Event to shed light on ‘lesser known strands of the Kindertransport’

A two-day event in London later this month will “shed light on lesser known strands of the history of the Kindertransport” as international experts descend on the capital to consider the famous pre-war rescue effort.

Supported by the German and Austrian embassies, the forum at Lancaster House on 15-16 April is the brainchild of the Association of Jewish Refugees (AJR) and the UK Special Envoy for Post-Holocaust Issues Lord Eric Pickles.

Attendee will learn about the secret negotiations that led to the decision to allow unaccompanied child refuges into the UK, and about Marie Schmolka, the “virtually unknown” WIZO activist who helped Sir Nicholas Winton save Czechoslovakian children.

Using archival documents, experts will also explain why some children were deemed unsuitable for the Kindertransport.

Among the speakers will be two Kinder – Hella Pick, a trailblazing foreign correspondent for The Guardian, and entrepreneur Sir Erich Reich, who has raised more than £60 million for charity.

AJR chief executive Michael Newman said he hoped that members of the Jewish community would come along “to remember and rethink the legacy of this policy”.