At great personal risk, Gilbert and Eleanor Kraus of Philadelphia traveled to Nazi-controlled Vienna to rescue 50 Jewish children in spring 1939—just months before the start of World War II. Upon arriving, they faced the heartbreaking challenge of choosing which children could withstand leaving their parents and immigrating to the United States with strangers.
Learn More:
Personal Story: Eleanor and Gilbert Kraus
Artifact: Eleanor Kraus Memoir
Artifacts: Identification Papers and Photographs of the 50 Children
Videos: Oral History Interviews Conducted for the Documentary Film “50 Children: The Rescue Mission or Mr. and Mrs. Kraus”
Online Exhibition: Americans and the Holocaust
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Watch videos and read articles about the Holocaust and the conditions that made it possible.