Into the Arms of Strangers: Stories of the Kindertransport

Mark Jonathan Harris, Deborah Oppenheimer

Bloomsbury USA, Sep 30, 2000 - History - 304 pages

For nine months before the outbreak of World War II, Britain conducted an extraordinary rescue mission. It opened its doors to over 10,000 endangered children-90 percent of them Jewish-from Germany, Austria, and Czechoslovakia. These children were taken into foster homes and hostels in Britain, expecting eventually to be reunited with their parents. Most of the children never saw their families again.

Into the Arms of Strangers recounts the remarkable story of this rescue operation, known as the Kindertransport, and its dramatic impact on the lives of the children who were saved. The book is the companion to the feature-length documentary to be released in the theatres by Warner Bros. in Fall 2000. It contains stories in their own words from the child survivors, rescuers, parents, and foster parents. They recount, in harrowing detail, the effects of the Nazi's reign of terror, the horror of Kristallnacht, the agonizing decision by the parents to send their children away, the journey, the difficulties of adjustment in Britain, the outbreak of war, and the children's tragic discovery afterward that most of their parents had perished in concentration camps.

The stories are heartbreaking, but also inspiring. These are the stories of those who survived with the help of others; they are stories about the strength and resolve of children; and most astonishing, these are stories not yet heard about the Holocaust.

About the author

Mark Jonathan Harris, a Harvard graduate, is the two-time Academy Award winner, most recently for the 1997 Best Feature-Length Documentary, "The Long Way Home." He is a Professor and former Chair of the Production Department of the USC School of Cinema/Television. He is also a journalist and author of five award-winning children's novels.

Deborah Oppenheimer is the president of Mohawk Productions, a production company at Warner Bros. She is the executive producer of the television programs, "The Drew Carey Show" and "Norm" and two new upcoming shows for the WB. Her mother was a Kindertransport survivor.

Bibliographic information

• Title: Into the Arms of Strangers: Stories of the Kindertransport
• Editors: Mark Jonathan Harris, Deborah Oppenheimer
• Edition: illustrated
• Publisher: Bloomsbury USA, 2000
• ISBN: 158234101X, 9781582341019
• Length: 304 pages
• Subjects: History / Holocaust