In 1947, Nathan Drew dictated his Holocaust survival
story to his wife Helen Drew. In it, he detailed his
life in Second World War Poland describing the Soviet
occupation, the German occupation and the creation of
the Łomża Ghetto, his escape to Warsaw, and his life
as a "counterfeit Pole" in the Polish capital city.
While the written memoir that is now The Counterfeit
Poles primarily tells Nathan and Helen's story, it
also tells the stories of many other individuals who
did not survive to give their own testimonies.
Nathan meticulously noted the names of the many
people he came across during the Holocaust. While
some of these individuals had children who survived
the genocide to tell their stories, many did not.
In some cases, Nathan's account is the only
remaining testament to these individuals' lives.
The project showcased on this website digitally
displays Nathan's memoir on maps of Warsaw and Łomża.
This digital telling of history provides visibility
for the victims of the Holocaust and works as a
reminder of why we should remember. In turn, the
project, as Nathan states in his memoir, is
"dedicated to the six million who could not tell
their own stories."