| Holocaust
Remembrance Day on April 28th emphasizes the response of Americans
to the widespread persecution of the Jews in Europe. A recently
published book by Steven Pressman, 50 Children: One Ordinary
American Couple’s Extraordinary Rescue Mission into
the Heart of Nazi Germany, is a gripping story. The author
superbly intertwines the events of the Nazi tyranny toward
the Jews with the theme of hope, showing how two Jewish Americans,
Gil and Eleanor Krause, became involved with rescuing refugees
in 1939.
The book is based on the HBO
documentary 50 Children: The Rescue Mission of Mr.
and Mrs. Kraus, yet has a much more in-depth description
of the Krauses’ life and the rescue itself. The first
part of the book discusses the events in Germany and America
that led to the desire by Gil and Eleanor to initiate a plan
of rescue. The second part of the book goes into a fascinating
account of the rescue itself and how the children were chosen.
The author explains that in 1939 Jews were encouraged to leave
after all their possessions were seized. The last part of
the book allows the readers to gain a glimpse of the children’s
lives as they adjust to America and afterward.
Pressman stated, “I wanted to weave the rescue with
the historical events happening in Europe at that time. I
did not think the story could be told without telling the
story of Kristallnacht, a series of coordinated attacks against
the Jews, and that story could not be told without explaining
how Austria was annexed by Germany. I wanted to show the broader
historical context but also to explain how these two secular
Jews took action at a time when it was still possible to save
lives. They left their own two children at home while risking
danger by entering Nazi Germany to save the lives of children
they did not know.”
Pressman is hoping that readers understand that the Krauses
faced many obstacles, some obvious and some not so obvious.
The obvious is the Nazi regime itself. Pressman noted, “In
Austria there were banners and storm troopers everywhere.
There were signs in almost all the shops that said ‘Jews
are forbidden here.’ They knew as Jews they were in
the belly of the beast. They literally had to sit across the
desk from a Gestapo officer explaining how they planned on
taking the fifty Jewish children to America.”
Anyone who has read about pre-WWII events might have grasped
how America’s immigration laws, leaders, and indifferent
administrative departments prevented many Jews from being
rescued. The State Department actively thwarted Jews from
legally entering America. Pressman gives a very good detailed
account how the number of visas in the 1930’s actually
exceeded the number of immigrants who actually enterer the
US, mainly due to the State Department’s employees who
had no sympathy for the plight of the Jews and were openly
anti-Semitic, such as Breckinridge Long. A powerful quote
from one of those who were rescued, “This was a
time when everybody could get out but nobody would let us
in.”
The not-so-obvious obstacle Pressman informatively discusses
is that the Krauses had to deal with their fellow American
Jews. For some it was pure jealously and for the organizations
there were turf wars. Yet, for others, it was the constant
fear of backlash that Jews had to live under, even in America.
The book has a telling public opinion poll, while 95% of the
America public was against liberalizing the immigration laws
a more telling statistic is that 25% of American Jews also
did not want to increase immigration.
50 Children: One Ordinary American Couple’s Extraordinary
Rescue Mission into the Heart of Nazi Germany is a brilliantly
written book that takes the reader on a journey back in time.
Yet, it is relevant today because Gil and Eleanor’s
story proves that individuals with courage and strength can
overcome the odds. In this case, the fifty children saved
by the Krauses turned out to be the single largest group of
unaccompanied children brought to America. Everyone should
take the time on April 28th to remember that fewer than 1,200
unaccompanied children were allowed into the United States
throughout the entire Holocaust, in which 1.5 million children
perished. Steven Pressman’s book reminds us of that
and is a very insightful read.
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