Friday, July 11, 2025
Woodmere Middle School eighth graders Romy Fruman and Harley Moritz presented to both Hewlett and Ogden Elementary schools students on the Kindertransport.
What started out as a social studies school project has evolved into a passion for learning and sharing information about the Holocaust, most specifically the Kindertransport, for the two middle school students.
The duo spoke to Mary Ann Rutter’s class at Hewlett Elementary, on May 19 and 150 fourth and fifth graders at Ogden, on June 3. The Kindertransport was a rescue effort that transported nearly 10,000 mostly Jewish refugee children to Great Britain from Nazi Germany between December 1938 and May 1940.
Fruman is a former student of Rutter and Assistant Principal Reina Hall. Fruman’s mother contacted the school about the project the girls worked on to set up a presentation.
“I feel that they spoke a little bit in generality about World War II and they talked a lot about compassion and what a lot of children have gone through,” Rutter said.
Hall said that the theme of the project was a testament to the courage and resilience of the Kindertransport survivors.
“They were so passionate and so well-versed in sharing the information and letting the children know what children their age went through in another time in history,” Hewlett Elementary School Principal Heather Sosnovsky said. “They explained it in a way where the kids understood what the children went through and to accept others no matter their differences.”
During the presentations, the students and staff learned that the children of the Kindertransport inspired the creation of Paddington Bear. The Kindertransport children had badges around their neck with their name and address, Paddington’s tag reads, “Please look after this bear.”
“I feel like we everyday work on care here in our everyday lives, but when we go back in history it shows how the same things were done back then as we’re doing it now,” Rutter said. “I think it was really good for them to see full circle the life experience children their age went through.”
Ogden Principal Nicola Lynch noted that the students were attentive and understanding of the presentation and asked a lot of follow up questions.
“The girls were fantastic, they were so prepared with the point they wanted to make, their documentary and came with artifacts and photos from survivors,” Lynch said.
Before the girls arrival, Lynch read the story “Nicky and Vera” by Peter Sis that tells the story of Nicholas Winton and the creation of the Kindertransport.
“It gave them a little bit of background and gave them a little bit of an idea about what they were going to be hearing,” Lynch added. “They weren’t prepared to hear and see all the wonderful artifacts the girls had been collecting over time.”
The girls received support for the presentations from many levels including their Principal John Andruszkiewicz.
“I think anytime the kids find something that their passionate about it’s important to support them fully,” Andruszkiewicz said. “The students absolutely loved it and the girls were very methodical in their presentation in how they explained it.”
As the grandson of two World War II soldiers, Andruszkiewicz is deeply ingrained on the history surrounding their project.
“The girls brought to light a topic that not many people might know about,” he said. “It was an informative presentation, I even learned a few things. They are the types of kids that will turn the world upside down in a good way.”
