The Kindertransports were a coordinated relief effort that helped Jewish children escape Nazi Germany and come to the United Kingdom in 1938–1939. The Kindertransport program began in December 1938, just weeks after Kristallnacht, a nationwide anti-Jewish riot in Nazi Germany. In response to the violence, Jewish and non-Jewish organizations in the United Kingdom advocated for the country to admit Jewish children from Nazi-controlled territory. In total, these transports brought nearly 10,000 Jewish children to safety.
Jewish refugee children arrive in Harwich, England, as part of a Kindertransport (children's transport) from Germany. The Kindertransports were a coordinated relief effort that helped Jewish children escape Nazi Germany and come to the United Kingdom in 1938–1939. United Kingdom, December 2, 1938.
Item View![Jewish refugee children—part of a Children's Transport (Kindertransport)—from Vienna, Austria, arrive at Harwich. [LCID: 73340]](https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/images/large/17debf1a-3380-4aa5-90a4-d26d3c57617c.jpeg "Jewish refugee children—part of a Children's Transport (Kindertransport)—from Vienna, Austria, arrive at Harwich. [LCID: 73340]")
Jewish refugee children from Vienna arrive in Harwich, England. These children came to the United Kingdom on a Kindertransport (children's transport). The Kindertransports were a coordinated relief effort that helped Jewish children escape Nazi Germany and come to the United Kingdom in 1938–1939. United Kingdom, December 12, 1938.
Item View![Jewish refugee children, part of a Children's Transport (Kindertransport) from Germany, upon arrival in Harwich. [LCID: 69286]](https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/images/large/792df13b-cde9-4e28-b729-9223fe34edd9.jpeg "Jewish refugee children, part of a Children's Transport (Kindertransport) from Germany, upon arrival in Harwich. [LCID: 69286]")
Jewish refugee children arrive in Harwich, England, as part of a Kindertransport (children's transport) from Vienna. Upon arrival, the British organizers and volunteers greeted the children and gave them numbers to wear around their necks. United Kingdom, December 12, 1938.
Item View![Two Austrian refugee children, part of a group of predominantly Jewish refugee children on a Children's Transport (Kindertransport), ... [LCID: 81309]](https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/images/large/5ec59759-8725-4c8e-8faa-4e752ad7ce74.jpeg "Two Austrian refugee children, part of a group of predominantly Jewish refugee children on a Children's Transport (Kindertransport), ... [LCID: 81309]")
Two Austrian refugee children, part of a group of predominantly Jewish refugee children on a Children's Transport (Kindertransport), upon their arrival in Great Britain. Harwich, Great Britain, December 12, 1938.
Item View![Jewish refugee children from Germany—part of a Children's Transport (Kindertransport)—at the holiday camp at Dovercourt Bay, ... [LCID: 10673]](https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/images/large/52df7736-cdd2-4358-85cf-7b6098dba4d7.jpeg "Jewish refugee children from Germany—part of a Children's Transport (Kindertransport)—at the holiday camp at Dovercourt Bay, ... [LCID: 10673]")
Jewish refugee children outside their temporary housing at the Dovercourt Bay Holiday Camp near Harwich, England. These children had recently arrived from Germany on a Kindertransport (children's transport). The Kindertransports were a coordinated relief effort that helped Jewish children escape Nazi Germany and come to the United Kingdom in 1938–1939. United Kingdom, after December 2, 1938.
Item View![Passport issued to Gertrud Gerda Levy, who left Germany in August 1939 on a Children's Transport (Kindertransport) to Great Britain. [LCID: 07816]](https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/images/large/444717ae-3620-4ec2-be1c-41d7155a8b8b.jpeg "Passport issued to Gertrud Gerda Levy, who left Germany in August 1939 on a Children's Transport (Kindertransport) to Great Britain. [LCID: 07816]")
Passport issued to Gertrud Gerda Levy, who left Germany in August 1939 on a Children's Transport (Kindertransport) to Great Britain. Berlin, Germany, August 23, 1939.
Item View![Berta and Inge Engelhard play with the pigeons in fron of the Feldherrenhalle in Munich. [LCID: 99683]](https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/images/large/2664e4c2-8d51-4794-9435-e31302ab0340.jpg "Berta and Inge Engelhard play with the pigeons in fron of the Feldherrenhalle in Munich. [LCID: 99683]")
Prewar family photograph of Berta and Inge Engelhard holding pigeons in a public square in Munich. Photograph taken in Munich, Germany, 1937.
Following increased anti-Jewish measures, Berta and brother Theo (not pictured here) left Germany on a Kindertransport in January 1939. Inge followed on a different transport a few months later. While the siblings were eventually housed together in England, they faced many challenges during the war including the pain of separation from their parents.
Parents Moshe and Rachel eventually escaped, and the family was ultimately reunited in England.
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Dorrith was born in Kassel, Germany, on December 8, 1931. Her parents were Hans and Trudi Oppenheim. Following increased anti-Jewish measures, Dorrith was among the children sent on Kindertransports to find refuge in the United Kingdom. She left Germany on July 24, 1939. She never saw her parents again. They were deported to Auschwitz, where they were killed in October 1944.
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