Kindertransport
The Kindertransport Journey: memory into history
When the Nazis came to power in Germany in 1933, the persecution of Jews began and tens of thousands left the country. But, during the following years emigration began to slow as visas became more difficult to obtain.
The pogrom of 9 and 10 November 1938, known as ‘Kristallnacht’ (the night of broken glass), saw German and Austrian Nazis burning and destroying 267 synagogues, killing 100 people and smashing 7,500 Jewish stores (all that remained in the German Reich),
After this pogrom the Jews of Britain initiated the unique rescue operation now known as 'Kindertransport'. The word derived from the transportation of children out of the German Reich to England - ‘kinder’ being the German word for children.
Within days the British Refugee Committee appealed to members of Parliament and obtained the permission of the British Government to admit children to England up to age 17, provided a £50 bond was posted for each child to ‘assure their ultimate resettlement’.
In the nine months prior to the outbreak of World War II and with aid from Quaker and other non-Jewish refugee organisations, they brought ten thousand unaccompanied children from Germany, Austria, Czechoslovakia, and Poland to safety in Britain. Most of the children, but not all, were Jews. The majority of their parents who had sent them to safety perished in the Holocaust.
Of the 10,000 children it is believed that most settled in Britain and others re-emigrated to Israel, the Americas, and elsewhere, scattering over the world. The panels of this exhibit trace their epic journey from 1938 to the 21st century.
The exhibition called 'The Kindertransport Journey: memory into history' was produced by Robert Sugar for the Kindertransport Association - KTA Copyright 2001 - and is composed of nine double-sided panels. The Kindertransport booklet accompanies the exhibition and is an informative and useful aide-memoire for those who have viewed the exhibition to take home with them.
For availability and more information please contact:
Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister
Room BD20
Stormont Castle
Stormont
BELFAST
BT4 3TT
Room BD20
Stormont Castle
Stormont
BELFAST
BT4 3TT
- phone: 028 9037 8055 or 9037 8053
- fax: 028 9037 8290
- email: mog.sec@ofmdfmni.gov.uk
Those who came to Britain under Kindertransport, remained and paid towards a British State Pension could benefit from legislation introduced in 2008. Find out more on nidirect at the following link.
