Gathering The Voices Scotland

Testimonies of Holocaust survivors who settled in Scotland

The Holocaust Timeline

1938 to 1940

Go back to 1933

November 1938

Kristallnacht
(Night of Broken Glass)

This is a co-ordinated attack on Jews and their property thought Germany

Now I realise it was probably the most dangerous thing I’ve ever done in my life, but nobody paid any attention to me, and of course when I saw what was happening, I went home. But I saw the synagogue was burning, the fire had spread to the roof of the school, and the fire brigade standing by making sure that none of the non-Jewish property was on fire,

….and everybody looking at it and enjoying themselves. The non-Jews I mean. And I just went back home. It wasn’t until later that I discovered that this had been part of a, a major attack on the Jewish…

Extract from Isi Metzstein

December 1938

Kindertransport

First Group of Kinder transport children arrive at Harwich, Great Britain

The British Parliament was approached by the ‘Movement for the Care of Children of Germany’ to hasten the travel permits.

The funds were to be found to guarantee £50.00 (roughly £1000.00 in today’s money) for every child brought to this country by Kindertransport. By the time the war started in September ’39 it is estimated that 10,000 children were brought to safety in this country.

Considering that the average wage at that time was under £3.00 per week, this was a truly momentous fundraising exercise.

Extract from Bob Mackenzie

January 1939

Hitler Announces in the Reichstag that the outbreak of war will mean the end of European Jewry

September 1939

Germany invades Poland

German invades Poland

The Army invades Poland. Start of Second World war. Jewish citizens of Poland number 3.3 million, about 10% of the total population

And so we never went home from the holiday house we went east, variously by train to begin with and then by horse and cart and in various ways. And being bombed on the way by the German planes, you know coming down and finally we got to this estate where my Aunt was.

Extract from Marion Camrass

June 1940

Global War

France is conquered in June 1940
Russia is attacked in June 1941
USA enters war in Dec 1941
Hungary occupied from March 1944

As I said, the speed at which things were going. 15th March they came in and 16th March you already had to wear the yellow star and then you had to move to what was called the ghetto

Extract from Susan Singerman

January 1940

Oswiecim (Auschwitz)

Nazis choose town of Oswiecim (Auschwitz) in Poland as site for new concentration camp

Go to June 1941