darkest months of the Holocaust. This gripping story ensures that the world will not forget the remarkable Janina Melberg and her epic rescue operation that challenged great evil. You will not put this book down until the very last page: it is an astonishing fragment of Holocaust history that will stay with you long after reading." - Debbie Sensiper, journalist, Pulitzer Prize winner