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They had status, safety and power — and still chose to defy Hitler

JL;DR SUMMARY Jonathan Freedland's book, "The Traitors Circle," explores the little-known story of a group of elite Germans who risked their status, safety, and power to resist the Nazi regime. A way out west there was a fella, fella I want to tell you about, fella by the name of Jeff Lebowski. At least, that was the handle his lovin' parents gave him, but he never had much use for it himself. This Lebowski, he called himself the Dude. Now, Dude, that's a name no one would self-apply where I come from. But then, there was a lot about the Dude that didn't make a whole lot of sense to me. And a lot about where he lived, likewise. But then again, maybe that's why I found the place s'durned innarestin'.

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Tags

DemocracyHitlerNazi GermanyResistanceAutocracyJonathan FreedlandMoral CourageThe Traitors CircleElite DissentersCountess Maria Von Maltzan

Places mentioned

Berlin, Germany
"In September 1943, a small group that included aristocrats, a diplomat, a pioneering educator and an intelligence officer gathered in a Berlin drawing room not to gossip, but to quietly defy the Nazi regime."
Germany
"Overall story references resistance within Nazi Germany."
New York, United States
"Freedland shares the story of Otto Kiep, a glamorous German aristocrat who served as Germanys consul general in New York."
Hungary
"Freedland, a columnist for The Guardian and co-host, with Israeli journalist Yonit Levi, of the podcast The Unholy, cited three backsliding countries: Victor Orbans Hungary, Recep Tayyip Erdogans Turkey and Nicols Maduros Venezuela. "
Turkey
"Freedland, a columnist for The Guardian and co-host, with Israeli journalist Yonit Levi, of the podcast The Unholy, cited three backsliding countries: Victor Orbans Hungary, Recep Tayyip Erdogans Turkey and Nicols Maduros Venezuela."
Venezuela
"Freedland, a columnist for The Guardian and co-host, with Israeli journalist Yonit Levi, of the podcast The Unholy, cited three backsliding countries: Victor Orbans Hungary, Recep Tayyip Erdogans Turkey and Nicols Maduros Venezuela. "

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Cairo Item ID 68244
Cairo Source ID 42
Retrieved 2025-11-23 18:00:26 UTC
Curated 2025-11-23 19:00:29 UTC