The Kindertransport

I received this email yesterday 20160212 from Don Strempel

Greetings in Israel’s Hope!

About 20 years ago, you (Don) and Bro. Jeff Berry authored an article in the Lampstand Magazine about Youth Aliyah. I came across this article and was hoping that we might be able to have a bit of a discussion about it. I mentioned this to Bro. Carl Parry and he forwarded your email address along to me.

My name is Jason H and I teach Holocaust studies at the Christadelphian Heritage College in Los Angeles. Connected with that class, I’m attempting to write a book on Christadelphians and the Kindertransport. Your article about Youth Aliyah was helpful in giving me a bit of background information about what Christadelphians have done in the past to help the Jews––so thank you very much.

However, I did have a few questions about, if you don’t mind me asking:

– Would you happen to have any more information on the Kindertransport? I’m just trying to find out whatever I can.

– I’ve had the privilege of conversing with Sis. Susan W about her mother, Hana H. I’ve also been in contact with Bro. Jim R’s family, and Bro. Tom F. Perhaps you might know of someone else to talk to who survived the Kindertranport?

– Finally, your article mentioned a book called the Elpis Lodge Scrapbook: 1940-1948. I’ve been trying for a few months now to locate a copy of this book. The archivist at the Los Angeles Museum of the Holocaust attempted to help me, but also came up with no results. Do you have any ideas as to where a copy might be available?

Thank you so much for your consideration!

With love in the Truth,

Jason H

Principal

Christadelphian Heritage College, Los Angeles

If any of you know Jeff, you will also know that getting information out of his head onto paper or any other written form is pretty hard. So I decided that if I could get him to dictate some information to me, I could put it up here on my web-site and it could be available to all.

This morning I managed to get Jeff to sit down and BEGIN the story. Being an optimist, I am hoping that he may continue the story, hopefully, in the near future.

The Kindertransport Dec 1938-1939

From 1933 to 1938, the Nazi regime pursued a relentless anti-Semitic campaign to identify, isolate, concentrate and deport Jewish citizens and refugees from all the territories occupied or influenced by the Nazi regime. During November 9 and 10, 1938 the Krystalnacht (Crystal Night) pogrom was a culmination of the six years oppression to drive Jews out of Germany. In 8th December 1938 the first group of Jewish children were put on the first train of the Kindertransporte. From that day, almost ten thousand Jewish children and a further several hundred other ethnic group children were assembled and transported out of the main states under Nazi oppression – from Germany the regions of Silesia, Western Poland, Czechoslovakia, Austria and south-easterly locations in Hungary, Rumania, the Balkan States etc children were transported across borders, assembled into travel groups with acceptable documentation and transported in trains to the Netherlands border and to the Hoek, a major seaport into the English Channel, to board ferries to cross to England and disembark at places such as Harwich, then travel by train up to Liverpool Station in London. There they were met by representatives of the coordinating committees of the Orthodox and other significant Jewish communities, Quakers, Christadelphians and others.