Kathe Mueller Slonim was just a girl when her father was taken to Nazi Germany’s first concentration camp, Dachau. Before her death in 2021, Slonim documented her family story, including the daring rescue mission undertaken by her father’s cousin that plays out moment by heart-pounding moment in the unforgettable new book, “Escape from Dachau: A True Story of Survival, Courage and a Daring Escape in the Face of Unthinkable Evil.”
The book begins with the rich, rarely told history of the Jewish people living in Germanic lands from the Middle Ages through WWII and how that led to the persecution of Jews.
All of this sets the stage for the harrowing mission undertaken by former First Reich official Max Immanuel, who climbed into his car in Berlin on a rainy night in December 1938 with one profoundly dangerous goal in mind: to rescue his cousin from Dachau — Nazi Germany’s first concentration camp.
Max’s mission was particularly risky and unusual because this former German government 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.
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, brandishing expired Third Reich papers, claiming that he is a loyal member of the Nazi Party on official business.
Brought to life with 30 archival photos, “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 and serves as a dramatic example of how the human spirit can overcome even the worst atrocities.
