Review by Choice Review
When German Jews sought places of refuge from Nazi persecution beginning in 1933, one obvious choice was Britain. The Chamberlain government was not eager to admit Jews, especially those without means. However, prompted by its patrician leadership, the Jewish community of England undertook to finance and organize a maximal refugee help effort that brought many thousands of Jews, including about 10,000 unaccompanied children (the so-called Kindertransporte) to Britain, especially during the darkest years following the pogrom of November 1938. Unfortunately and ironically, as suspicious "enemy aliens," the refugees were mistreated (even put behind barbed wire in some instances during the war). Gottlieb, who has taught a Holocaust course at the University of Illinois and was herself involved in relief efforts after the war, has used archival evidence, especially from the hitherto unused files of the Central British Fund for German Jewry, to reconstruct the organized activities. Some parts of her account, i.e., the details of financing, are less interesting than the stories of the refugee experiences. But all in all, the tale is well told. Regrettably, there is no bibliography. All levels. M. A. Meyer; Hebrew Union College--Jewish Institute of Religion
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Choice Review
