Friday, June 13, 2025
A social studies project evolved into a profound Holocaust history lesson for two eighth-graders who interviewed a Kindertransport survivor.
Harley Moritz and Romy Fruman, eighth graders at Woodmere Middle School, spoke with Manfred Korman, 93, about his experiences during the Kindertransport — a rescue effort, transporting nearly 10,00 mostly Jewish refugee children to Great Britain from Nazi Germany between December 1938 and May 1940, according to the Holocaust Encyclopedia.
The students are creating a documentary to preserve Korman’s story for their National History Day project at school.
“We knew we wanted to do something with the Holocaust so we went up to our teacher and asked for some recommendations,” Fruman said. “We watched the movie One Life about Nicholas Winton and wanted to go further down that route. She suggested the Kindertransport, and we started researching about it and fell in love with the topic.”
Moritz and Fruman felt it was important to do something that represents their Jewish heritage. They found the Kindertransport to be particularly imperative to share, they said.
“It was a very big thing at that time so we need to make recognition for it in the future, so everyone can know remember it,” Moritz said.
The girls connected to Korman with help from the Holocaust Museum in New York City and staff at the Marion & Aaron Gural JCC.
Each girl wrote down specific questions for Korman and prepared before the interview to go over what they were each going to ask about.
“We were very nervous but so excited to hear what he had to say because not a lot of people would get this opportunity to speak with someone who experienced this in their life,” Fruman said.
Korman, born in Hamburg, Germany on Dec. 21, 1931, was seven years old when he was sent to Poland via train.
“Only a select group of Jews in Germany were deported, only heads of households who were born in Poland,” Korman said. “I am convinced in this stage in my life that the Nazi government said we can get rid of Jews quickly.”
Korman and his family lived in a horse stable where straw was thrown on the floor for them, he said. When released, his family lived in a small room in a town in Poland.
In April 1939, the German government persuaded his father to come back and “take care of the apartment.”
Not knowing if her husband would return, Korman’s mother sent Manfred with his brother, Gerd, to the Kindertransport program.
“It was a gamble, and she didn’t know if she would see us again,” Korman added. “We left for England on Aug. 24, 1939 and on Sept. 1, 1939 Hitler bombed Warsaw and WWII began.”
Moritz and Fruman we’re grateful for the opportunity to learn about the Kindertransport from Korman.
“We were very fortunate to connect speak with him, it was a very moving experience,” Moritz said.
