9781324020356_

A gripping history that plumbs the extraordinary stories of American relief and rescue workers during World War II.

Saints and Liars recounts the remarkable story of Americans who went abroad to offer relief and stayed to rescue people targeted by the Nazi regime. Deployed by US organizations to Prague, Vilna, Shanghai, Marseille, and Lisbon, they gathered necessities for refugees survival while trying to find them safe havens. Renowned historian Debórah Dwork tracks these rescue workers heroic deeds as she lays bare the moral questions they encountered and their unpredictable and constantly changing circumstances. Among the group was the first female overseas representative of the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee who, sent to Shanghai, negotiated with enemy Japanese to protect the refugee community. There was also the Unitarian couple aiding undocumented peopleJews, antifascists, and artistsin Lisbon while serving as American secret agents. Drawing on a deep well of archival documents, including recently discovered letters, diaries, and memos, Dwork chronicles both the tragedies rescue workers witnessed and the amazing successes they achieved.

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A gripping history that plumbs the extraordinary stories of American relief and rescue workers during World War II.

Long before their country officially joined the war, American aid workers were active in rescue efforts across Europe. Two such Americans were Martha and Waitstill Sharp, who were originally sent to Prague as part of a relief effort but turned immediately to helping Jews and dissidents after the 1939 invasion by Germany.

They were not the only ones. Renowned historian Debórah Dwork follows the story of rescue workers in five major cities as the refugee crisis expanded to Vilna, Shanghai, Marseille, and Lisbon. Followed by Nazi agents, spiriting people across borders, they learned secrecy.

Others negotiated with government representatives, like Laura Margolis, who worked with the Japanese, to get enough food and warm shelter for the refugees in Shanghai. Yet, the women also often faced lack of support from their agencies; if part of a couple, they fought to get paid even at a low salary despite working as long and hard as their husbands.

Moving and revelatory, Saints and Liars illuminates the unpredictable circumstances and often fast-changing historical events with which these aid workers contended, while revealing the moral questions they encountered and the devastating decisions they had to make.

Drawing on a multitude of archival documents, from letters to diaries and memos, Dwork offers us a rare glimpse into the lives of individuals whoat times with their organizations backing, but sometimes against their directivessought to help people find safe haven from persecution.

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**Finalist for the National Jewish Book Award in Nonfiction

A gripping history that plumbs the extraordinary stories of American relief and rescue workers during World War II.**

Drawing on a multitude of archival documents, from letters to diaries and memos, Dwork offers us a rare glimpse into the lives of individuals who—at times with their organizations’ backing, but sometimes against their directives—sought to help people find safe haven from persecution.

Saints and Liars

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