Train to Life

The Kindertransport: A Children’s Adventure

London, Chanukah 1938

It was a freezing cold Shabbos morning, the winter sun shining low down in the sky. Liverpool Street station was crowded with Londoners enjoying their day off. Birds flew from perch to perch under the high roof, while families chattered and porters wheeled carts of luggage to the platforms.

Right on time, at 11:04, a black train steamed into the station, white clouds billowing from its engine. The train stopped at the platform, and the doors rolled open.

Passersby stopped to stare. Something was different about this train. Instead of adults or families, the passengers who stepped down were a large group of foreign-looking children. Tiny little boys and girls held tightly to bigger children. They were dressed for winter in fur-trimmed coats and warm gloves, knitted scarves, and hats. Each child carried a small suitcase, and some of the little ones had a numbered tag around their neck.

The children stood together on the platform in a big, tight group. They looked around, as if bewildered by the noise and the English language that swirled around them.