As time marches forward, it is our task to remember and learn about the Shoah; the stories of those that were lost as well as the those who survived.
In the aftermath of the November 9, 1938 Kristallnacht (“Night of Broken Glass”) pogrom in the German Reich, the Jews of Britain initiated a unique rescue operation, now known as ‘Kindertransport’. Within days they obtained the permission of the government and in the nine months leading up to World War II, with aid from Quaker and other non-Jewish refugee organizations, the Kindertransport brought approximately ten thousand unaccompanied children from Germany, Austria, Czechoslovakia, and Poland to safety in Britain. The Kindertransport rescued and relocated over 10,000 Jewish refugee children up to the age of 17 into England. One of these children was Leo Frydman.
On Sunday morning November 17, the Temple Torat Emet Men’s Club (Boynton Beach) was honored to host Kindertransport survivor Leo Frydman at a special Men’s Club breakfast program in commemoration of Kristallnaght. Almost sixty fifty men and women were on the edge of their seats as Leo shared his personal story of survival.
During June of 1939, Leo (then 6-1/2 years old), his older brothers and younger sister left Munich on a Kindertransport for the England. His parents were able to leave for Belgium but when the Nazis conquered Belgium, his parents were never heard from after 1942 and he does not know which camp they perished in. Leo was separated from his siblings for a while before the older non-Jewish couple caring for his younger sister decided they could care for him as well. During the Nazi bombing, he and many others were evacuated to the English countryside. When Leo turned ten, he was placed in a Jewish hostel in order to have a Bar Mitzvah. After the war, his sister emigrated to Israel while he and his brothers left for America.
Yasher Koach and Kol HaKavod to the Temple Torat Emet Men’s Club for organizing this important breakfast program. Learn more about the Temple Torat Emet Men’s Club at https://templetoratemet.org/mens-club/ or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/groups/TTEMC.
The Kindertransport Association maintains an active SPEAKERS BUREAU comprised of Kindertransport survivors, their adult children (KT2s) and grandchildren (KT3s) who are able to speak in person or remotely via Zoom. For more information about the Kindertransport Association or to request a speaker for your Men’s Club, Brotherhood or Synagogue, please contact Kindertransport Speaker Bureau Chair Alan Peizer at speaker@kindertransport.org or visit https://kindertransport.org/education/request-a-speaker/.
This message is brought to you by the Florida Region of the Federation of Jewish Men’s Clubs. We serve the needs of affiliated Men’s Clubs and Brotherhoods throughout the State of Florida. Learn more about the FJMC Florida Region and our growing network of Jewish Men’s Clubs and Brotherhoods at: www.floridaregionfjmc.org and please visit & LIKE our Facebook Group at: www.facebook.com/FloridaRegionFJMC.
The FJMC is a confederation of over 200 Jewish Men’s Clubs and Brotherhoods representing over 20,000 members across the United States, Canada, Latin America, and beyond. Learn how YOUR Jewish Men’s Club or Brotherhood can affiliate with the FJMC at: https://fjmc.org/for-clubs/affiliating-with-the-fjmc/.
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