302:, the first article using Waltzer's research, and the second adding their own research on top of Waltzer's. On December 27 Rosenblat finally confessed the truth to the producer of his movie, Harris Solomon, and his literary agent, Andrea Hurst. He stated that the apple-tossing part of his backstory was something he only imagined, while stating that the rest of his Holocaust experiences were accurate, however other falsehoods and discrepancies in his remaining story have been discovered since then. Rosenblat has not apologized, and claimed that "It was my imagination, and in my mind, I believed it. Even now, I believe it.", and he also said that he did it to bring happiness and hope to people.
285:
stationed on guard towers, ready to shoot anyone who approached the fence from either side. The SS barracks were near to the only fence that faced outwards, and prisoners approaching the barracks would have been executed. Waltzer also discovered that Herman's future wife Roma was never in the town of
Schlieben, but that she lived throughout that period in a German farm 210 miles (340 km) away, near
327:
with
Rosenblat over a six-year period as the original feature film was being developed. According to Salomon, the script for the feature was completed in October 2009 with casting to commence by Celestia Fox in London. Producers Abi Sirokh, Gabor Koltai, Lew Rywin and Thierry Potok contributed to the project. The new motion picture tells the story of Herman Rosenblat, with a style similar to the film
333:. After the revelation of the hoax, the focus of the film was changed to a psychological love story examining why a Holocaust survivor would make up a story about the Holocaust and the love for his wife while driven by greed, fame and the memory of the Holocaust. Salomon has asked Rosenblat to donate all the earnings of the film to Holocaust survivor charities but Rosenblat refused.
306:
Rosenblat, the family never revealed the truth to the media or
Rosenblat's publishers or producers. The other orphans from Buchenwald knew that the story was very implausible but decided not to say anything. As time passed, the persons knowing about the hoax grew more uncomfortable about keeping silent about it and there was a growing consensus that the truth had to be told.
1043:
336:
Oprah posted a disclaimer on her website, and in
February 2009, she said that she was "disappointed", but she denied having been duped by Rosenblat and that she was "minding my own business." Gayle King, a friend of Oprah's, pointed out that a lot of other people had also been duped and that she was
314:
On
December 27, 2008, the same day of Rosenblat's confession, Berkley Group cancelled the book publication, saying that it had received "new information" from Rosenblat's agent. A spokesman said that they would be asking for the money back that they had advanced, and the company has declined making
235:
Rosenblat told the apple story for the first time in late 1995, and he won Oprah's contest in 1996. Oprah
Winfrey interviewed Rosenblat in two different programs, in 1996 and 2007, and she called his story "the single greatest love story, in 22 years of doing this show, we’ve ever told on the air."
375:
Among a number of other false elements in
Rosenblat's story, he claimed that he was scheduled to be gassed at 10am on May 10, 1945, and that the liberation saved him by just two hours. The war ended officially on May 8, and the entire camp had been handed over to the International Red Cross a week
110:
in World War II. The book was planned to be published in 2009 by
Berkley Books, but was cancelled after it turned out that many elements of his memoir were fabricated and some were contrary to verifiable historical facts. Rosenblat later admitted to lying on purpose with the intention of "bringing
326:
Producer Harris
Salomon wasn't aware of Rosenblat's hoax when he started working on his movie of the Rosenblat story, but still intends to produce it, as he had always planned a "loose and fictionalised adaptation" and "the story retains its power to grip audiences worldwide." He had been working
305:
His family knew about the hoax and tried to convince
Rosenblat not to tell it. This caused a division in Rosenblat's family. His last surviving brother, Sam, had hesitated talking to him and he died in 2007. Herman's two children were very uncomfortable with the matter. Despite not agreeing with
219:
In 1992 Rosenblat and his wife had run into serious financial problems after the Rosenblat family were victims of an armed robbery that left his son, Kenneth Rosenblat, in a wheelchair and left Rosenblat critically injured. Rosenblat invented the story in the hospital while recovering. Rosenblat
356:
Holocaust historian Kenneth Waltzer said that it was disturbing that so few people had noticed and inquired about the obvious holes in his history over a decade. Waltzer and others have said that Rosenblat did not need to embellish his story, which was already powerful enough by itself. Waltzer
284:
and started investigating the matter. He found out that the prisoners of that concentration camp were prohibited from approaching a camp's fence on pain of death, nor was anyone allowed to approach a fence from the outside. Such perimeter fences were electrified and watched 24/7 by armed guards
340:
In July 2009 a new video was disseminated by the gawker.com web site. Rosenblat is re-enacting his Holocaust love story, specifically the throwing of apples over the perimeter fence of the Buchenwald Concentration Camp, long after that part of his story had been discredited as fake.
