Joel C. Rosenberg

After 50 days of Hamas’ war against the people of Israel, a cease-fire—the 12th one in seven weeks—has been declared. On Tuesday, Hamas and Israel agreed to a new deal, one that was negotiated by the Al-Sissi government in Egypt. Thus far during the war, Hamas and its radical Islamic terrorist allies have fired 4,450 rockets, …

Cease-Fire: Will the Truce Hold? Read More »

Seventy years ago today, two men pulled off the greatest escape in human history—from a Nazi death camp in southern Poland.

Most of the world doesn’t know their names, but we should. Rudolf Vrba was only 19 when he escaped Auschwitz. Fred Wetzler was only 25.

They are my heroes. They executed their ingenious plan on April 7, 1944, and not simply to save their own lives but to tell the world the truth about what Adolf Hitler was really doing to annihilate the Jewish people. They risked their lives to proclaim the truth, and in the process they helped save more than 100,000 Jewish lives.

It is their stories that inspired me to write The Auschwitz Escape. Now here is a brief version of the true story:

To misunderstand the nature and threat of evil is to risk being blindsided by it.

In 1933, the world was blindsided by the rise of Adolf Hitler. 

In 1939, it was stunned by the German invasion of Poland and the Nazi leader’s bloodthirsty quest for global domination. Perhaps most tragically, most of the world did not understand Hitler’s plan to annihilate the Jews until it was almost too late.

Today, we face dangerous new threats from Iran, North Korea and a rising czar in Russia, not from Germany. Yet curiously, in recent weeks, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and House Majority Leader Eric Cantor have each warned that as we confront current challenges, we must be careful to learn the lessons of history regarding how the world failed to understand the threat posed by Hitler and the Nazis and deal with it decisively, before events spin out of control.

I agree, and as an example, I would point to the extraordinary events that occurred in the spring of 1944. 

Four men pulled off the greatest escape in all of human history, and from a Nazi death camp in southern Poland. They did not simply escape to save their own lives. Nor did they escape merely to tell the world about a terrible crime against humanity that had been—and was being—committed. What set these true heroes apart is that they planned and executed their escape in the hope of stopping a horrific crime before it was committed—the extermination of the Jews of Hungary.

To commemorate the 70th anniversary of these escapes, and to draw attention to the significance these unknown—or unremembered—events and the lessons they have to teach us, I recently wrote a work of historical fiction, The Auschwitz Escape. I changed the names of key figures involved so as not to put words in their mouths that cannot be verified to be their own. But it is my deepest hope that the book will cause many to dig into the real history of these remarkable heroes.

Rudolf Vrba and Alfred Wetzler were Slovak Jews. They escaped from Auschwitz on April 7, 1944.

(Note: In the novel, I explain exactly how they did it, what supplies they needed, what their escape route was, how they outfoxed the guards, etc.—an extraordinary story.)

Arnost Rosin was also a Slovak Jew. Czeslaw Mordowicz was a Polish Jew. Together they escaped from Auschwitz on May 27, 1944.

Upon making it safely to Czechoslovakia, Vrba, only 19 years old, and Wetzler, 25, linked up with the Jewish underground. They explained Auschwitz was not simply a labor camp, as most thought, but rather a death camp. The Nazis were systematically murdering prisoners, mostly Jews, using poison gas called “Zyklon B,” then burning their bodies in enormous ovens.

The men explained the Nazis were dramatically enlarging an expansion camp a few miles from Auschwitz called Birkenau, building new train tracks, enormous new gas chambers and massive new crematoria. They had also completed ramps leading all those arriving in the cattle cars directly into the gas chambers.

