The Kindertransport A Journey Taken by 10,000 Children

Role of Dodd Research Center and UConn The Billie J. Levy Research and Travel Grant allowed me the ability to visit the University of Connecticut and the Dodd Research Center in person so that I might have access to valuable materials such as these:

Oral History Recording Children’s Picture Book One survivor allowed us to record her story for possible use for further research in transcript form at a later date. The insights gained through the interview and study gave me the child’s perspective I needed to make an appropriate story about a journey taken by children that children can identify with. Products from Research and Visit

First Hitler began to gain power in the shadow of WWI. Nuremburg laws in effect which remove basic rights of citizenship to Jewish people of Germany. Many rights of Jewish children were taken away. Second Nazi and Hitler Youth’s harassment makes daily life difficult for Jewish families, yet red tape makes it hard for them to leave. 11/7/38 Ernst Vam Rath assassinated by Herschel Grynzpan, who was upset his family would be departed back to Poland. Third 11/9/38 Kristallnacht-violent massacre and mass arrests take place all over Germany. 99 Jewish people are killed, 25-30,000 arrested and taken away. Jewish businesses, homes and synagogues destroyed. What made the Kindertransport necessary?

International Efforts to Save Children British Jewish Refugee Committee agrees to provide refuge to Jewish children from Germany (later from Austria and Czechoslovakia as well) Adults would only be allowed to chaperone on the trains and then return Children must be under the age of 17 They will be allowed temporary visas to stay until the danger is over They can only take one suitcase, nothing of value and 10 marks Families should put up the 50 sterling for repatriation They should eventually go back to their families By the end of the movement they take in 10,000 children In 1939, the Wagner-Rogers bill was being discussed in the United States. The bill would allow for the admittance of 20,000 children. The bill got tied up in committee and was never put into full effect. Around 1,000 Kindertransports eventually arrived in the US. Hundreds of children were eventually seen as “enemy aliens” and were sent off to Canada and Australia, under British rule.

Kindertransport Routes Refugees were first sent on trains until they reached the Dutch border. From Holland they were sent to England by ship. In Holland they were usually greeted with cocoa and snacks. (see googlemap)

En Route The train trip could take 36 or more hours (Roth, Lifesaving). Trains were crowded. They were subject to random Nazi check points and had their belongings inspected. At the Dutch border children were given cocoa and food to keep them strong. Babies and young children were taken care of mostly by other children. The North Sea waters crossed by Kindertransports were normally rough. Some children, albeit not many, were flown to their destinations.

Some transports had positive experiences. Others were not as fortunate. Life in England Although all 10,000 rescued children missed their families, they had different experiences. Some had loving foster families and were treated as one of their own. They went to good schools and made friends. Some were in contact with other family members living in England. Some were used as maids or house workers. Some were kept in group homes with few amenities. Some children found learning English difficult.

AS LONG AS THERE ARE CHILD REFUGEES IN THE WORLD, FOSTER CHILDREN, CHILDREN WHO ARE ORPHANED OR UNWANTED, THIS IS A STORY THAT NEEDS TO BE TOLD. NOT EVERY PERSON CAN IDENTIFY WITH THE SCALE OF THE EVENTS THAT LED TO THE NEED FOR THE KINDERTRANSPORT, HOWEVER YOUNG CHILDREN CAN IDENTIFY WITH THE FIRST TIME THEY SAID GOODBYE TO THEIR PARENTS, OR WENT SOMEWHERE ALONE, OR FELT LOST AND INSECURE. THERE ARE LESSONS EVERY CHILD CAN LEARN FROM THE BRAVERY AND DIGNITY THE KINDERTRANSPORT SURVIVORS DISPLAYED. Why tell this story in a children’s book?

TO BE THANKFUL. TO REMEMBER THE KINDNESS OF STRANGERS. TO HELP OTHERS IN NEED. TO APPRECIATE DIFFERENCES. TO TELL THEIR STORY… Lessons Learned -from the book Ten Thousand Children, page 128