"Fact in Fiction: A Jewish Soldier in the Wehrmacht" with Riley Neubauer

It sounds unfathomable: Jewish soldiers served in Hitler’s army during World War II. Not a hidden secret, not a rumor, but a documented fact that the regime itself tracked. Historians estimate as many as 150,000 Mischling men––those of mixed Jewish ancestry––served in the Wehrmacht.

“The Weight of a Star: A Jewish Man in the Wehrmacht” sits within this paradox. Riley’s historical fiction short story follows Felix Schneider––a composite character built from real historical actors––as he tries to do the impossible: reconcile his identity as a Jew and his relationship to his religion with his role as a soldier. Set against the backdrop of the infamous Babi Yar Massacre (September 29-30, 1941, Ukraine), Felix’s story provides a lens into a rarely told history.

This presentation will use “The Weight of a Star” as a case study to argue that historical fiction isn’t just a way to make history more accessible and readable––it is a genuine, valuable tool for teaching its hardest, most contradictory truths.

This project began as a final project for Riley’s M.A. in Public History at Royal Holloway, University of London, and has since been sponsored and/or promoted by: The Wiener Holocaust Library, The Association for Jewish Refugees, The Jewish Museum London, JW3, and The Holocaust Research Institute.