Eighty years after the operation to provide safe haven for 10,000 unaccompanied child refugees, how should the Kindertransport be remembered?
This is a significant question for Kitchener families – in part because the two schemes were organised and funded by the same people and institutions; in part because some Kindertransport boys ended up at Kitchener camp for some weeks; and in part because some Kitchener men’s children were on the Kindertransport. In other words, there is significant overlap between these two rescues.
At Remembering & Rethinking: The international forum on the Kindertransport at 80, the question of how the Kindertransport should be remembered will bring together experts, eyewitnesses, and stakeholders from numerous countries.
This landmark event, co-sponsored by the Association of Jewish Refugees (AJR) and the UK Special Envoy for Post-Holocaust Issues, The Rt Hon. the Lord Pickles, will take place from 15-16 April at Lancaster House in London.
The forum aims to build bridges between scholars, educators, practitioners, policy-makers, and those who may have a more personal or tangential interest in the subject.
Speakers include journalist Hella Pick; Mark Hetfield, President of HIAS; noted psychiatrist Professor Sir Simon Wessely; and representatives from international educational and remembrance institutions.
For more information and to purchase tickets to the international forum, please visit: https://internationalforum.eventbrite.com
Aims of the international forum
Rethinking the historical narrative – With the UK engaging in a government-led process that will shape Holocaust memory for the next generation and beyond, the forum will provide a platform for scholars whose work highlights the refugee experience in all its historical complexity, helping to establish its central place in the British narrative.
Putting ‘remembering’ into practice — The present day refugee crisis represents a clear example of how an understanding of the events of the 1930s and 1940s can and should inform policies and attitudes today. The international forum will address the contemporary relevance of the Jewish refugee experience and hear the voices of experts on this subject.
Highlighting good practice – The AJR is the UK’s largest dedicated funder of Holocaust educational and remembrance programmes. In this capacity, we promote innovation and impact-led programming within Britain’s leading Holocaust education and remembrance organisations and beyond. The forum will provide an opportunity for institutions to network and showcase their output for the benefit of domestic and international counterparts.
Target audience & content
The conference aims to build bridges between scholars, educators, practitioners, policy makers, and those who may have a more personal or tangential interest in the subject. Participation is particularly encouraged amongst:
- Academics/scholars
- Survivors/refugees, including Kinder and their descendants
- Teachers
- Holocaust remembrance/education sector stakeholders
- Stakeholders working on contemporary refugee issues
- Journalists
- Parliamentarians
- Diplomats
Registration & fees
Two days: £60 / £40 with concessions (Students, AJR members)
Single day: £40 / £30 with concessions
