Survival in the Shadows: Seven Jews Hidden in Hitler's Berlin

Barbara Lovenheim

Apr 2015 · Open Road Media

About this ebook

National bestseller: This “harrowing” true story of two Jewish families who survived hiding in the heart of the Nazi capital “honors the human spirit” (Andrea Dworkin).

In January 1943, unable to flee Germany, the four members of the Arndt family went underground to avoid deportation to Auschwitz. Ellen Lewinsky and her mother, Charlotte, joined them; a year later, Bruno Gumpel arrived. Hiding in a small factory near Hitler’s bunker, without identification cards or food-ration stamps, they were dependent on German strangers for survival.
 
When Russian soldiers finally rescued the group in April 1945, the families were near death from starvation. But their will to live triumphed and two months later, four of the survivors—Erich Arndt and Ellen Lewinsky, and Ruth Arndt and Bruno Gumpel—reunited in a double wedding ceremony.
 
Survival in the Shadows chronicles the previously untold story of the largest group of German Jews to have survived hiding in Berlin through the final and most deadly years of the Holocaust.
 
Relayed to Barbara Lovenheim by three survivors from the group, the riveting story is a touching portrayal of the bravery of these seven Jews, and a heartfelt acknowledgment of the fortitude and humanity of the compassionate Germans who kept them alive.   

Ratings and reviews

If you are looking for an authenic story about the Holocust, please read this book. I've read several books about the Holocust but this book is by far the most detailed account of Jewish survivors and their beloved non-Jewish friends that helped them through this unimaginable ordeal.

This shows that even when surrounded by evil, the inherent goodness of people will always come through.

Informative, surprised at the non Jews who cared and had a heart. Fear and prejudice often thwarts compassion

About the author

Barbara Lovenheim is a journalist, an author, and the founding editor of NYCitywoman.com. She has written articles and cover stories for the New York Times, the International Herald Tribune, the Wall Street Journal, New York magazine, and other publications, often interviewing high-level personalities including Hillary Clinton, Katharine Hepburn, and Arianna Huffington. Lovenheim, who holds a PhD in English literature, taught at the City University of New York before making her way as a writer. Survival in the Shadows is her third book.