262:
had already denounced the story in her personal blog in December 2007. Other Holocaust survivors like Peter Kubicek also denounced the implausibility of the story. Jewish-American blogger Danny Bloom started emailing several historians for help, one of them being Holocaust historian
121:
The story behind Rosenblat's story is being developed as an independent feature film. In June 2010 Atlantic Overseas Pictures and producer Harris Salomon signed a co-production agreement with Castel Film Studios, a well known studio in Central and Eastern Europe and the studio for
186:, until February 1945. He claimed in his memoir that his future wife Roma, a nine-year-old Jewish girl hiding in the town of Schlieben with her family, threw him apples and bread over the electrified, guarded fence of the camp on a daily basis throughout the seven months' period.
357:
places part of the blame in all those "culture makers" that profited from the diffusion of the story and never doubted even the most implausible parts of it. It appears that the veracity of story was not questioned either by the book publisher or by Oprah Winfrey, and that no
293:, told him that Rosenblat had never told the story before the mid-1990s. Waltzer started questioning the publisher and the agent about the authenticity of the story, with little success. Some people actively resisted and tried to shut down his investigation.
371:
According to Fitzpatrick, one of Waltzer's collaborators, such hoaxes could be avoided if the publishers spent a few thousand dollars in early fact-checking with historians and genealogists, before deciding to spend huge sums of money for the story.
193:
camp. After being liberated from the concentration camps, Rosenblat and his brothers were brought to the UK in a group of 730 orphans to start a new life. Rosenblat says he lived in London for four years, where he learned the electrical trade at the
206:. He met Roma Radzicki in the United States on a blind date in 1957, and married her. He later claimed that during the date he had recognized her as the girl who threw apples to him over the fence and proposed on the spot.
130:
600:. 3rd-i Films: Projects. Script was a finalist in the international Blue Cat screenwriting competition; in pre-production, to be shot on location in New York City, Romania, Poland and Germany. Archived from
232:, Rosenblat changed his own story, replacing it with the love story, and then it must have become difficult to turn back. After he had won Oprah's contest of love stories he maintained the lie.
348:, written by Penelope Holt. It tells Rosenblat's life story. Peter Kubicek, an outspoken critic of the original book, reportedly advised the author and is thanked in the preface of the book.
28:
323:
learned that the book was based on Rosenblat's falsehoods they said that they wouldn't make any reprint and that they would refund any returned copy. About 2,000 copies were sold.
246:, with Andrea Hurst working as Rosenblat's literary agent. Producer Harris Salomon, of Atlantic Overseas Pictures, made plans to adapt the story into a $ 25 million movie called
134:
as well as 3rd-i films in London, to produce a feature film about the Herman Rosenblat affair based on an original screenplay by award-winning screenwriter Ivo Marloh entitled
114:
Before the hoax became public, the film rights to the book were purchased for $ 25 million by Harris Salomon of Atlantic Overseas Pictures. Other fans of the story include
364:
Deborah Lipstadt and others have harshly criticized Rosenblat for embellishing his story, since this could cause people to doubt the truth of the Holocaust, and encourage
1080:
576:
175:
162:
was set up. His father had previously died of typhus. Two years later, when Rosenblat was 12 years old, his mother was separated from him and put on a
1224:
1121:
1259:
270:
Waltzer had been interviewing survivors for a new book, and he had been told that the story was probably false. In November 2008 Waltzer contacted
195:
615:
908:
When Dr. Waltzer asked other survivors who were with Mr. Rosenblat about the tossed apples story, they said the story couldn't possibly be true.
414:
178:, and sent younger ones for extermination. In July 1944, with the front lines approaching, he was deported with his three older brothers to
380:
had no gas chambers and, as noted by Deborah Lipstadt: "Jewish prisoners were not told ahead of time that they were going to be gassed."
