The British Oskar Schindler
In the years leading up to World War II, political leaders around the world stood to the side and did nothing as Adolf Hitler expanded his power and increased his oppression of the Jews under his rule. As a result of this complacency, Hitler was able to carry out the Holocaust - one of the most horrific crimes in human history. However, during that time, there was one man who did everything in his power to save as many people as possible from the impending genocide - Nicholas Winton, the British Oskar Schindler.
In 1938, Nicholas Winton was working as a professional stockbroker in London when he was asked by Martin Blake, an old friend who was working in Czechoslovakia at the time, to visit him. During his visit to Czechoslovakia, Winton visited some of the refugee camps in the city of Prague that held Jews fleeing the recently-conquered Sudetenland. Horrified by what he saw and knowing that it would only get worse, Winton became determined to save as many Jews as possible.
Unfortunately, Britain's policies for taking Jewish refugees at the time was limited to children, meaning Winton would be unable to get any adults to safety. Undeterred, Winton set up an office in Prague and began taking applications from parents hoping to get their children to safety. Returning to Britain, he began raising money to save as many children as possible, as well as looking for foster families to adopt the incoming refugees.
On March 14, 1939, Winton's first group of children left Czechoslovakia to begin their journey to safety. Their journey consisted of a train ride through Germany and the Netherlands, before crossing the English Channel by boat. The rescue efforts continued to August 1939, before Britain declared war on Germany on September 1st. Unfortunately, with the advent of World War II, Winton's largest transport of over 250 children was unable to leave Czechoslovakia. Despite that, Winton's Kindertransport was able to save an estimated 669 children from the horrors of the Holocaust in less than 6 months.
After the war, few people knew about Winton's rescue efforts until 1988, when his wife found an old scrapbook from 1939 with the pictures and names of those rescued by Winton. Since then, Winton has been named an honorary citizen of Prague in the Czech Republic, received a thank you letter from a former president of Israel, and received a Knighthood from Queen Elizabeth II. Nicholas Winton passed away in 2015.
Sources:
https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/nicholas-winton-and-the-rescue-of-children-from-czechoslovakia-1938-1939
http://www.bbc.co.uk/guides/zymfvcw
Unfortunately, Britain's policies for taking Jewish refugees at the time was limited to children, meaning Winton would be unable to get any adults to safety. Undeterred, Winton set up an office in Prague and began taking applications from parents hoping to get their children to safety. Returning to Britain, he began raising money to save as many children as possible, as well as looking for foster families to adopt the incoming refugees.
On March 14, 1939, Winton's first group of children left Czechoslovakia to begin their journey to safety. Their journey consisted of a train ride through Germany and the Netherlands, before crossing the English Channel by boat. The rescue efforts continued to August 1939, before Britain declared war on Germany on September 1st. Unfortunately, with the advent of World War II, Winton's largest transport of over 250 children was unable to leave Czechoslovakia. Despite that, Winton's Kindertransport was able to save an estimated 669 children from the horrors of the Holocaust in less than 6 months.
After the war, few people knew about Winton's rescue efforts until 1988, when his wife found an old scrapbook from 1939 with the pictures and names of those rescued by Winton. Since then, Winton has been named an honorary citizen of Prague in the Czech Republic, received a thank you letter from a former president of Israel, and received a Knighthood from Queen Elizabeth II. Nicholas Winton passed away in 2015.
Sources:
https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/nicholas-winton-and-the-rescue-of-children-from-czechoslovakia-1938-1939
http://www.bbc.co.uk/guides/zymfvcw
Nicholas Winton, was one of the most under appreciated people during the holocaust. He saved a lot of people. How could no one have said anything. This was one of the men, who's attitude was "step in before it is too late". We need more people like him in the world.
ReplyDeleteWinton is proof that ordinary people could have a huge impact during the Holocaust and could help people who were being killed by the Nazis. Winton was incredibly brave in what he did because if caught he would probably be killed but he also had help from other in Britain that were taking in foster children. The people who helped him raise money were also a portion of what allowed him to save these children so it does show that there were people that were helping Jewish people during the Holocaust they maybe just weren't as big things as Schindler and Winton.
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