Tom Conti hosted AJR’s Kindertransport concert at Wigmore Hall commemorating 85 years since this humanitarian rescue mission.
On Sunday 12 May 2024 at Wigmore Hall, 85 years since the Kindertransport brought the youngest victims of Nazi terror to safety in Great Britain – actor Tom Conti led tributes at a commemorative concert, organised by the AJR to remember their dramatic escape from Hitler’s persecution.
The Kindertransport (Children’s Transport) was a unique humanitarian mission through which approximately 10,000 children, the majority of whom were Jewish, were rescued from Nazi-controlled territories, during the nine months prior to the outbreak of World War II.
Tom Conti took on the role as the concert’s compere, having recently played renowned German-Jewish refugee Albert Einstein, shortly after the Jewish scientist fled Nazi Germany, in hit movie Oppenheimer.
Addressing the packed-out event at Wigmore Hall, Tom Conti said: “As the son of an Italian immigrant father, I had some experience of what it was like to be an alien. For the children of the Kindertransport – thrust into new life, in a strange land, without their parents – it must have been terrifying. That’s why I was honoured that The Association of Jewish Refugees (AJR) approached me to present today’s concert. The Kinder represent strength and courage in the face of adversity and have an invaluable lesson to teach us all, about the perils of prejudice and discrimination.”
Gathering to commemorate the heroes who made the miraculous humanitarian feat possible, the 500+ audience included a number of Kinder and their descendants, as well as the family of Sir Nicholas Winton. Famed for being one of the key organisers of the rescue of 669 children from Nazi-occupied Czechoslovakia, Sir Nicholas’s endeavours were recenty depicted in the film ‘One Life‘.
In his opening remarks, Michael Newman, CEO The Association of Jewish Refugees highlighted the importance of marking milestones in the history of the Shoah: “Today’s concert highlights the rich tapestry of family and heritage the Kinder left behind and the chance they were given to make a new life in Great Britain. It is deeply moving to listen to the music of continental Europe, alongside the very people who made their escape 85-years ago. It is our fervent wish that this important commemoration will help to further remembrance of the Kindertransport and the Holocaust”.
The music was performed by one of the UK’s most accomplished chamber groups, Leonore Piano Trio. The group moved onlookers with a mix of central European and British compositions, by musical masters Beethoven, Haydn and Novak – chosen to reflect the heritage and culture of the child refugees.
During proceedings, eight of the original children, who found sanctuary in the UK stood to an emotional display of applause. The Kinder included Winton children Lady Grenfell-Baines, Lord Dubs, Peter Schiller and Bronia Snow, as well as Albert Lester, Maria Ault, Anne Woolf-Skinner, Bob Kirk, Elisabeth Marcuse, Kurt Marx and Ruth Jacobs.
Reflecting on the sad reality that the Kindertransport anniversary year coincides with a time of increased sensitivity and concern for Jewish people, in this country and globally – AJR CEO Michael Newman, added: “It is a priority for The Association of Jewish Refugees (AJR) especially at this time of increased antisemitism, to instill in all audiences the universality of the Holocaust, its lessons and its warnings in the hope that it can never recur and that the salvation of the Kindertransport will never again be needed”.
The Association of Jewish Refugees is the leading national charity exclusively delivering social, welfare and volunteer services to Jewish victims of Nazi oppression living in UK, arranged the concert, as part of its nine-month programme of landmark events, memorialising the 85th anniversary of the Kindertransport. Events included arranging for His Majesty The King to meet with the Kinder last November.
Other honourable guests included Lord Pickles – The UK Envoy for Post Holocaust Issues and representatives from the German, Austrian and Czech embassies.
Watch the concert online, and read the commemorative brochure.
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