Rescued from the Reich: How One of Hitler's Soldiers Saved the Lubavitcher Rebbe

Dr. Rigg's first book, Hitler's Jewish Soldiers, gave a careful and balanced scholarly account of those 150,000 part-Jewish soliders in the Germany military of WWII. ONe of the most amazing things I have ever encountered. He outdid himself with this follow up. Who could believe that in 1939 the U.S. State Dept. could partner with a Nazi intellignece agency to secretly rescue the rebbe from occupied, war torn Poland? The complications were staggering -- if the Nazi intelligence agents were discovered by the other Nazi agencies they would have been executed. The rebbe was mystical and eccentric and was a VERY difficult man to hide and smuggle. Riggs can be a little long-winded at times, but overall he relaly knows how to tell a story well. This really should be made into a film soon.

This is a fascinating well written book that is readable in one sitting. Drawing upon a wealth of sources, many of which are unavailable to the English reader, Rigg recounts the miraculous rescue of the founder of Chabad in America. The detail is astonishing and at the same time chilling. I was unable to put it down.

In Rescued from the Reich, Rigg tells the incredible but true story of how the Lubavitcher Rebbe was saved from Warsaw and from Eastern Europe itself, even as the city and the countries themselves were falling to the Germans and the Russians. This required the combined efforts of many, many people, from American Jewish authorities to U.S. State Department officials to--yes, German diplomatic and military officers. Among the pivotal figures is Ernst Bloch, decorated veteran of World War I and field-grade officer in what was about to become World War II, a so-called Mischling, or "part Jew" who had been "aryanized" by Hitler himself. From the detailed and sensitively described background of ultra-Orthodox Judaism to the vividly portrayed actors in this amazing true-life drama to the gripping moment when the group of German soldiers burst into the home of the Lubavitcher Rebbe--to announce that they are there not to arrest but to rescue Rebbe Schneersohn, Rigg holds the reader completely in his spell. Even with the full scholarly apparatus of references and end notes, Rigg has written a fascinating, compelling, and very valuable book. Rigg never gives in to the temptation to divide his cast into white hats and black hats; indeed, as is clear from the notes, two-thirds of a century later, there are still those who, for various reasons, are not entirely comfortable with the gritty, unideological, messy truths of the matter. With deep understanding and with never a trace of condescension to his material, Rigg tells as whole a story as could be asked, given the passage of time and the inevitable falling away of those who played their parts in the action. Bryan Mark Rigg seems, moreover, utterly incapable of writing a boring sentence. Rescued from the Reich is a worthy successor and companion to his Hitler's Jewish Soldiers. Read it. You'll never forget it.

As the small coterie of Lubavitcher Jews, including their leader Rebbe Joseph Schneersohn, cowered in their room in war torn Warsaw, a group of German army soldiers rushed in and ordered them to stand facing the wall. "They waited for the crack of rifle fire and total darkness." So writes Bryan Rigg in his newest book, the story of the unique combination of the German army, American and European Jewry, and U.S. political figures intertwined in a tale of incredible rescue. The difficulties of the times are apparent even before Warsaw is shut down and France, the Baltics, and Scandinavia are still free. The rescue of the Rebbe, vital to the Orthodox Lubavitcher Jewish community, takes place as Europe begins to feel the disaster and drama that was the Third Reich. Poland was one of the first to feel the hot breath of Naziism and receive the fatal blows. It was here that the Rebbe lived after moving from oppression in Soviet Russia, and it was here that he studied the Torah and prayed. Rigg also includes background on the Lubavitchers to incorporate understanding of not only some of the beliefs that sustained their sect, but that some of these same beliefs hindered their rescue. Certainly other Lubavitcher Jews caught up in the German nightmare would not be helped while the Rebbe eschewed not only political results, but also cooperation with Gentiles to acheive those results. The Rebbe's comments and teachings during that time were sometimes difficult to ascertain due to the reluctance of the Lubavitcher community to acknowledge the role that they may have unwittingly played. The role of Wilhelm Canaris, head of the Abwehr. the German military secret service, is also fascinating. A complex personality, Canaris nonetheless had a personal hand in helping to achieve the difficult operation of the Rebbe's rescue under the nose of the feared SS. Loyal and faithful decorated German army half-Jew Ernst Bloch was instrumental in carrying out the orders of Canaris. American politicians would also have a part in the story as government red tape had to be cut and proper legal documentation secured for the safe passage of the group. All of this had to happen before the gates of Warsaw were shut. All in all, this book is an outstanding narration of an incredible tale. The reader may find that the answers are not so easliy found, even sixty-plus years later, as the questions regarding Europe's war and the morality of those serving as well as those watching is at issue. Definitely worth a read.

"Rescued From The Reich" is a fascinating account of a less considered aspect of the Holocaust: how members of the Nazi military actually helped Jews escape Hitler's extermination program. Bryan M. Rigg offers a well researched and documented account of the amazing rescue of the Lubavitcher Rebbe and his entourage, by certain Nazi soldiers (mischling). He presents a clear picture of the circumstances in Europe for Jews and how they responded to the coming threat of genocide. Rigg also describes Hitler's Aryanization process of some Jews who were of mixed blood, which is a little known topic and one worth learning and considering within the history of WW II and the Holocaust. Although most Americans are aware that Jews were not welcomed with open arms in America during the 30s and 40s, the author does an excellent job of revealing the depth of anti-semitism in American society and government during that period. This is an important book that is worth reading for its contribution to a comprehensive WW II history.