Hidden Children

 

Overview:

The heroic people who kept the Jewish children in hiding, helped shape our understanding of the Holocaust. Without the these child survivors, we would not have the knowledge and understanding of the horrific events that took place during the Holocaust. During the Holocaust, thousands of Jewish children were hidden in various places such as: cellars, churches, attics, farms, forest huts and coops. They were separated from their own families, and forced to stay with families who held different faiths and beliefs than their own. In certain situations,  they were forced to practice the religions of these families to disguise themselves. Hidden children remained concealed for long periods of time, or even for the entirety of their time in hiding. The children and their guardians had to live in constant fear that a raised voice, or a loud sound would lead to the neighbors becoming suspicious. The Kindertransport was a rescue effort which brought thousands of Jewish refugee children to safety in Great Britain from Nazi Germany, and German-occupied territories. Thousands of Jewish children survived because they were protected by people and institutions of other faiths, but they were forced to adapt to a new lifestyle that did not include seeing their families, or practicing their religion.

 

Connection to Train:

The research topic of hidden children can relate to Train, because three of the main characters in the novel were children in hiding. Kizzy, Marko, and Tsura captivate the life of a child in hiding during this terrible time, by being kept in secret by Professor Duerr, their savior. These three valuable characters can represent the lives of thousands of Jewish children in Germany, who dealt with some of the same struggles these characters also confronted.

 

Vocabulary terms:

Kindertransport-- A rescue effort which brought thousands of refugee Jewish children to safety in Great Britain from Nazi Germany and German-occupied territories

 

Baptismal certificate- For Jews to pass as “Aryans,” it was essential to have false identity papers, which were often gained through contacts with the anti-Nazi resistance. Jews used a Baptismal certificate to try and pass as Christian, and hidden children needed these papers to be hidden as Aryans.

 

Displaced persons camps- A temporary facility for displaced persons. Ending World War II, refugees and displaced persons searched throughout Europe for missing children. Thousands of orphaned children were in displaced persons camps.

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Links to videos and interviews about hidden children:

 

Nicholas Winton who saved 669 children during the Holocaust is reunited with them.

Many Holocausts survivors recall the stories of their childhood.

Hedy Krasnobrod who was in hiding her whole childhood.