Customer Reviews

Unfulfilled Promise: Rescue and Resettlement of Jewish Refugee Children in the United States, 1934-1945

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I chose this book because I am one of the children who came unaccompanied to the USA and am currently working on a book describing my experiences.
Baumel's book is a thoroughly researched and well written review of the world we faced and about the devotion of social workers and foster parents who helped us to become good citizens. Yes, many more could have been brought here, but there were so many obstacles the program faced. The author describes the national politics and attitudes which made the task so difficult. As I read the book I realized how fortunate I was to have been selected by the program, found great foster parents. The Jewish Social agency in San Francisco placed my sister and me in a home together. I stayed there until I entered the army (1940-1943)and my sister until she married (1940-1951)Despite the complexity of the material it is presented with great warmth and is easy reading.
I have only minor criticism. The author omits the children placed on the west coast, although at least one of her interviewees lived there. I would have liked a different title
because there was no promise, but devotion and a sense of mission of the workers and foster parents, and courage of the children and their parents to let go.
I studied the adjustment of the children in a masters thesis so I am a bit familiar with the topic. Louis Maier, Author of " In Lieu of Flowers."

Judith Baumwell brings a unique perspective and motivation to writing "Unfulfilled Promises". Her father had sent her half brother and sister to the US before WWII broke out and before the Holocaust. He survived and joined his much older children who had brought up in the US. The book concerns itself with the organizations involved in rescuing German Jewish Refugee children. How were these organizations started, what problems did they encounter and what were their successes and failures. The circumstances were unique since these children were under the care of American families while they still had parents living in Germany many of whom would not escape the Holocaust. The number rescued was small (about 1000)but it was the largest import of children into the United States experienced till then and broke the precedent for later child rescue efforts. It is a gripping story.

I used this book for two of my group documentary History Fair projects - "The One Thousand Children" and "Morgenthau: Maestro or Schtadlan". This book was extremely useful and its bibliography (it claims that it's annotated, but the sources have no annotations) was of great help to us.