Kindertransport Memorial Collection 1995-2005

Abstract

This collection contains limited materials on remembrances of the Kindertransport. Materials include correspondence, handwritten notes, memorial programs, the text of a speech by Gerhard Schroeder, membership directories, annual reports, synopses and advertisements for publications and films on the Kindertransport, and materials from a 1999 reunion in London of individuals who were part of the Kindertransport.Clippings about Kindertransport memorials and a packet of press clippings for the film Into the Arms of Strangers were removed to the LBI Clippings Collection: AR 6992 C.An audio cassette tape containing a 1990 interview of Greta Wortmann was removed to the LBI A/V Collection.The term Kindertransport is used to refer to organized efforts to rescue Jewish children from Nazi persecution. Following Kristallnacht in November of 1938, the British government—spurred on by organizations like the British Committee for the Jews of Germany and many other religious and charitable organizations—relaxed immigration restrictions to allow unaccompanied Jewish children under the age of 17 from Germany and German-occupied areas to enter the country on temporary visas. Children were sent to live with foster families or in schools or hostels under the assumption that they would eventually be reunited with their parents. The Kindertransport operations to England from Germany began in December of 1938 and ended in September 1939 as World War II began. Kindertransport operations continued from the Netherlands until May 1940. While the majority of Kindertransport operations brought children to England, similar efforts were carried out in Palestine and, to a lesser extent, the United States.Processeddigitize