228:
for unpaid payroll taxes dating back to 1988, which must have increased the financial pressure on him. According to Holocaust historian
281:
220:
stated that his mother had appeared to him at the hospital and had told him to tell his story to the world. In 1994 Rosenblat had a
1254:
769:
106:, purporting to tell the true story of a girl who passed him food through the barbed-wire fence at the Schlieben sub-camp of the
1077:
498:
315:
any more comments on the matter. A children's edition of the book, written by a third party, Laurie Friedman of Miami, titled
486:
1058:
1244:
1214:
554:
174:
and Treblinka death camps. He later wrote that he lied to the Germans about his age because the Nazis used older boys
1144:
945:
860:
701:
819:
446:
389:
799:
597:
159:
183:
107:
1219:
1209:
167:
1229:
1118:
1025:
296:
On December 25 and 26, 2008, several scholars and family members published multiple critical articles in
988:
202:
in 1951. After serving for two years, he says he moved to New York and opened his own TV repair shop in
1239:
1234:
1182:
1168:
1103:
118:
who has described it as the single greatest love story she heard in over 22 years of hosting her show.
963:
Untrue Stories, a genealogist reveals the painful truth about three Holocaust memoirs: they're fiction
250:, and he had earlier registered a screenplay based on the story with the Library of Congress in 2003.
170:
during one of the ghetto liquidation actions. About 90% of the inhabitants of the ghetto were sent to
659:
225:
667:, Shoah Resource Center, The International School for Holocaust Studies, direct download 20.4 KB,
96: 1929 – February 5, 2015) was a Polish-born American author, known for writing a fictitious
151:
895:
581:
899:
842:
634:
1204:
1199:
529:
399:
124:
1008:
8:
1249:
926:
328:
199:
155:
102:
1129:
609:
482:
365:
1041:
1012:
865:
506:
298:
259:
577:"Herman Rosenblat, author of 'Angel at the Fence', defends faked Holocaust memoir"
158:, the Nazis rounded up his family in 1939 along with thousands of others when the
1125:
1107:
1084:
1063:
533:
409:
361:
was done to ensure the authenticity of the memoir prior to endorsing it soundly.
277:
264:
229:
163:
431:
377:
190:
1173:
1162:
635:"Author of fake Holocaust story is not sorry, says in his mind he believed it"
1193:
358:
242:, an imprint of the Penguin Group, signed Rosenblat up to publish his memoir
239:
147:
115:
962:
840:
198:
school. He then moved to the United States in 1950 and was drafted into the
823:
706:
320:
290:
670:
891:
421:
344:
On September 1, 2009, York House Press published a paperback book titled
274:
555:"Herman Rosenblat, memoirist behind false Holocaust romance, dies at 85"
946:"Apples over the Fence: A Holocaust story that beggars the imagination"
655:
453:
441:
804:
601:
179:
97:
731:
271:
221:
203:
171:
1042:
The Harris Salomon Television Entertainment Company (2009-01-10).
800:"Herman Rosenblat's Holocaust memoir of love is exposed as a hoax"
27:
1078:
Lying Holocaust Author Recounts Tale of Thing That Never Happened
1029:
286:
56:
1096:
924:
1133:
993:
841:
Dan Harris, Brian O'Keefe and Lee Ferran (2009-02-18).
604:
on 2014-12-14 – via Internet Archive, 2014-12-14.
1145:
Elizabeth Day. The Observer, Sunday 15 February 2009
1059:"Winfrey 'disappointed' by debunked Holocaust story"
1026:Holocaust survivor Herman Rosenblat recants story.
965:. Bostonia (Alumni Magazine of Boston University)
702:"When one extraordinary life story is not enough"
503:Publication of disputed Holocaust memoir canceled
1191:
943:
499:"Anger, sadness over fabricated Holocaust story"
196:Organization for Rehabilitation through Training
189:Shortly before liberation he was brought to the
1009:Anger, sadness over fabricated Holocaust story.
858:
770:"MSU professor debunks couple's Holocaust hoax"
767:
574:
527:
673:; the site of the first Ghetto in Nazi Europe.
