Introduction
On 27th January 2022, the date that Auschwitz was liberated in 1945, we observe International Holocaust Day (Holocaust Memorial Day).
You may be aware that for a limited period of time children were allowed to leave Nazi Germany, on the so-called Kindertransport. You are probably familiar with one or two well-known names in this regard, such as Sir Nicholas Winton.
10% off a book about the Kindertransport
However, there were absolutely loads of people involved in heroic, and highly dangerous, efforts to get children out, most of whom I, and probably you, had never heard of. Fortunately, author Mike Levy has sought to rectify this knowledge gap by writing a book called Get The Children Out: Unsung heroes of the Kindertransport, which will be available from 27th January. The official price is £8.99, but thanks to Nigel Canin of 2Simple and his team, you can buy the book at a 10% discount using this code in the checkout: WKH2022. £1 of the sale of each book supports Safe Passage, which campaigns for and helps child refugees to access legal routes to safety.
What’s Nigel’s connection? He tells me:
“My friend and colleague Jonny Zucker passed away around 5 years ago now, though he is still very much an inspiration. Lemon Soul was something that we began together and it didn’t happen all those years ago.”
I (Terry) met Jonny a few times at the Bett Show, where he was showing the online books in serial mash. He was a brilliant advocate for education, and had been a primary school teacher. However, it’s as an author that he stands out for me. I always thought I was prolific, but he wrote over 100 children’s books! It was part of his quest to get kids reading and writing. You can see the titles here: https://www.lovereading.co.uk/author/Jonny-Zucker/gd/Jonny-Zucker.html
The Kindertransport book has no connection to Jonny, apart from the fact that it will be available from Lemon Soul. However, his book Striker Boy, which is about how a 13 year-old boy gets signed up by a Premier League football club, will be available through the Lemon Soul website in the near future. So, even if the Kindertransport book doesn’t appeal to you, look out for Striker Boy.
About the book
Mike Levy enlightens us about the brave acts of twenty-two men and women who transformed the lives of the Kindertransport children and other refugees.
You have to picture the situation in 1938, when although the British Government waived the visa requirements for children, it didn’t get involved in the practicalities of bringing over thousands of children. The individuals covered in this book took it upon themselves to orchestrate one of the greatest lifesaving missions the world has ever known. Astonishingly, the stories of these rescue missions have remained untold – until now.
'Get the Children Out' is written with the authority and attention to detail one would expect from a respected historian of the Kindertransport. Mike's highly engaging style of storytelling succeeds in making a complex topic accessible to all readers.
About the author
Mike Levy is a professional researcher for the UK Holocaust Memorial Foundation, and the Association for Jewish Refugees. He is also an educator, critic, playwright and journalist. Born in Leeds, married with two grown up children and a two year-old grandson, Mike lives with his wife Sheila in Cambridge.
He holds a fellowship in Holocaust education from the Imperial War Museum and often teaches on the 'Lessons from Auschwitz' programme. In 2012 he was awarded the In Memoria medal by the Polish government for his history play ‘The Invisible Army’. As one half of Keystage Arts and Heritage, he has researched a range of projects, including the British merchant navy in World War II and the life of Samuel Pepys. He is also a regular contributor to the arts magazine ‘The Cambridge Critique’ and gives talks on a whole range of subjects, especially in the sphere of music. However, he is most in demand for the subjects relating to Kindertransport history. He is chair of the Harwich Kindertransport Memorial appeal seeking to create a new sculpture in the port where most of the refugee children disembarked in their new home.
About Lemon Soul
This is taken from the website:
““We are Lemon Soul. It’s publishing with a twist.
Our focus is on books that have an important or positive message to share with the world. All of our books are published in support of amazing charities. Our first release is about the Kindertransport so we teamed up with Safe Passage who help child refugees find legal routes to sanctuary. Through the sale and promotion of our books we help to raise money and awareness for fantastic causes.
We also want to put joy and passion back into publishing, to create an environment where authors feel valued whether their book sells one or one million copies. We consider all types of submissions so feel free to get in touch via email.”
Thanks to Nigel Canin and Samuel de Lange of 2Simple for providing the copy and images for this article. Once again, the website is https://lemonsoul.com and the 10% discount code is WKH2022.
This article originally appeared in Digital Education, my free newsletter. To subscribe to Digital Education, click here: Subscribe.