Touching Holocaust Story A Hoax
The publication of a holocaust memoir called "Angel at the Fence" has been canceled. It was written by Herman Rosenblat, a holocaust survivor, but his story was too good to be true.
The Rosenblat's marriage seemed tailor-made for movies and memoirs, reports CBS News correspondent Kelly Cobiella. A love story born in Hitler's Europe at a German labor camp.
"I saw a little girl on the other side of the barbed wire," Herman Rosenblat said.
Twelve-year-old Herman was a prisoner, the girl on the other side, he said -- his savior.
"She took out an apple out of her jacket and she threw it over the fence," Herman said. "I grabbed the apple and I ran."
Years later Rosenblat, now an adult, said he met that same girl on a blind date in New York.
"And that was it," Herman said. "I knew right then and there we were going to get married."
The story inspired a children's book, two appearances on the Oprah Winfrey show, a movie deal and memoir in the works and countless interviews.
Some historians believed him too, but one recently raised red flags. The timeline, he said, didn't work, and the fence was too high. On Saturday, Berkley Books canceled Rosenblat's memoir "Angel at the Fence." In a statement he admitted his version of history was fiction.
Fellow Holocaust survivor Sidney Finkel appeared on the Oprah show with Rosenblat last year.
"I regret I didn't have the courage to really face him with it because I wasn't really 100 percent sure, but I pretty well knew that it was a made up story," Finkel said.
Rosenblat did survive a concentration camp, and his 50-year marriage to Roma is real. A seemingly unrepentant Rosenblat says he made up the rest to bring people happiness and hope..
Holocaust scholar Michael Berenbaum sat down with Early Show co-anchor Maggie Rodriguez to discuss the implications of the revelation that the Rosenblat's story was fiction. To view, click the Play button below.
Copyright 2009 CBS. All rights reserved. The Rosenblat's marriage seemed tailor-made for movies and memoirs, reports CBS News correspondent Kelly Cobiella. A love story born in Hitler's Europe at a German labor camp.
"I saw a little girl on the other side of the barbed wire," Herman Rosenblat said.
Twelve-year-old Herman was a prisoner, the girl on the other side, he said -- his savior.
"She took out an apple out of her jacket and she threw it over the fence," Herman said. "I grabbed the apple and I ran."
Years later Rosenblat, now an adult, said he met that same girl on a blind date in New York.
"And that was it," Herman said. "I knew right then and there we were going to get married."
The story inspired a children's book, two appearances on the Oprah Winfrey show, a movie deal and memoir in the works and countless interviews.
Some historians believed him too, but one recently raised red flags. The timeline, he said, didn't work, and the fence was too high. On Saturday, Berkley Books canceled Rosenblat's memoir "Angel at the Fence." In a statement he admitted his version of history was fiction.
Fellow Holocaust survivor Sidney Finkel appeared on the Oprah show with Rosenblat last year.
"I regret I didn't have the courage to really face him with it because I wasn't really 100 percent sure, but I pretty well knew that it was a made up story," Finkel said.
Rosenblat did survive a concentration camp, and his 50-year marriage to Roma is real. A seemingly unrepentant Rosenblat says he made up the rest to bring people happiness and hope..
Holocaust scholar Michael Berenbaum sat down with Early Show co-anchor Maggie Rodriguez to discuss the implications of the revelation that the Rosenblat's story was fiction. To view, click the Play button below.
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The book by Frey that was on Oprah - everyone loved it. Then we found out it was not true.
Again...so what if someone learned something positive from it???
If Bernie Madoff pushed Jews back 50 years, Rosenblat can take credit for pushing them back another 50. Any more takers? Should we settle for a return to pogroms, or should we take this baby all the way back to the era of the Spanish Inquisition?!
If the latter, then one does have to conclude, sadly, that a whole bunch of people, by their silence, have been complicit in this fraud. Can you imagine your father or mother going on Oprah telling a story like this when you''d never heard it from them yourself?
And what about his wife, Roma? She''s as much a part of this fabrication as he is. How did this happen? How and when did this web get spun, and just how many people were willing participants in that spinning?
There must be an affliction that causes one to believe that more $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ should usurp ethics and honesty.
Posted by william471
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Which is pretty sad. Especially with a subject like the holocaust.
Growing up I was taught to believe that the holocaust happened, as I was being told%u2026and...that people were basically honorable.
Then along came %u201CHogan%u2019s Heroes%u201D. At the time a large number of people were offended at the idea of a comedy about Nazi prison camps. TV Guide then did a story about Robert Clary (Cpl. LeBeau). It told about how he had been in a Nazis concentration camp and had seen his family murdered by the Nazis. The result was that people then backed off on their criticism on the basis of %u201Cif he can see the humor in it%u2026%u201D
I was appalled. This guy had supposedly seen his family murdered by Nazis and he was making light of the Nazis. He is running around in scenes where he is playing with the German guard dogs after saying that he saw people ton apart by guard dogs.
What conclusion can you come to except that either his holocaust story is not true or that he is so dishonorable that he would make fun of it to get an acting job?
I don%u2019t want to think I have been lied to about the holocaust and I want to believe that people are basically honorable, but I guess I can%u2019t have both. If I can only have one of these to believe, I don%u2019t know which I would choose.
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The name says it all.
This is why there are no innocent lies. By telling one "innocent lie" about the holocaust it gives the ignorant the basis to deny the entire holocaust. Which leads them to feeling enabled to use a name like "Hymietown".
People are ruled by their emotions; their emotions are ruled by their prejudices, their prejudices are ruled by their ignorances and their ignorances are ruled by the lies excite their emotions.
You may critcize people like Mel Gibson and his father for denying the holocaust, but you can''t totally blame them when holocaust survivors keep getting caught lying about the holocaust.
"Hymietown" chose to use the name, but Rosenblat helped create the climate where it is acceptable.