Hamptonians were honoured to welcome Kurt Marx, who escaped Nazi Germany on the Kindertransport at the outbreak of World War Two.
Speaking in the Main Hall, Kurt shared memories of his early life in Cologne, where his parents tried to shield him from the rising tide of antisemitism. That fragile sense of security was shattered on 9 November 1938, when he witnessed the horrors of the November Pogrom (Kristallnacht) first-hand.
Kurt attended the Jawne School in Cologne, a Jewish school led by Dr Erich Klibansky, a visionary educator who foresaw the danger facing his pupils. Dr Klibansky became a key organiser of the Kindertransport, ultimately saving at least 130 children from his school.
In January 1939, Kurt said farewell to his parents, believing they would soon reunite in England. Tragically, both were murdered by the Nazi regime in the Holocaust in 1942 simply because they were Jewish.
Now 100 years old, Kurt, who is a member of the charity, the Association of Jewish Refugees (AJR), spoke movingly to Hamptonians about his life as a young refugee in Bedford, suddenly alone in the world at 15.
During a reception with the Headmaster and five Third Year pupils who have been researching the Kindertransport, Kurt was presented with a copy of the Jawne School Kindertransport list. It was the first time he had seen the document that recorded all the children who accompanied him on his journey to England 87 years ago.
On what was a profoundly moving occasion, Kurt urged today’s young people to stand firm against hatred and intolerance, and to ensure that the atrocities of the Holocaust are never forgotten. His message was clear and powerful:
Work for a world where everyone can live in peace together — because, in the end, we are all the same: human beings.
Third Year Hamptonians also presented information they had learned about the Kindertransport at the recent Remembering & Rethinking Conference organised by the AJR.
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