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by Kathe Slonim (Author)
On a rainy night in December 1938, former Nazi official Max Immanuel climbed into his car in Berlin and set out on a harrowing mission. Over the course of a single night, he planned to travel to the gates of Dachau - Nazi Germany's first concentration camp - to rescue a Jewish prisoner. Max's mission was profoundly dangerous, and unusual, because this former Third Reich official was a Jew himself. Born Imanuel Rosenfeld, Max had changed his name and his religion, living in fear that his truth would be discovered.
Setting a backdrop for Max's mission, Escape from Dachau recounts the history of the Jewish people in the Germanic lands through the Middle Ages and the bitterness brought about by World War I, festering into resentment and hatred towards German Jews.
Torn between his own plans to flee Germany and the chance to save a family member from the clutches of the Nazis, Max makes the excruciating choice to go to Dachau. It is a journey that will require him to risk his life as he passes through one Nazi checkpoint after another and to continually brandish his now-expired Third Reich papers, claiming that he is a loyal member of the Nazi Party on official business.
Based on a true story, Escape from Dachau pays tribute to the bravery, sacrifice, and resilience of those who sought to flee the horrors of Nazi Germany during one of the darkest periods of human history.
