Kindertransport Case Study

The study also demonstrates that the success of the Kindertransport children’s placement in foster families or hostels, and the support and educational opportunities awarded to them varied considerably, and in some cases, totally unsuitable placements and lack of support made the participants’ lives miserable. Although historians report that the British had determined that the moment contact was established, responsibility for each child should rest with the professional staff until each was settled into his or her new home, other research corroborates the lack of support and follow-up (Bentwich, 1956; Council for German Jewry, 1939; Gopfert & Hammel, 2004, Gottlieb, 1998; London, 2000). It is important to acknowledge that the first transport was ready to leave Berlin only two weeks after the proposal was made, and that with the outbreak of war, deterioration in communications interrupted the ability of the refugee committee to regularly visit the Kinder (Gopfert & Hammel, 2004). Nonetheless, the …show more content…
The portrayal of the Kindertransport as an unparalleled rescue was coupled with an emphasis on the effects of the separation of families and of their relatives’ deaths. For many of the interviewees, the current Syrian refugee crisis and the failure of the international community to organize effective support was indicative of how little has been learned from the Holocaust. While their conflicting assessments of the scope of the rescue are reflective of the scholarly debate about the Kindertransport, the interviewees all drew on their personal experiences to advocate for greater global cooperation (Kushner, 2006; London, 2000). The Kinder are themselves powerful advocates for what the public health community can learn about how contemporary efforts to mitigate genocide can more effectively support those who are