Helene Moszkiewiez aka Rachel Stein

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DavidFrankenberg
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Helene Moszkiewiez aka Rachel Stein

#1

Post by DavidFrankenberg » 10 Jun 2019, 00:11

Hello all,

After having seen Black book movie by Verhoven (2006) i am asking myself in what extent is it a true story ? Especially concerning the fate of Captain Müntze.

It is said that it was inspired by the true story of Helene Moszkiewiez Inside the Gestapo: A Jewish Woman's Secret War (Macmillan, 1985)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helene_Moszkiewiez
Helene Moszkiewiez (December 20, 1920 – June 18, 1998) worked within the Belgian Resistance during World War II, and maintained three identities, Jewish, Belgian and German, working for two years as a clerk in Gestapo headquarters in Brussels.

The Germans took control of Belgium when she was 19. Two years earlier she had met a young Belgian soldier in a Brussels library. When she met him again, and he was operating with a different name while wearing a German uniform, she accepted his offer to work within the Belgian Resistance to undermine the Nazis.

Moszkiewiez moved to Canada after the war and wrote her memoirs, Inside the Gestapo: A Jewish Woman's Secret War (Macmillan, 1985). Her story recalls false identity papers, helping POWs escape, working within the Gestapo, hearing screams of SS victims, stealing information to rescue Jews scheduled for transport and killing a Gestapo officer.
Some also talks about "Rachel Stein".

Does any historian check this story ???

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Prosper Vandenbroucke
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Re: Helene Moszkiewiez aka Rachel Stein

#2

Post by Prosper Vandenbroucke » 10 Jun 2019, 11:01

Hello David,
I have read the story of Hélène Moskiewiez a long time ago in french language, but I never check it out of this story was thrue or not.
Here below, some pictures of the book.
The front cover:
hélène.jpg
hélène.jpg (36.42 KiB) Viewed 3663 times
An certificate signed by Fieldmarshal Montgomery
hélène2.jpg
hélène2.jpg (19.88 KiB) Viewed 3663 times
Hélène Moskiewiez at the age of 5 years with her older sister Lily (age 10 years)
hélène3.jpg
hélène3.jpg (25.81 KiB) Viewed 3663 times
About the movie “Blackbook”. This movie was inspired by the life of Hélène Moskowiez and I think that Rachel Stein never exists. The movie “Blackbook” is a fiction.
Sorry for my poor English, but it’s not my native language.
Kindly regards from Belgium
Prosper :wink: :wink:


DavidFrankenberg
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Re: Helene Moszkiewiez aka Rachel Stein

#3

Post by DavidFrankenberg » 10 Jun 2019, 17:32

Yes Blackbook is a fiction.

Indeed i really want to know if the fate of Captain Müntze in the movie could have been exist ?

In the movie, Müntze is the head of the Gestapo in the town. He is condemned to death by a SS general because of "treason".
He should be executed the day after, but managed to escape. After the end of the war the SS general asks the Britishs to execute the sentence of the SS tribunal : to kill Müntze. The britishs allow this and Müntze is shot by a SS squadron.

Crazy, isnt it ?

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Prosper Vandenbroucke
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Re: Helene Moszkiewiez aka Rachel Stein

#4

Post by Prosper Vandenbroucke » 10 Jun 2019, 18:30

Hello David,
As I wrote here above. I have read the book of Hélène Moskiewiez a long time ago, but I have never read or heard something about Müntze,and IMHO the story about Müntze is a fiction also.
Sorrt I did'nt know more.
kindly regards
Prosper :wink: :wink:

DavidFrankenberg
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Re: Helene Moszkiewiez aka Rachel Stein

#5

Post by DavidFrankenberg » 11 Jun 2019, 23:47

Well, maybe Müntze never existed, but maybe this character was inspired by an other true story ?

I wd say such a story is quite unbelivable : that allied soldiers allow SS to shoot another SS in the name of laws... and that the britishs acquiesce.
Of course, it is doubtful, but i just want to be sure. I guess it's 100% fantasy.

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