How a Fake Jewish Countess Saved Thousands of Poles During the Holocaust

Feb. 28 2024

Born in 1905 to a well-to-do Polish-speaking Jewish family in what was then Austria, later Poland, and now Ukraine, Janina Spinner studied mathematics and philosophy at a university, married her fellow student Henry Mehlberg, and then began a career as a teacher. With the arrival of the Nazis, the two sought a way to disguise their identities. Shira Li Bartov writes:

They fled with the help of Janina’s family friend, Count Andrzej Skrzyński, who promised to procure them false papers, jobs, and a place to live in Lublin. Transformed into Count Piotr Suchodolski, Henry got an agricultural job that allowed him to keep a low profile. But Janina—now Countess Suchodolska—was not content to evade death narrowly.

Without revealing that she was a Jew, Janina began working with the Polish underground, managed to negotiate with the Nazis for the release of almost 10,000 non-Jewish Poles from concentration camps, and arranged to bring food into Majdanek for Polish inmates. The Germans did not, however, allow any leniency when it came to Jewish prisoners:

Her efforts to help Jews were solitary and confined to the margins of her bureaucratic labor. She knew that Jews lived together with Poles at Majdanek and that each compound’s kitchen fed prisoners from the same cauldrons. As she strove to deliver more and more food into the camp, she held onto hope that it would enrich soup fed to all the prisoners, staving off starvation for thousands of Jews alongside Poles.

After World War II, Janina and her husband . . . immigrated to the United States and settled in Chicago, where she taught mathematics at the Illinois Institute of Technology and he taught philosophy at the University of Chicago. She wrote her memoir shortly before her death in 1969.

Here life is the subject of a new book titled The Counterfeit Countess.

Read more at JTA

More about: Holocaust, Holocaust rescue, Polish Jewry

Kuwait Should Be the Next Country to Make Peace with Israel

Feb. 13 2025

Like his predecessor, Donald Trump seeks to expand the Abraham Accords to include Saudi Arabia. But there are other Arab nations that might consider taking such a step. Ahmad Charai points to Kuwait—home to the Middle East’s largest U.S. army base and desperately in need of economic reform—as a good candidate. Kuwaitis haven’t forgiven Palestinians for supporting Saddam Hussein during his 1990 invasion, but their country has been more rhetorically hostile to Israel than its Gulf neighbors:

The Abraham Accords have reshaped Middle Eastern diplomacy. . . . Kuwait, however, remains hesitant due to internal political resistance. While full normalization may not be immediately feasible, the United States should encourage Kuwait to take gradual steps toward engagement, emphasizing how participation in regional cooperation does not equate to abandoning its historical positions.

Kuwait could use its influence to push for peace in the Middle East through diplomatic channels opened by engagement rather than isolation. The economic benefits of joining the broader framework of the Abraham Accords are overwhelming. Israel’s leadership in technology, agriculture, and water management presents valuable opportunities for Kuwait to enhance its infrastructure. Trade and investment flows would diversify the economy, providing new markets and business partnerships.

Kuwaiti youth, who are increasingly looking for opportunities beyond the public sector, could benefit from collaboration with advanced industries, fostering job creation and entrepreneurial growth. The UAE and Bahrain have already demonstrated how normalization with Israel can drive economic expansion while maintaining their respective geopolitical identities.

Read more at Jerusalem Strategic Tribune

More about: Abraham Accords, Kuwait