Ognisko Polskie is organising a book talk byRoger Moorhouse about „The Forgers – The Forgotten Story of the Holocaust’s Most Audacious Rescue Operation” – the inspirational story of the Polish diplomats who forged the documents that saved thousands of Jewish lives in World War Two.
Between 1940 and 1943, a small group of Polish diplomats and Jewish activists in Switzerland engaged in a wholly remarkable – and until now, almost completely unknown – humanitarian operation. Under the leadership of the Polish Ambassador, Aleksander Łados, they undertook a systematic programme of forging identity documents for Latin American countries, which were then smuggled into German-occupied Europe to save the lives of thousands of Jews facing extermination in the Holocaust.
The Łados operation was one of the largest rescue missions of the entire war, and The Forgers tells this extraordinary story for the first time. We follow the desperate bids of Jews to obtain these life-saving documents, and their painful uncertainty over whether they will be granted protection from the Nazis’ murderous fury. And we witness the quiet heroism of those who decided to act in an attempt to save thousands of lives.
ROGER MOORHOUSE
Roger Moorhouse is a historian and author specialising in modern German and Central European history, with particular interest in Nazi Germany, the Holocaust and World War Two in Europe.
A visiting professor at the College of Europe in Warsaw, he is also the author of a number of books on modern German history, including “Killing Hitler”, “Berlin at War”, “The Third Reich in 100 Objects” and “The Devils’ Alliance: Hitler’s Pact with Stalin, 1939-1941”. He is a regular commentator in the specialist and general press, and a consultant for film and television.
His latest book “First to Fight: The Polish War 1939” – on the September Campaign that opened World War Two in Europe – was published by Bodley Head in the UK, and Znak in Poland, in September 2019.
Event in conjunction with the Polish Cultural Institute.
The book talk by Roger Moorhouse and discussion will be followed by wine and cocktail snacks and book signing. There will be the chance to buy copies of books by the author after the talk.
WHEN: Tuesday, October 10, 2023, 7.00 p.m. for 7:30 p.m.
WHERE: Ognisko Polskie – Polish Hearth, 55 Princes Gate, Exhibition Road, London SW7 2PN
TICKETS: here