Let’s put it this way: If Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu decided to jump into the 2016 presidential race, I suspect he would be far and away the front-runner for both the GOP and Democratic nominations. He has enormous bipartisan support at the grass roots and overwhelming support on Capitol Hill. I lost count of …

Netanyahu: ‘Israel Must Choose Life’ Read More »

The very fact that Israeli leaders on the center-right of the political spectrum are getting so anxious, even angry, strongly suggests two rumors are true: The Obama administration and the Europeans are putting enormous pressure on the Netanyahu government behind the scenes to say yes to an American-crafted peace plan; and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is seriously contemplating …

Israel: A State Divided? Read More »

It was a dramatic year in the Middle East. Here is my list of the top 5 most important events in the epicenter in 2013: Syrian death toll keeps climbing amidst horrific civil war & chemical weapons use in Damascus. Iran beguiles West with “charm offense” as it moves closer to the bomb. Saudis preparing to purchase …

Joel Rosenberg: Top 5 Middle East Events in 2013 Read More »

The deal is done. The Iranian leaders are claiming victory. The White House is claiming victory. Most European governments, as well as Russia, are claiming victory. The Israeli government, meanwhile, is horrified. They, and many of their citizens, feel more isolated than ever. As I reported from Jerusalem, this was true before the deal was struck. It is even more …

The Iranian Deal: What Happens Next? Read More »

Last Friday, I had the honor of addressing the Values Voter Summit in the nation’s capital. To watch the video of the speech—which runs about 22 minutes—please click here. In my remarks, I noted that Americans increasingly fear for the future of our country. Today, nearly 8 in 10 Americans believe the country is on …

Will America Turn Its Back on Israel? Read More »

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is nearing a decision on an Iran strike. As he does so, he will soon come to the United States. The Israeli leader and his top national security team will meet with President Obama at the White House on Sept. 30. The premier will then address the U.N. General Assembly on Oct. 1. Netanyahu’s expressed mission: to persuade …

Rosenberg: Netanyahu Nearing Decision on Iran Strike Read More »

It is not exactly starting off as a happy New Year in Jerusalem. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his security cabinet have to be mortified by what they are seeing unfold—not in Damascus, but in Washington. To be sure, Israeli leaders are concerned but not surprised by the horrific bloodletting that is underway between the …

Joel Rosenberg: Israel on Its Own When It Comes to Iran Read More »

Over the past several weeks, I have been hearing from current and former senior Israeli officials and advisers at the highest possible levels that the showdown with Iran is entering the critical “end game” phase. I’m hearing from people with direct knowledge of the plans that war could come in 2013. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is beginning to prepare …

Netanyahu Preparing Public for Possible War With Iran Read More »

On May 23, I had the joy of addressing several hundred pastors who were gathered in Washington, D.C. The venue was the 10th anniversary of the Watchmen on the Wall conference, organized by the Family Research Council and its president, Tony Perkins. Tony asked me to specifically address the subject of “The Church’s Call to Stand With …

Joel Rosenberg: The Church’s Call to Stand With Israel Read More »

Is Damascus counting down to the moment when it will launch a massive attack against the state of Israel using “strategic” weapons that could include weapons of mass destruction? That’s what Syrian President Bashar Assad appears to be signaling. The question is whether this is a bluff or the prelude to all-out war with Israel. My …

Is Syria Bluffing or Preparing for a Massive Strike Against Israel? Read More »

Several years ago, when I mapped out the plot for my novel Damascus Countdown, I tried to imagine a scenario in which Iran and its agents would attempt to take over Syria, attempt to make it a fully-owned and operated province of the Islamic Revolution, and then try to use Syrian territory to launch a “War of Annihilation” against Israel. What once seemed fictional premise now …

Breakup of Syria: An Opportunity for Iran to Strike Israel? Read More »

Tzachi Hanegbi—a close, trusted, long-time personal friend and confidante of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu—made remarks on Tuesday at a security conference in Tel Aviv that did not make news in the U.S. But they should have. Hanegbi explained that the time for sanctions and diplomacy and covert options to neutralize the Iranian nuclear threat is over, and the time for Israel to use …

Former Israeli Official: ‘It’s Now or Never’ for Military Action Read More »

The news that the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency now believes North Korea may be able to miniaturize its nuclear warheads and fit them on ballistic missiles means the crisis on the Korean Peninsula involves not just one but two dangerous scenarios. First, that Kim Jong-un—the Pyongyang man-child dictator—will trigger a nuclear war in East Asia, either purposefully or …

North Korea: ‘Nuclear War Is Unavoidable’ Read More »