Into Hiding

"When Daddy found out that there would be a liquidation of the Ghetto, we hid in the cellar. We usually went there in the afternoon when Mommy would come back from work. I was 7 years old then and I knew about everything. Later we headed for the sewer..."

~ Krystyna Chiger

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Some children escaped capture by the Nazis. Their parents gave them to friends, neighbors, or relatives who were not being pursued by Hitler's campaign. Many of these people cared for the children in a generous and sympathetic way, while others hid the children upon payment, or abused the children in their care.

Up to 10,000 children were sent other countries such as the Netherlands, Palestine, Great Britain and the United States in "Kindertransports" (Children and the Holocaust). These were programs sponsored by those countries that arranged for Jewish children to be transported abroad without their parents to waiting families. There was a fee for this, for example, in Great Britain, 50 pounds sterling was paid to Germany per child. The money was provided by the citizens rather than the British government. The children were the absorbed into their new family and nation.

                                                                                   Children on a British kindertransport.

Paul M Cohn: Childhood in Hamburg - Read Paul M. Cohn' story his time on and after a kindertransport from Hamburg to England.

Other Jewish children remained in German-occupied states, but were disguised, hidden in Catholic families. Young Jewish girls (and boys) were hidden in convents in the care of the nuns.

The child would be given a new name, and learned to practice Christian prayers and customs. Some Jewish boys were disguised by their mother as girls, allowing their hair to grow long and dressing them in girls' clothing. They were even instructed to sit down on the toilet during use so as not to attract suspicion.

Yet other children who remained in Germany were physically hidden from sight during the Holocaust. They spent their days absolutely silent, concealed in attics, cellars, barns, holes, closets, city sewers, and any other safe place they could find. Their presence was sometimes known by the owner of the hiding place, and sometimes not. The children may have spent the entire war years tucked away in darkness, without adequate nourishment. But they did survive the Nazi machine (Children & the Holocaust). 

These hidden children often suffered the effects of identity crises during and after the Holocaust. Being separated from their families and homes was trauma enough, and taking on a new personal identity added to their mental and emotional disorientation. After the war, when they were allowed to come out of hiding, many had forgotten their original families, and even their given names. They found it difficult to reassume the Jewish faith and heritage again, and yet could not assimilate fully into Christian life.

Krystyna's Story - Read 7-year-old Krystyna Chiger's story about her time hiding in a sewer.

Anne Frank - Learn about her experience hiding in a secret room behind a bookshelf. Explore this website.

Beyond Secret Tears - Read 4-year-old Lili Silberman's story about her life in a Protestant convent.