Host Families

Religious background
Experiences with host families varied to a great extent. While initial efforts were made to place Jewish children in Jewish households according to their family background, the sheer number of refugees later prevented this from happening, and getting the children to safety was tantamount.

A safe new home
Most host families - or individuals - went out of their way to provide a safe and reassuring environment for the children. Showing endless patience with their new charges, they placed great emphasis on the child's development in terms of language, integration into the family, education and religious instruction. They tried their best to empathise with the abuse and persecution the children had experienced under the National Socialists at such a young age, and sometimes exchanged correspondence with the birth parents in addition to the child's letters.

Negative experiences
However, a number of children suffered abuse or were pushed from family to family if it transpired that being separated from their birth parents at such a young age had left psychological scars, or if the family budget no longer stretched to feed an extra mouth.

Domestic Labour
Young Jewish girls especially were at risk of being exploited as domestic servants. On the application form that host families filled in, the question ‘Do you have a maid in your household?’ must have prompted the idea to employ cheap labour in the form of a young Jewish refugee. The majority of children did not dare complain even if they were mistreated as they did not want to seem ungrateful or - if still in touch - add to their parents’ worries.

H’s increasingly carefree and childlike letters bear witness to the fact that we as parents cannot thank you enough for having considerable influence on the future and development of our child through your magnanimity. In spite of our best attempts and deepest love from the both of us, over the last years it was not possible for us to hide our fear of the future from the child, and we are glad that she can now develop happily without this hanging over her. Our attempts to emigrate have not succeeded yet... (Letter from father to host, 11.06.1939)

If you have the opportunity to speak German with the children or adults during the holidays, please do so, as you should not forget it under any circumstances. (Letter from mother to daughter, 07.07.1939)

Dear L, maybe you can find out about an agency or aid organisation who might be able to help us...Your letters are passed around, everyone is glad that you are well and enjoying England..., we are hoping to be able to join you soon. (Letter from mother to daughter, 03.01.1939)

I was homesick, fiercely loyal to my parents and determined to do things their way, not the English way. I had no wish to become a nice little English girl which was Auntie's ambition for me. At the time my attitude seemed to me entirely reasonable; in retrospect I must have been a trying child.