“Unlikely Allies: The Shocking Nazi Mission to Rescue a Jewish Leader that Shook History”
On September 1, 1939, the sound of thunder—66 infantry divisions, 2,750 tanks, and 1,315 aircraft—erupted across the borders of Poland, marking the beginning of World War II. The Nazis were out for blood, and they weren’t picky about whose. Yet, amidst the chaos of genocide, an unlikely hero emerged from the shadows of the Third Reich—a man tasked with the mission of saving not just any life, but that of Rabbi Yosef Schneerson, the sixth Lubavitcher Rebbe, a figure revered in Jewish history. How does one find salvation when the very hands that grasp for it wield the sword of oppression? This intriguing tale of survival unfolds within the harsh realities of war, where even enemies of morality can become unexpected allies. So, grab your coffee and get cozy; you’re about to dive into a captivating story that’s not just about the struggle for life amidst death, but also about the absurd contradictions of human behavior in times of despair. Curious? Well, buckle up! You’re in for a ride through lesser-known history that reminds us that sometimes—against all odds—hope finds a way to shine through the darkness. LEARN MORE
On September 1, 1939, 66 infantry divisions, 2,750 tanks, and 1,315 aircraft of the German Wehrmacht thundered across Germany’s eastern border into neighbouring Poland, plunging Europe into the Second World War. Two weeks later on September 17, the Soviet Red Army followed suit, invading Poland from the east with 33 divisions. The Polish armed forces, brave but outnumbered and outgunned, could do little to resist the savage two-front onslaught. In the wake of the advancing Wehrmacht troops and tanks followed the Einsatzgruppen or “task forces” – special SS death squads tasked with rounding up and executing priests, politicians, and other members of the Polish intelligentsia who might resist the occupation; as well as Jews, Romani, and the mentally ill, whom Nazi ideology deemed to be untermenschen or “subhuman.” The Polish government capitulated on October 6, and by the end of 1939 the occupying Germans and Soviets had murdered nearly 80,000 Poles. Millions more would follow over the next five years. Yet amidst this orgy of murder and destruction, Major Ernst Bloch, an agent of the Abwehr or German Army Intelligence Service, was dispatched on a seemingly unthinkable mission: to locate and rescue Rabbi Yosef Schneerson, the sixth Lubavitcher Rebbe – one of the most beloved and influential Jewish thinkers and leaders in modern history. This is the unlikely forgotten story of how the Nazis saved a major Jewish figure from the jaws of their own genocide.
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