The Tattooist of Auschwitz: Is Cilka real?

While The Tattooist of Auschwitz is a work of historical fiction, many of the characters are real — but is this the case for Cilka Klein?

Among the most powerful war movies ever created are those set during World War II, a conflict that reshaped the course of history. Within this genre, some films stand out for their poignant portrayal of the human experience amidst the chaos of war. 

Similarly, there have been numerous TV shows examining different perspectives on this period in time, including Netflix’s book adaptation All the Light We Cannot See. But over the past week, The Tattooist of Auschwitz has been causing a stir, telling a love story set within the notorious Nazi death camp. 

Based on Heather Morris’ novel of the same name, the story has run into controversy over the years amid claims it contains a number of inaccuracies and blurs the line between fact and fiction. One character who has come into question is Cilka (Yali Topol Margalith) and whether or not she’s real. 

Is The Tattooist of Auschwitz’s Cilka real?

Cilka Klein is based on the real-life Cecilia Kovacova, a Slovakian Jewish woman who was sent to Auschwitz-Birkenau at the age of 16 during World War II. As well as featuring in The Tattooist of Auschwitz novel and series, Morris wrote a follow-up book about her story titled Cilka’s Journey. However, certain details have come into question. 

According to Morris, when the camps were liberated, Cilka, 19 at the time, was charged by the Russians as a collaborator and sent to the Siberian gulags for a further 10 years. 

Prior to this, a key component of her survival at Auschwitz was her alleged relationship with SS-Obersturmführer Johann Schwarzhuber. He was in charge of the selection process for thousands of prisoners at the men’s camp, and in The Tattooist of Auschwitz, Cilka leverages her position to help Gita Fuhrmannova save Lali Sokolov.

However, this relationship came into question in 2018, when the Auschwitz Memorial Research Centre released a report claiming that “the book contains numerous errors and information inconsistent with the facts, as well as exaggerations, misinterpretations and understatements.”

One of the major points of concern was the description of Cilka’s sexual relationship with Schwarzhuber. “In practice, the possibility of maintaining such a long (from March 1943 almost until the end of the camp), and according to the book, the semi-explicit relationship between a Jewish female prisoner and a high-ranking member of the SS hierarchy was non-existent,” said the report. 

“The disclosure of such a relationship would involve an accusation of race dishonor (Rassenschande) and severe punishment for the SS man. The story of Rapportführer Gerhard Palitzsh — who for keeping intimate contacts with a Jewish prisoner was among others, detained, degraded, sent to the penal camp in Gdańsk (Danzig-Matzkau), and finally referred to the front — proves that such offenses are treated seriously.”

Upon the release of Morris’ follow-up book Cilka’s Journey in 2019, George Kovach — the real-life Cecilia’s stepson — criticized her portrayal in both novels, describing it as a “lurid and titillating” version of what really happened. Although he stated his father, Ivan Kovach, met Cilka while at a Vorkuta gulag in northern Russia, George claimed that many of the details portrayed in the stories are untrue and “extremely hurtful,” as per the Guardian. 

Back in 2020, George told San Diego Jewish World reporter Dan Bloom that he and his wife had been working on a book named Redemption, promising it would be about the “real Cilka.”

“My stepmother, Cecilia Klein-Kovacova, has already been represented in two global best-sellers [by a non-Jewish writer from Australia.] Both claimed to be ‘based on a true story,’” he said.  

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“However, in these books, my stepmother does many things that were impossible, or simply absurd, for a prisoner to do in Auschwitz or the Gulag. The fabrication of this so-called ‘true’ character from rumor, selective recollections, and an author’s lurid fantasies is deeply offensive to my stepmother’s memory. 

“I protested this false representation of my stepmother and my protest ignited a controversy on three continents. That story will be found in the ‘afterword’ at the end of the novel.”

George went on to say, “My wife and I searched for a way to redeem my stepmother’s character and tarnished reputation, to show the woman we knew and loved. Because we are writers, we decided the best way would be to have her tell her own story as we heard it.”

When the article was published in 2020, George and his wife were looking for a publisher, although it’s unclear whether they have landed one yet. 

Cilka’s Journey was marketed as a work of historical fiction, while also being “based on the true story of Cilka Klein.” In 2018, when a fan asked whether the novel would be based on research or strictly fiction, Morris replied, “I have made two trips to Slovakia in the past five months and met with several people who knew Cilka and her husband. 

“They have given me valuable information regarding her time in Siberia and my book will be based on this research and woven into a fictionalized telling of her story. It will be obvious what parts of her story are factual. She lived to be 78.”

Alongside this additional research, Morris based Cilka’s story on accounts shared by Lali Sokolov, whose story formed the basis of The Tattooist of Auschwitz. 

All six episodes of The Tattooist of Auschwitz are available to stream on Peacock now. For more, check out the new TV shows heading to streaming this month, as well as new movies to add to your watchlist.