Truus Wijsmuller, a recognised hero, is not a household name but will be familiar to anyone with a knowledge of the Kindertransport. A Dutch social worker, she was sent to negotiate a rescue deal with Adolf Eichmann. The first transport was possibly a joke by Eichmann but Wijsmuller was able to fill a train with Jewish children within a couple of days. She was allowed to repeat this regularly with no more than 150 children on each transport. She continued until the last ship left IJmuiden in Holland on 14 May 1940, the day The Netherlands capitulated to Germany. Her efforts were instrumental in rescuing some 10,000 children – the Kinder. Truus was one of the first rescuers honoured as a Righteous Gentile (in 1966).
The Second Generation Network has arranged a time-limited viewing of the documentary with a donation of €10 (approximately £8.50) to the Truus Wijsmuller Archive.
To receive your private film viewing link register at: https://truus-children_tickets.eventbrite.co.uk
Events
Tuesday 6 April 2021 – Book Club: Hadley Freeman (3G) , author of “House of Glass” in Conversation with Tania Barnett
Another in our occasional series of Book Club events where we have the chance to hear from and talk to Hadley Freeman, the Third Generation author whose work was reviewed in Second Generation Voices. An opportunity for an interactive dialogue between members of the Second and Third generations, who are exploring their own family’s story.
Hadley Freeman’s book, House of Glass: The story and secrets of a twentieth-century Jewish family, is a Sunday Times Top Ten bestseller.
Tuesday 9 March 2021 – Discussion Group meeting: Remembering the Forgotten Exiles
This follows the very well attended presentations given by Jennifer Craig-Norton on ”Domestic Visas’, the experiences of our parents and grandparents who escaped to the UK by this means, and the impact that this has had on subsequent generations.
6.15 for 6.30pm. to give everyone time to set up and check their Zoom connection. Numbers are limited.
If you would like to attend this discussion group meeting, please email davidwirth@
Thursday 7th January 2021 – Keepsakes of the Kindertransport/Holocaust Art Book Project
Caroline Slifkin will speak to the Network about her commemorative art project and the creative works submitted by members of the Second and Third Generations. Caroline Slifkin is an artist and a Holocaust educator who specialises in teaching about the Holocaust through Holocaust Art. A Fellow of the Imperial War Museum London in Holocaust Education, with a project in Holocaust Arts Education, ‘Art in the Shadow of Death’; a Fellow of Royal Holloway University of London in Holocaust and Jewish Civilisation; a Yad Vashem graduate; and a Freelance educator for the Holocaust Educational Trust.
Keepsakes of the Kindertransport/Holocaust creative art book project
In lockdown we have had to find more creative ways to work together and learn. This project is a way to use the time to reflect, revisit and share stories and experiences with each other. Creating individual pieces, that will be joined with others in a collaborative art book, is a way of staying connected, feeling part of the community, connecting locally, nationally and internationally with one another. The project is open to members of the Second and Third Generations (Kinder, Holocaust survivors and refugees) around the world. The deadline is the end of December 2020.
How to get involved:
Create your own reflective piece/s and email it/them to Caroline: email caroline.slifkin@tiscali.co.uk
Size: Maximum for each piece – A4 – 210 × 297 mm or 8.3 × 11.7 inches.
Materials: any drawing, painting, written words, quotes, mixed media, collage, and copies of photographs and documents. Anything two-dimensional, as all pieces will be collated to make a handmade art book.
Tuesday 8th December 2020 – Second Generation Experience in Holland
Network Member, Sue Smeding, will talk about her work at the Anne Frank house in Amsterdam, and how the Second Generation experience in Holland differs from that in the UK. If circumstances allow, Sue will do the talk from the Anne Frank house itself. Full details to follow.
Tuesday 10th November 2020 – Discussion Group: The Concept of Rescue
Who was saved? How? By whom? What are the lasting impacts on the Second and Third Generations? Network Member Naomi Levy will introduce this topic, focusing on her work to uncover and explore her mother’s story that involve rescue organisations during and after the Holocaust, in Poland, Slovakia, Hungary and France. An informal discussion group for
members of the Second and Third Generations and a chance for you to share your own experiences and legacies. Start time 6.15pm for 6.30pm to give people time to set up and check their Zoom connection. Numbers are limited and Network members will be given priority. A Zoom link will be provided. To receive your Zoom invitation, please check the Second Generation Network emails nearer the time.