Kindertransport statue unveiled in Hook of Holland

Astatue dedicated to the Kindertransport was unveiled at a moving ceremony in the Hook of Holland at the end of November. Designed by the internationally acclaimed sculptor Frank Meisler, ‘Channel Crossing to Life’ commemorates the role played by Dutch people in helping to rescue Jewish children fleeing Nazi oppression. Kinder who now live in Germany, Switzerland, the USA and Israel, as well as a group of 15 AJR members from the UK, joined schoolchildren from the Hook of Holland, who carried lanterns lighting the path to the statue and presented Kinder with roses. Following speeches by Frank Meisler and the Mayor of Rotterdam, Ahmed Aboutaleb, Sir Erich Reich, Chairman of the AJR’s Kindertransport Committee, gave thanks to the Dutch people who helped ensure the safe passage of the children to Britain. Speaking ahead of the unveiling of the statue, which is supported by the AJR, Sir Erich said: ‘This statue is a fitting memorial to all who perished at the hands of the Nazis and will be a permanent reminder of the continuing need to fight intolerance, racism and anti-Semitism.’ Guests at the unveiling included the Vice-President of the Bundestag, Petra Pau, and the families of Kinder, including their children, grandchildren and greatgrandchildren. The date of the unveiling was symbolic, marking the eve of the 73rd anniversary of the first Kindertransport to leave Continental Europe. Frank Meisler has also created statues commemorating the Kindertransport at Liverpool Street Station in London, Gdansk in Poland, and Berlin’s Friedrichstrasse Station. AJR member Professor Leslie Baruch Brent, who attended the unveiling, also gave an address at the opening of the plenary of the Task Force for International Co-operation on Holocaust Education, Remembrance and Research, which was meeting in The Hague in the same week.