415:Hannah: From Dachau to the Olympics and Beyond
820:Couple's story of love started in time of war
699:
570:
568:
351:
214:
861:"Rosenblat's Lies "always Hurtful" Says Son"
471:
319:, had been released in September 2008. When
1175:Herman Rosenblat interview released before
1018:
927:"As Another Memoir Is Faked, Trust Suffers"
797:
729:
650:
648:
614:: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (
1001:
920:
918:
916:
890:
854:
852:
725:
723:
721:
719:
717:
629:
627:
625:
565:
404:Fragments: Memories of a Wartime Childhood
209:
26:
925:Motoko Rich, Brian Stelter (2008-12-30).
886:
884:
882:
880:
878:
876:
836:
834:
832:
812:
763:
761:
1225:American people of Polish-Jewish descent
1056:
989:"Holocaust 'greatest' love story a hoax"
957:
955:
793:
791:
789:
787:
785:
783:
759:
757:
755:
753:
751:
749:
747:
745:
743:
741:
645:
309:
1260:Buchenwald concentration camp survivors
1164:Herman Rosenblat Explains Why He Did It
1024:Barrios, Jennifer (December 28, 2008).
913:
900:"False Memoir of Holocaust Is Canceled"
849:
843:"Exclusive: Holocaust Faker Speaks Out"
714:
622:
521:
1192:
983:
981:
979:
977:
975:
973:
971:
873:
829:
669:Central Polish town 16 miles south of
654:
1159:Video Statements by Herman Rosenblat
952:
780:
738:
695:
693:
691:
689:
687:
685:
683:
681:
595:
575:Corky Siemaszko (February 18, 2009).
289:. Another survivor of the same camp,
1007:Italie, Hillel (December 28, 2008).
768:Kayla Habermehl (January 15, 2009).
491:
253:
138:, scheduled for production in 2015.
968:
732:"Holocaust Story Faker is No Angel"
154:before World War II. Following the
13:
678:
14:
1271:
1153:
798:James Bones (December 29, 2008).
818:Cohen, Zen (December 14, 2008).
528:Joanna Szczęsna (Dec 27, 2008).
447:The Man who Broke into Auschwitz
1255:Theresienstadt Ghetto survivors
1138:
1112:
1090:
1071:
1050:
1035:
944:Deborah Lipstadt (2007-02-21).
937:
641:. Associated Press. 2009-02-18.
77:
859:Gabriel Sherman (2008-12-28).
589:
547:
1:
730:Ken Waltzer (March 2, 2009).
464:
184:Buchenwald concentration camp
108:Buchenwald concentration camp
93:
53:February 5, 2015 (aged 85–86)
38:
700:Elizabeth Day (2009-02-15).
532:[Holocaust i kicz].
168:Treblinka extermination camp
7:
383:
160:Piotrków Trybunalski Ghetto
10:
1276:
1245:21st-century American Jews
1215:20th-century American Jews
352:Analysis and repercussions
215:Invention and rise to fame
477:Rosenblat, Herman (2009)
64:
49:
34:
25:
18:
948:. Lipstadt.blogspot.com.
394:Au nom de tous les miens
1057:Jim Suhr (2009-01-16).
458:A Million Little Pieces
248:The Flower at the Fence
210:Holocaust survival hoax
150:, lived in the town of
141:
530:"Holocaust and Kitsch"
582:Daily News (New York)
426:Memorias del infierno
310:Reaction to discovery
224:placed on him by the
1177:Good Morning America
661:Piotrkow Trybunalski
561:. February 19, 2015.
400:Binjamin Wilkomirski
152:Piotrków Trybunalski
1220:American memoirists
1210:American fraudsters
481:Berkley Hardcover,
337:being scapegoated.
