First Kindertransport Arrives in the United Kingdom

On December 2, 1938, a group of around 200 Jewish children from Nazi Germany arrived by ship in Harwich, England. These children were part of the first Kindertransport.

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.