Publication of holocaust survivor Herman Rosenblat's memoir Angel at the Fence was canceled by publisher Berkley Books in December 2008, after Rosenblat admitted lying about certain aspects of the story "to bring happiness to people." In the memoir, the 79-year-old Rosenblat claimed he met his wife of more than 50 years, Roma Radzicki Rosenblat, while in a German concentration camp. Rosenblat twice appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show to tell his story. CBS News: Touching Holocaust Story A Hoax The New York Times: False Memoir of Holocaust Is Canceled Daily News: Hoaxed publisher wants cash back
Excerpt from Angel at the Fence
"I saw a little girl on the other side of the barbed wire. She took out an apple out of her jacket and she threw it over the fence. I grabbed the apple and I ran."CBS News: Touching Holocaust Story A Hoax
Herman Rosenblat Statement
"I wanted to bring happiness to people, to remind them not to hate, but to love and tolerate all people. I brought good feelings to a lot of people and I brought hope to many. My motivation was to make good in this world. In my dreams, Roma will always throw me an apple, but I now know it is only a dream."The New York Times: False Memoir of Holocaust Is Canceled
References
Fast Facts
-
Fact:
Herman Rosenblat's memoir Angel at the Fence was to be published in February 2009The New York Times: False Memoir of Holocaust Is Canceled
-
Fact:
Publisher Berkley Books canceled publication after Rosenblat admitted he fabricated parts of the storyThe New York Times: False Memoir of Holocaust Is Canceled
-
Fact:
Berkley Books is demanding that Rosenblat return his advance for the memoirThe New York Times: False Memoir of Holocaust Is Canceled
-
Fact:
Rosenblat wrote in his memoir that he met his wife, Roma Radzicki Rosenblat, while he was imprisoned in the Theresienstadt concentration camp in GermanyDaily News: Hoaxed publisher wants cash back
-
Fact:
Rosenblat claimed Roma threw apples to him over a fence at the campDaily News: Hoaxed publisher wants cash back
-
Fact:
Rosenblat also claimed he met Roma 12 years later in New York, when the two were set up on a blind dateDaily News: Hoaxed publisher wants cash back
-
Fact:
The Rosenblats celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in 2008Daily News: Hoaxed publisher wants cash back
