Comments on: "Save one life, save the world."

"Save one life, save the world."

zarq — Sun, 24 Nov 2013 17:03:14 -0800

In 1988, Nicholas Winton appeared on the BBC program "That's Life."

Background: Mr. Winton organized the rescue of 669 mostly Jewish children from German-occupied Czechoslovakia on the eve of World War II in an operation later known as the Czech Kindertransport. "Winton, then a young stockbroker, began a British office for refugee children and forged passports, visas, and adoption papers to get 7- to 9-year-olds out of German territory and into homes in Britain and Scotland. 'It wasn't getting the children out which was difficult — it was that no one else tried.' And how did he deal with the Nazis' bureaucratic objections? "I told them politely in German, 'Go to hell.'" About the program, from the UK Telegraph: Sir Nicholas Winton meets the Holocaust survivors he helped save. NPR: Finding A Hero Amid Fading Memories. More from Jewish Virtual Library and Wikipedia.

By: zarq

zarq — Sun, 24 Nov 2013 17:04:00 -0800

Sir Nicholas Winton celebrated his 100th birthday on May 19th, 2009. He is now 104. As of 2009, the direct descendants of "Winton's Children" numbered over 5,000 people.

By: slater

slater — Sun, 24 Nov 2013 17:24:04 -0800

:')

By: _paegan_

_paegan_ — Sun, 24 Nov 2013 18:08:22 -0800

Oh, bless* his sweet heart! Heroes come in all shapes and circumstances; immediate personal danger is not a requirement. This man is one of mankind's heroes. His modesty is adorable. * By who, I wouldn't know. I'm not a believer in anything. But, this man... awwww.

By: jaduncan

jaduncan — Sun, 24 Nov 2013 18:09:34 -0800

Hava nagila! :)

By: arcticseal

arcticseal — Sun, 24 Nov 2013 18:32:12 -0800

save one life, save the world Indeed. We need more people like this gentleman.

By: axiom

axiom — Sun, 24 Nov 2013 20:05:30 -0800

He did this aged 29! I don't care how British and modest he wants to be about it, that's absolutely extraordinary. I can't imagine being in that position and, even if one realized that the children needed saving, managing to actually navigate the bureaucratic process and logistical issues, and I'm not 29 anymore.

By: Hogshead

Hogshead — Mon, 25 Nov 2013 03:56:59 -0800

When I was at boarding school in the late 70s, I remember one of my schoolmasters—who was not prone to flights of exaggeration—describing how he had taken a trip over to Germany shortly before WWII to help someone he knew arrange the evacuation of Jewish children. I can't remember many details and I certainly can't remember the name, but he gave us the impression that it was one man working almost entirely alone. I'll never know if he was talking about Winton, but I like to think he was. (The schoolmaster's name was Oliver Johnson—no relation to the author I later published—and he was the only teacher I remember with any fondness. A delightful man.)

By: newdaddy

newdaddy — Mon, 25 Nov 2013 03:57:01 -0800

Thanks sincerely for posting this. Every one of these stories makes me cry.

By: epo

epo — Mon, 25 Nov 2013 05:07:21 -0800

War really can bring out the best in some people. Nicholas Winton may not be a hero in the usual sense of the word but he is a great human being and his self-effacement is itself almost heroic.

By: viggorlijah

viggorlijah — Mon, 25 Nov 2013 06:55:48 -0800

Something I noticed and melted at - he recorded their origins and tracked their placements. During an emergency like wartime, children are moved and it often slides into a kind of justified trafficking for adoption, with a saviour or profit motive, but he was saving children, not himself or their adoptive parents, but the kids for their families. I've heard people use the past of Nazi war orphans as justification for illegal adoption trafficking, and it was just so nice to see that detail.

By: IAmBroom

IAmBroom — Mon, 25 Nov 2013 12:19:40 -0800

epo: "War really can bring out the best in some people. Nicholas Winton may not be a hero in the usual sense of the word but he is a great human being and his self-effacement is itself almost heroic." Pretty sure 90% of the world would agree he's a hero, so I'm not sure what definition you're going by.

By: Joe in Australia

Joe in Australia — Wed, 04 Dec 2013 20:59:43 -0800

London marks 75th anniversary of Kindertransport During Hanukkah 1938, just weeks after Kristallnacht, children fleeing Nazi-occupied Europe began their historic journeys to foster care in the UK