50 children : one ordinary American couple's extraordinary rescue mission into the heart of Nazi Germany by Pressman, Steven, 1955- author, Shapiro, Paul A., writer of afterword instant download

50 children : one ordinary American couple's extraordinary rescue mission into the heart of Nazi Germany by Pressman, Steven, 1955- author, Shapiro, Paul A., writer of afterword instant download

xiv, 296 pages, 16 unnumbered pages of plates : 24 cm, This is the astonishing true story of how one American couple transported fifty Jewish children from Nazi-occupied Austria to America -- the single largest group of unaccompanied refugee children allowed into the United States. In early 1939, America's rigid immigration laws made it virtually impossible for European Jews to seek safe haven in the United States. As deep-seated anti-Semitism and isolationism gripped much of the country, neither President Roosevelt nor Congress rallied to their aid. Yet one brave Jewish couple from Philadelphia refused to silently stand by. Risking their own safety, Gilbert Kraus, a successful lawyer, and his stylish wife, Eleanor, traveled to Nazi-controlled Vienna and Berlin to save fifty Jewish children. Steven Pressman brought the Kraus's rescue mission to life in his 2013 HBO documentary, 50 Children. In this book, he expands upon the story, offering additional historical detail and context to a portrait of this ordinary couple and their extraordinary actions. Drawing from Eleanor Kraus's unpublished memoir, rare historical documents, and interviews with more than a dozen of the surviving children, and illustrated with period photographs, archival materials, and memorabilia, 50 Children is a tale of personal courage and triumphant heroism that offers a unique insight into a critical period of history, Includes bibliographical references (pages 267-280) and index, The plan -- The rescue -- New lives