Samson Shoenhaus

Samson “Cioma“ Schönhaus

Cioma was born on September 22, 1922 in Berlin, Germany.

His Russian Parents came to Germany in 1920 after his Father deserted from the Soviet Red Army.

From 1926-1927 his Family went to Haifa, British Mandatory Palestine (Israel) but went back to Germany where the Family ran a Mineral Water Company (which the Nazis took in 1938.)

From 1941, because he was Jewish, the Nazis forced him to work in an Armaments Factory in Berlin.

In June 1942, his Parents (Fanja and Boris Schönhaus) and Cioma were on the Deportation List to the Majdanek Death Camp in German-Occupied Poland. Cioma managed to escape, but his Parents were deported and gassed.

He started living Illegally in Nazi Berlin – making Forged Documents to help other Jews living Illegally where he was helped by the Berlin-Dahlem Protestant Confessional Church.

In September 1943, with the Gestapo hunting him down (for being both a Jew and a Forger) he dressed as a Wehrmacht Soldier, used Forged Documents he made and rode his bike from Berlin, Germany to Switzerland.

He then started training at the School of Arts and Crafts in Basel (German: Schule für Gestaltung Basel.)

Cioma died in Switzerland on September 22, 2015 (a few days before his 93^rd Birthday.)

 

In 2017, the film “The Invisibles – We Want to Live” (German: “Die Unsichtbaren – Wir wollen leben”) was released, in which he can be seen in interview excerpts. As a young man, he is portrayed by Maximilian Mauff.

The 2022 feature film “The Passport Forger” (German: “Der Passfälscher”) is also dedicated to his life. Schönhaus is portrayed here by Louis Hofmann.

In the 2023 movie “Stella. A Life. By Stella Goldschlag,” (German: “Stella. Ein Leben.”)  Schönhaus is played in a supporting role by Joshua Seelenbinder which will release in November 2023.

 

Cioma was one of 1,700 Berlin Jews (out of a known 7,000 Berlin Jews) that survived the War hiding illegally. Most were denounced to the Gestapo by other Jews (like Stella Goldschlag who betrayed 3,000 People to the Gestapo herself.)

When the Nazis came to power in January 1933 there were 160,000 Jews living in Berlin (part of the 522,000 Jews living in Germany at the time.)

By May 1945: Only 1,700 Jews lived in Berlin and 28,000 German Jews survived the Holocaust.