Jordan Fontheim — The Boy Who Vanished: A Holocaust Survival Story - with David Litt

Jordan Fontheim presents the extraordinary true story of his grandfather, Ernest Fontheim, a young Jewish man who survived Nazi persecution by disappearing into wartime Berlin and posing as an Aryan. In conversation with David Litt, Fontheim will discuss Ernest’s childhood in an assimilated Jewish family, the destruction of that life under the Nazis, and the courage and ingenuity that enabled Ernest and the Hass family to survive both the war and its aftermath.

Ernest was 11 when Hitler came to power in 1933. By 1941, his father had lost his law license, their home had been taken over by a Nazi official, and Ernest had been forced to work at the Siemens munitions factory. After his girlfriend, best friend, and immediate family were deported, he turned to his colleague Margot Hass. Ernest, Margot, and her parents went underground as a supposedly Aryan family, joining the small number of Berlin Jews who attempted to evade deportation by hiding in plain sight. Their survival continued through the war and the dangerous period following Germany’s defeat, when Ernest also faced repeated threats from Soviet forces.

Fontheim, Ernest’s grandson, edited the family story for publication over more than four years. A Washington, DC, native and active member of the local Jewish community, he is a senior healthcare consultant with degrees from the University of Rochester and Tulane University. David Litt, a former senior speechwriter for President Barack Obama, is the author of *Thanks, Obama*, *Democracy in One Book or Less*, and *It’s Only Drowning*. He is also a New York Times bestselling author, humor writer, former White House Correspondents’ Dinner speechwriter, and contributor to publications including *The New York Times*, *The Atlantic*, *TIME*, and *The Guardian*.

When: Wednesday, November 18, 2026

Showtimes: 7:00pm

Venue: Politics and Prose at 5015 Connecticut Avenue NW, 5015 Connecticut Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008

Format: Jordan Fontheim in conversation with David Litt

Tickets: Free

Seating: First come, first served

Accessibility: To request accommodations or ask about accessibility, email events@politics-prose.com, ideally at least one week before the event. Requests made up to the event may also be accommodated when possible.

Related book: *The Boy Who Vanished: A True Story of Surviving the Holocaust*, by Ernest Fontheim, with Fred Rosenbaum and edited by Jordan Fontheim, is available for preorder as a $19.99 paperback. It is scheduled for publication on November 17, 2026.