282:Colleen Fitzpatrick
90:Herman A. Rosenblat
1230:Literary forgeries
1124:2016-01-26 at the
1106:2009-08-22 at the
1083:2009-09-07 at the
598:"The Apple (2014)"
479:Angel at the Fence
244:Angel at the Fence
200:United States Army
156:invasion of Poland
103:Angel at the Fence
1240:Polish fraudsters
1235:Polish memoirists
1130:Michael Berenbaum
1097:official site of
487:978-0-425-22581-3
366:Holocaust deniers
258:Jewish professor
254:Discovery of hoax
87:
86:
1267:
1179:
1165:
1147:
1142:
1136:
1116:
1110:
1094:
1088:
1075:
1069:
1068:
1054:
1048:
1047:
1039:
1033:
1022:
1016:
1013:Associated Press
1005:
999:
998:
985:
966:
961:Caleb Daniloff,
959:
950:
949:
941:
935:
934:
922:
911:
910:
888:
871:
870:
866:The New Republic
856:
847:
846:
838:
827:
816:
810:
809:
795:
778:
777:
765:
736:
735:
727:
712:
711:
697:
676:
675:
666:
652:
643:
642:
631:
620:
619:
613:
605:
593:
587:
586:
572:
563:
562:
551:
545:
544:
542:
540:
525:
519:
518:
516:
514:
507:Associated Press
495:
489:
475:
299:The New Republic
260:Deborah Lipstadt
182:sub-camp of the
95:
81:
79:
40:
30:
20:Herman Rosenblat
16:
15:
1275:
1274:
1270:
1269:
1268:
1266:
1265:
1264:
1190:
1189:
1174:
1163:
1156:
1151:
1150:
1143:
1139:
1128:, to professor
1126:Wayback Machine
1117:
1113:
1108:Wayback Machine
1095:
1091:
1085:Wayback Machine
1076:
1072:
1064:Chicago Tribune
1055:
1051:
1044:"Press Release"
1040:
1036:
1023:
1019:
1006:
1002:
987:
986:
969:
960:
953:
942:
938:
923:
914:
889:
874:
857:
850:
839:
830:
817:
813:
796:
781:
766:
739:
728:
715:
698:
679:
664:
653:
646:
633:
632:
623:
607:
606:
594:
590:
573:
566:
553:
552:
548:
538:
536:
534:Gazeta Wyborcza
526:
522:
512:
510:
497:
496:
492:
476:
472:
467:
410:Rosemarie Pence
386:
354:
312:
278:Sharon Sergeant
265:Kenneth Waltzer
256:
230:Kenneth Waltzer
217:
212:
176:for slave labor
164:Holocaust train
144:
83:
80: 1957)
75:
71:
60:
59:, United States
54:
45:
42:
21:
12:
11:
5:
1273:
1263:
1262:
1257:
1252:
1247:
1242:
1237:
1232:
1227:
1222:
1217:
1212:
1207:
1202:
1188:
1187:
1186:
1185:
1171:
1155:
1154:External links
1152:
1149:
1148:
1137:
1111:
1089:
1070:
1049:
1034:
1017:
1000:
967:
951:
936:
931:New York Times
912:
904:New York Times
898:(2008-12-18).
896:Berger, Joseph
872:
848:
828:
811:
779:
774:The State News
737:
713:
677:
644:
621:
588:
564:
546:
520:
509:. Dec 27, 2008
490:
469:
468:
466:
463:
462:
461:
451:
439:
432:Donald J. Watt
429:
419:
407:
397:
385:
382:
378:Theresienstadt
353:
350:
311:
308:
255:
252:
216:
213:
211:
208:
191:Theresienstadt
143:
140:
100:memoir titled
85:
84:
73:
69:
68:
66:
62:
61:
55:
51:
47:
46:
43:
36:
32:
31:
23:
22:
19:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
1272:
1261:
1258:
1256:
1253:
1251:
1248:
1246:
1243:
1241:
1238:
1236:
1233:
1231:
1228:
1226:
1223:
1221:
1218:
1216:
1213:
1211:
1208:
1206:
1203:
1201:
1198:
1197:
1195:
1184:
1180:
1178:
1172:
1170:
1166:
1161:
1160:
1158:
1157:
1146:
1141:
1135:
1131:
1127:
1123:
1120:
1115:
1109:
1105:
1102:
1100:
1093:
1086:
1082:
1079:
1074:
1066:
1065:
1060:
1053:
1045:
1038:
1032:
1031:
1027:
1021:
1015:
1014:
1010:
1004:
997:. 2008-12-30.
