Families Torn Apart: Jewish Child Refugees in the United States, 1933–45

Video Description

2024 Monna and Otto Weinmann Annual Lecture During the Nazi regime, approximately 1,000 European Jewish youths migrated unaccompanied to the United States through organized refugee efforts. The children and their parents anticipated a painful but short-lived separation, after which the family would reunite and settle in a permanent destination. But for most, the time in transit was prolonged for years—families stranded in Europe often perished from the Nazi onslaught, while children remained housed with foster families or relatives. Join us to hear how Jewish youths framed their experiences of family separation and what these stories reveal about the history of childhood during the Holocaust. Opening remarks Dr. Janice Weinman Shorenstein, New York, NY Speaker Dr. Daniella Doron, Assistant Professor of Jewish Studies, Colgate University Moderator Dr. Lisa M. Leff, Director, Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Center for Advanced Holocaust Studies, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum The Monna and Otto Weinmann Annual Lecture honors Holocaust survivors and their fates, experiences, and accomplishments. Monna Steinbach Weinmann (1906–1991), born in Poland and raised in Austria, fled to England in autumn 1938. Otto Weinmann (1903–1993), born in Vienna and raised in Czechoslovakia, served in the Czechoslovak, French, and British armies; was wounded at Normandy; and received the Croix de Guerre for his valiant contributions during the war. Monna Steinbach and Otto Weinmann married in London in 1941 and immigrated to the United States in 1948. This annual lecture has been made possible by Janice Weinman Shorenstein. The Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Center’s mission is to ensure the long-term growth and vitality of Holocaust studies. To do that, it is essential to provide opportunities for new generations of scholars. The vitality and the integrity of Holocaust studies require openness, independence, and free inquiry so that new ideas are generated and tested through peer review and public debate. The opinions of scholars expressed before, during the course of, or after their activities with the Mandel Center do not represent and are not endorsed by the Museum or its Mandel Center.