Into the Arms of Strangers: Stories of the Kindertransport [Paperback]

Mark Jonathan Harris (Editor), Deborah Oppenheimer (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 19, 2001

The companion to the Academy Award(r) winning feature documentary from Warner Bros.
For nine months before the outbreak of World War II, Britain conducted an extraordinary rescue mission. It opened its doors to over 10,000 endangered children-90 per cent of them Jewish-from Germany, Austria, and Czechoslovakia. These children were taken into foster homes and hostels in Britain, expecting eventually to be reunited with their parents. Most of the children never saw their families again.

Into the Arms of Strangers recounts the remarkable story of this rescue operation, known as the Kindertransport. It contains stories in their own words from the child survivors, rescuers, parents, and foster parents. The stories are heartbreaking, but they are also inspiring. These are the stories of those who survived with the help of others; they are stories about the strength and resolve of children; and most astonishing, these are stories not yet heard about the Holocaust.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Between December 1938 and the outbreak of war in August 1939, some 10,000 children, the vast majority of them Jews, from Germany, Austria, Poland, and Czechoslovakia were evacuated to Great Britain. The stories of 18 witnesses to this Kindertransport--children, parents, and rescuers--are recounted in Into the Arms of Strangers.

These first-person accounts are woven into a loose narrative of life before the Nazi era, the transport, and life in their new homes. The editors wisely remain in the background, allowing the survivor testimony to shine through. Their experiences were diverse: some stayed behind, such as Norbert Wollheim, a Kindertransport organizer who refused a number of chances to escape from Germany, knowing that if he did, the transports would be stopped. Lory Cahn was actually on a train when her father pulled her off; he was unable to let her go. Those who made it to England found challenges of their own: some remained in hostels for the remainder of the war; some were taken in by families to work as cheap servant labor; still others were taken in by loving families, but then had to deal with "survivor's guilt."

Years after the war, Vera Gissing asked her foster father why he and his family had taken her in. He answered, "I knew I could not save the world. I knew I could not stop the war from starting. But I knew I could save one human life." Into the Arms of Strangers is a moving tribute to this remarkable event. --Sunny Delaney --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

"An important work that contains first-hand testimonies of an experience that only a few books have addressed, much less captured."—Chicago Tribune

"Wonderfully moving . . . a noble story, beautifully told."—The Daily Mail (London)

"Harris, an Academy Award-winning documentary filmmaker (The Long Way Home), and television producer Oppenheimer tell the story of the Kindertransport, a rescue mission undertaken by the British that saved 10,000 predominantly Jewish German, Austrian, and Czech children from the Nazi regime. In a series of Studs Terkel-style interviews, they relate the stories of 18 children, foster parents, and organizers of the transport. The text is arranged chronologically, with each section telling the story of one person to illustrate how the rescue mission worked, from the events preceding the children's departure for England to their lives today. This is an effective and compelling way of preserving history. Although much has been written already about the transport, the diversity of the participants' experiences gives a better feel for this amazing rescue and makes for especially fascinating reading."—Library Journal

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Product Details

• Paperback: 292 pages
• Publisher: Bloomsbury USA (October 19, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1582341621
• ISBN-13: 978-1582341620
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,114,926 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Mark Jonathan Harris is an Academy Award-winning documentary filmmaker, journalist, and novelist. After graduating from Harvard College, he started his professional career as a reporter for the famed City News Bureau of Chicago, covering crime from five in the afternoon to two in the morning. Within a year he moved on to reporting national news for the Associated Press and then to television, where he started making documentary films. Throughout his career he has alternated between filmmaking, journalism, and fiction. His essays and articles have appeared in a number of national newspapers and magazines and his short stories in literary journals. He has published five novels for children, which have won multiple awards. Among the many documentaries he has written, directed, and produced are three which have won Oscars: "The Redwoods," "The Long Way Home," and "Into the Arms of Strangers: Stories of the Kindertransport." For many years he has also taught filmmaking at the School of Cinematic Arts at the University of Southern California,where he is a Distinguished Professor.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars When you save one life you have saved humanity, October 14, 2002

By 

Esther Nebenzahl - See all my reviews

This review is from: Into the Arms of Strangers: Stories of the Kindertransport (Hardcover)

In the mist of today's worldwide events, where prejudice and hate runs free, it is encouraging to the human spirit to read the story of the kindertransport. "Into the Arms of Strangers" is a first person narration of some of the children (now elderly adults) who were saved from the hands of Nazism and given an opportunity to start a new life. This was all possible thanks to a noble attitude from the British government who was aware(as well as many other nations) of the final destination of the Jewish population. From this act of mercy, 10,000 children (most of them from Austria, Czechoslovakia, and Germany) were transported from their native countries just before the outbreak of World War II (1938) into England where they were temporarily adopted, until circunstances would allow them to reunite with their families. Despite the suffering these children went through, the unfair treatment some of them received, the psychological trauma, they are all thankful for the opportunity of being alive. Most of them were able to restructure their lives, set roots and build a family. Today they are witnesses to a dreadful chapter in human history and are here to give their testimony. Great merit goes to all of those who were involved in this humanitarian effort (Otto Hirsch, Norbert Wollheim, amongst others).
Sad though it may be to read the account of each of these survivors, even sadder it is to realize that many, many more children could have been saved where it not for the selfish attitude taken by many nations. For those who have had an opportunity to visit the Holocaust Museum in Jerusalem, it is a consolation to know that the children saved by the kindertransport are not listed among the other 1,000,000 children who did not have the same opportunity. And history keeps reapeating itself... not much thinking is nedded to realize that at the present moment there are people in several parts of the world who would have their lives saved if the "kinderstransport spirit" were to prevail.
There is a film in DVD/Video version of "Into the Arms of Strangers," which won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature. It is highly recommended, the book and the film complement and enrich each other.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Gutwrenching and fascinating, December 12, 2001

By 

"momlawyer" (Evanston, IL USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Into the Arms of Strangers: Stories of the Kindertransport (Paperback)

I'm a passionate reader of Holocaust books. I just happened to see this when I was in a bookstore one day - once I started it, I had trouble putting it down, and when I put it down, I had trouble not thinking about it. The stories are absolutely gutwrenching and are an insightful look into what children who are put through horrific circumstances think and feel, and how they survive. Anyone who is interested in the Holocaust, or in child psychology, should read this book.

I also agree with the other reviewers that it is inspiring to learn about giving, caring people who were willing to put themselves out in order to save children they'd never laid eyes on.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Unbelievable, April 26, 2004

By 

Kate Smart "Private" (Private) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Into the Arms of Strangers: Stories of the Kindertransport (Paperback)

I can't get this book out of my head. It has managed to invade my thoughts on a daily basis and show up in my dreams at night. It is shocking and appalling that such an event could occur - parents having to say goodbye to their little children. I have children of my own, and reading this book made me almost ill with sadness and horror. The heartache and misery endured by the Jewish people is beyond comprehension - it utterly boggles the mind.

First-person narrative history is perhaps the most interesting history to read; the individual accounts are so emotional that you want to reach into the page and lend comfort. This is an excellent book that deserves a special place in the holocaust library. It should also be read in schools.