Remembering & Rethinking: The international forum on the Kindertransport at 80
Marking the 80th anniversary year of the Kindertransport, more than 200 people took part in Remembering & Rethinking: The international forum on the Kindertransport at 80, on 15th and 16th April 2019 at Lancaster House in London.
This landmark event was organised by the AJR and co-hosted by the UK special Envoy for Post-Holocaust Issues, The Rt Hon. The Lord Pickles. Sponsors included the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO), the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG), and the embassies of Austria and Germany.
A central theme of the forum was rethinking the historical narrative. A range of academic scholars were given a platform to share their essential but often-overlooked research. Historians Dr Louise London and Professor Paul Weindling both looked critically at the how children were chosen to be put on Kindertransports, in policy and in practice. Mike Levy spoke about conditions at the Dovercourt Holiday Camp, where some Kinder spent their first frigid weeks in Britain, often subjected to humiliating ‘meat markets’ at which they would be assessed by prospective foster parents.
The forum also aimed to put ‘remembering’ into practice, by looking at the contemporary relevance of the Kindertransport, and considering how the Jewish refugee experience of the 1930s and ‘40s can inform policies and attitudes today.
A panel discussion memorably served to bridge the past and the present, bringing together Sir Erich Reich, who came to Britain on the Kindertransport, and Abdulazez Dukhan, a Syrian refugee who now resides in Belgium. They were joined by Barbara Winton, daughter of Sir Nicholas Winton, and Rosie Rooney from Safe Passage UK, both of whom have campaigned extensively for safe and legal pathways for refugees seeking to come to the UK. Another featured speaker was Mark Hetfield from the US-based HIAS, a charity founded to aid Jewish refugees fleeing violence in Europe and which today works on behalf of the American Jewish community to assist non-Jewish refugees from a range of backgrounds. “We used to help refugees because they were Jewish,” said Hetfield. “Today we help refugees because we are Jewish.”
The contemporary relevance of the Kindertransport was also underscored by the presence of many of the UK’s leading educational and remembrance institutions. A separate hall contained displays and representatives from the Council of Christians and Jews, the Wiener Library, the Scottish Jewish Archives Centre, the Holocaust Exhibition & Learning Centre, Insiders/Outsiders Festival, the Manchester Jewish Museum, Jewish Museum London, World Jewish Relief, and the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust.
Two organisations – the National Holocaust Centre and Museum and the Holocaust Educational Trust – both gave presentations showcasing their AJR-funded educational programmes which aim to use innovative approaches to teach students about the Kindertransport. And several filmmakers previewed examples of how they are bringing some of the lesser known strands of the history of the Kindertransport to wider audiences.
The forum benefitted greatly from the presence of many AJR members who themselves came to Britain on the Kindertransport. Pioneering journalist Hella Pick shared some of her personal reflections as part of one session. And several others had a chance to meet with The Rt Hon. James Brokenshire MP, Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government. Brokenshire said, “the Kindertransport is a story of great pride for this country, but it is also marked with deep sadness. We know that the Kinder were often the only surviving members of their family. It is a painful legacy – but one we must remember.”
This legacy was represented by the attendance of many children and grandchildren of Kinder, many of whom found themselves examining their family history for the very first time. They, along with other guests, heard from both Lord Pickles and architect Asa Bruno about preserving the legacy of the Kindertransport as part of a new Holocaust memorial and learning centre, which is proposed to be situated in Victoria Tower Gardens, next to the House of Lords.
Lord Pickles noted the timeliness of this forum, saying, “With the UK in the process of developing an internationally significant new Holocaust memorial and learning centre, it has never been more important to examine the role that Britain played in the lead-up to the Holocaust, in all its historical complexity.”
All photos are copyright AJR / Adam Soller Photography