Dotek anděla - Těžko uvěřitelný příběh rodiny, která několikrát unikla jisté smrti v plynových komorách – Schönker Henryk (2023)

Henryk Schönker's testimony reveals a surprising fact - the city of Auschwitz could have become a starting point for the mass emigration of Jews rather than a site of their extermination. Documents confirm this surprising revelation. The book sparked numerous controversies immediately upon its release, as it describes, among other things, the activities of the emigration office in Auschwitz, which was headed by Henryk's father, Leon Schönker. This office was supposed to prepare and register Jews for mass emigration to Palestine. By virtue of his position, his father often negotiated with the Germans and was also delegated to Berlin, where he discussed the course of emigrations with figures such as Adolf Eichmann and others. This information was particularly shocking to the reading public as well as to historians themselves. Paradoxically, the office was one of the first to be established directly in Auschwitz, which a few years later became the site of the largest extermination of Jews. No mass emigration took place because Western powers were unwilling to accept Jews. Only a few Jewish families managed to emigrate, mostly receiving exit permits through invitations from relatives. The Schönker family moved several times during the war to escape transport but ultimately was imprisoned in the Bergen-Belsen camp.