Hannah: From Dachau to the Olympics and Beyond

by Jean Goodwin Messinger

Hannah is the last survivor of a group of 146 Jewish children liberated barely alive from the German concentration camp at Dachau in 1945. She was seven years old and had been interned for four brutal years. Hannah never saw her family again after being separated upon arrival at camp. Taken in by German nuns who ran a convent high in the Bavarian Alps, those who recovered went to school for the first time and received homemade wooden shoes for their previously unshod feet. Taught to ski by the nuns, as a teenager Hannah was chosen to train with the German Olympic team, although unidentified as a Jew. She participated in the 1956 games at Cortina, Italy.

Note From The Author:

As fascinating as Hannah's story is, I regretfully inform readers that it is not true. The book was published in 2005, and the deceit was discovered in 2009. Hannah promptly disappeared and was later discovered in Butte, MT but her whereabouts are presently unknown.

A few days before this shocking "revelation" a second printing of the book was made, the result of national interest that developed as a consequence of TV evangelist Beth Moore publicly baptizing Hannah. (However, she was not Jewish and was raised as a Catholic.) The ink wasn't dry on the new edition when this fraud was discovered. My reaction was to promptly discard $4000 worth of new books; I publish my own books. I hope for those who already have copies that they will be collectors' items some day.

Hannah's former husband, who she claimed was MIA in Vietnam, was located, and he told me that she was schizophrenic. While hospitalized many years ago, the psychiatrists who treated her believed her story. And she may truly believe that these things really happened to her.

Hannah lived and worked in Longmont, CO for several years, where I met her while I was living in nearby Windsor. She managed the Longmont Super 8 Motel. She was well-known, well-liked, and through the years had aroused a great deal of admiration, compassion, and interest in her past. I had no official verification of her story except she had the familiar rectangular scar on her inner forearm that we have seen on former camp survivors in their attempt to remove the camp tattoo number. Who would question its authenticity? Her husband said she didn't have a tattoo or scar when he knew her forty years previously before they were divorced. She had apparently mutilated herself? My only other attempt to verify her origins was to contact an historical agency at Dachau and give them her number and family name. I was told that the number was within the range used early at Auschwitz, which connected, but her family name was so common they would need more information in order to research further. I didn't have that and was reluctant to reveal to her that I was "checking up on her."

Hannah became a close friend and was welcomed into my family, as she didn't have one of her own. Painful and embarrassing as all this has been for me personally and professionally, I don't condemn her as evil. I see her as sick and regret the conditions under which she must now be living. In her late 70s, she is alone, a fugitive looking over her shoulder, wanted in Colorado for substantial check fraud. Her deception caused distress, disillusion, and $$$$$ to a lot of other people as well, and there have been lessons learned---caution that I hope doesn't induce cynicism.

There is more to the story, and I wanted to write a book about this "sequel," but Hannah's husband wanted it to go no farther. I wouldn't do it without his approval and participation. For forty years he had been looking for her and their son whom she had kidnapped after the divorce and of course he didn't know that that boy had been killed in a plane crash. These revelations were very stressful for him, at a time when he was suffering from exposure to Agent Orange in Vietnam.

I appreciate any reaction and/or information from readers, as well as tolerance for my "goof."

143 pages, Paperback

First published August 30, 2005

About the author

Author Jean Messinger was born and raised in Beaver Dam, Wisconsin, graduated from Lawrence College in Appleton, Wisconsin, and has lived in Colorado since 1952. Colorado Springs was home to Jean and her husband for nearly forty years. After teaching school for several years, at age fifty, she earned a master’s degree in art and architectural history from Denver University.

She considers herself doubly blessed to live in Colorado near her large extended family, which includes seven grandchildren.

Reviews

[Tiffany]

You want to know what is more disgusting than lying about being a victim of the Holocaust? The fact that due to Hannah (Rosemarie) Pence's LYING that she was a victim, that forums dedicated to Holocaust denialism use this book to argue that the Holocaust never happened.

Thanks to Pence and her outrageous lies, groups like aforementioned Holocaust denialist movements are able to weaponize her book to discredit and invalidate real victims of the Holocaust.

[Diane Schneider · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book tells the story of a remarkable woman. However, the execution leaves something to be desired. The author focuses on the subject's life story, without doing much research to flesh out the narrative. There is a chapter giving the briefest outline of information on Dachau, but it comes at the end, which feels disjointed. Also, the author comments in the beginning that Hannah did not pen her own memoir because she doesn't grasp English well enough and that her story lends itself well to being told my an impartial observer. This story was not told by an impartial observer. The author frequently interjects her own impressions and observations. Discounting any weaknesses in execution, it is obvious to the reader that the author has the utmost respect and affection for her subject.

[Chi Dubinski · Rating 1 out of 5]

The subject of this book scammed the author and many of the people--including the local police chief. When I read the book, I wondered why so many details were missing. A couple of years later I found out about the whole sordid charade. Hannah cheated and lied, and took advantage of people's sympathy.

[Donnicia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing story of a child holocost survivor. She endured so much and yet still accomplished great things in her life. Incredible lady