Samson "Cioma" Schönhaus (born in Berlin, 1922), a graphic artist and writer, lived illegally as a Jew in hiding in Berlin during World War II. He was responsible for forging hundreds of identity documents to help other Jews survive during this time. He worked closely with members of the Confessing Church

Confessing Church

The Confessing Church was a Protestant schismatic church in Nazi Germany that arose in opposition to government-sponsored efforts to nazify the German Protestant church.-Demographics:...

, including Franz Kaufmann

Franz Kaufmann

Franz Kaufmann was a German jurist and victim of the Holocaust. His role helping underground Jews survive in hiding in Berlin and his execution are documented in The Forger, the memoirs of Cioma Schonhaus....

 and Helene Jacobs

Helene Jacobs

Helene Jacobs was a member of the Confessing Church and of the German Resistance against National Socialism.- Life :...

. He ultimately escaped from Berlin to Switzerland

Switzerland

Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....

 by bicycle in 1944, where he remains.

His memoir, "The Forger," was published by Granta Books in 2007, translated from the German original (Der Passfälscher, published 2004).