The Counterfeiter

• Born August 12, 1917
• Grounds for persecution: Jew (political prisoner, Slovak)
• Length of imprisonment: 2 years, 9 months
• Country: Czech Republic

As a trained printer, he was a member “Operation Bernhard,” a special detail in Sachsenhausen concentration camp where he had to print millions of forged English pound notes in the so called “counterfeiters’ workshop.”

His wife, Gisela, was gassed in December 1942 in Birkenau concentration camp. His mother and stepfather were also killed in concentration camps.

After the war, he compiled an archive of photos and documents from concentration camps and spoke about his experiences to over 100,000 students in schools in Germany, Austria and the Czech Republic. Burger wrote several books about his experiences. His book The Devil’s Workshop formed the basis of the movie The Counterfeiters, which was an Oscar-winner in 2008.