996:
995:
990:
984:
982:
980:
978:
976:
974:
972:
964:
958:
956:
947:
940:
932:
928:
921:
919:
917:
909:
905:
901:
897:
893:
887:
885:
883:
881:
879:
877:
868:
867:
862:
855:
853:
844:
837:
835:
833:
826:
825:
821:
815:
807:
806:
801:
794:
792:
790:
788:
786:
784:
775:
771:
764:
762:
760:
758:
756:
754:
752:
750:
748:
746:
744:
742:
733:
726:
724:
722:
720:
718:
709:
708:
703:
696:
694:
692:
690:
688:
686:
684:
682:
674:
672:
663:
662:
657:
651:
649:
640:
636:
630:
628:
626:
617:
611:
603:
599:
592:
584:
583:
578:
571:
569:
560:
556:
550:
535:
531:
524:
508:
504:
500:
494:
488:
484:
480:
474:
470:
459:
455:
452:
449:
448:
443:
440:
437:
433:
430:
427:
423:
420:
417:
416:
411:
408:
405:
401:
398:
395:
391:
388:
387:
381:
379:
373:
369:
367:
362:
360:
359:fact-checking
349:
347:
342:
338:
334:
332:
331:
324:
322:
318:
307:
303:
301:
300:
294:
292:
288:
283:
279:
276:
273:
268:
266:
261:
251:
249:
245:
241:
240:Berkley Books
237:
233:
231:
227:
223:
207:
205:
201:
197:
192:
187:
185:
181:
177:
173:
169:
165:
161:
157:
153:
149:
146:Rosenblat, a
139:
137:
133:
132:
127:
126:
125:Cold Mountain
119:
117:
116:Oprah Winfrey
112:
109:
105:
104:
99:
91:
70:Roma Radzicki
67:
63:
58:
52:
48:
37:
33:
29:
24:
17:
1176:
1140:
1114:
1098:
1092:
1087:, gawker.com
1073:
1062:
1052:
1037:
1028:
1020:
1011:
1003:
992:
939:
930:
907:
903:
892:Rich, Motoko
864:
824:Miami Herald
822:
814:
803:
773:
707:The Observer
705:
668:
660:
638:
602:the original
591:
580:
559:The Guardian
558:
549:
537:. Retrieved
523:
511:. Retrieved
502:
493:
478:
473:
457:
445:
435:
425:
413:
403:
393:
374:
370:
363:
355:
345:
343:
339:
335:
329:
325:
321:Lerner Books
316:
313:
304:
297:
295:
291:Ben Helfgott
275:genealogists
269:
257:
247:
243:
238:
234:
218:
188:
145:
135:
129:
123:
120:
113:
101:
89:
88:
1205:2015 deaths
1200:1929 births
596:3rd-i.com.
539:February 8,
513:February 8,
422:Enric Marco
390:Martin Grey
330:The Insider
1194:Categories
656:Yad Vashem
465:References
454:James Frey
442:Denis Avey
317:Angel Girl
148:Polish Jew
41: 1929
1250:Impostors
1119:interview
1099:The Apple
805:The Times
376:earlier.
346:The Apple
180:Schlieben
136:The Apple
98:Holocaust
1122:Archived
1104:Archived
1081:Archived
639:ABC News
610:cite web
384:See also
272:forensic
222:tax lien
204:Brooklyn
172:Majdanek
1183:YouTube
1169:YouTube
1030:Newsday
460:, 2003)
450:, 2011)
438:, 1995)
428:, 1978)
418:, 2005)
406:, 1995)
287:Breslau
82:
74:
57:Florida
485:
436:Stoker
111:joy".
65:Spouse
44:Poland
1101:novel
665:(PDF)
131:Borat
76:(
72:
671:Łódź
616:link
541:2015
515:2015
483:ISBN
280:and
142:Life
128:and
50:Died
35:Born
1181:on
1167:on
1134:CBS
1132:in
994:CNN
226:IRS
166:to
1196::
1061:.
991:.
970:^
954:^
929:.
915:^
906:.
902:.
894:;
875:^
863:.
851:^
831:^
802:.
782:^
772:.
740:^
716:^
704:.
680:^
658:,
647:^
637:.
624:^
612:}}
608:{{
579:.
567:^
557:.
505:.
501:.
368:.
267:.
94:c.
78:m.
39:c.
1067:.
1046:.
933:.
869:.
845:.
808:.
776:.
734:.
710:.
618:)
585:.
543:.
517:.
456:(
444:(
434:(
424:(
412:(
402:(
396:)
392:(
92:(
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
