Holocaust survivors came together in Prague this week to name a brand new street in honor of Sir Nicholas Winton, the hero who organized the Kindertransport at the start of the Second World War.
The British scheme saved the lives of more than 10,000 German and Austrian Jewish children who, unaccompanied, fled Nazi persecution to London. It also ensured that 169 mostly Jewish children escaped occupied Czechoslovakia.
The idea to name the new street in the Holešovice, Prague 7 area was initiated by the municipal district, in cooperation with the Memorial of Silence, based at Bubny Station, the departure point for transports carrying tens of thousands of Prague’s Jewish inhabitants to the Nazi ghettos, concentration camps and extermination camps.
The initiative is also supported by both the Federation of Jewish Communities in the Czech Republic and the Association of Jewish Refugees (AJR), which delivers social, welfare and volunteer services to Jewish victims of Nazi oppression living in the UK.
The new “Nicholase Wintona” thoroughfare will link the neighborhoods of Letná and Holešovice, connecting Veletržní and Dělnická Streets, following the route of the former Prague Jewish transports to the ghettos and concentration camps from Bubny railway station.
The new street’s naming coincides with the 85th anniversary of the last planned Winton train, which intended to carry children to safety, but was prevented from doing so, due to the outbreak of World War II on that very day. Its participants later boarded Deutsche Bahn trains, which deported them to Nazi concentration camps from Bubny station.
Lady Grenfell-Baines who traveled from Prague to the UK, as an unaccompanied child, said: “It is deeply moving to be standing here in Prague alongside fellow Winton children, 85 years since the Nazis tore our worlds apart.
“It was through the resourceful and courageous actions of Sir Nicholas Winton and colleagues, that so many Czech Jews were given the chance to make a new life in Great Britain. So today, together with The Association of Jewish Refugees, we are filled with pride to pay tribute to our savior and a great sadness for those we had to leave behind.”
Jan Čižinský, mayor of Prague 7, is pleased to have a street named for Winton in his city. “In Prague 7 we are very proud that a street in our area can bear the name of this exceptional personality. At the same time, the connection between Holešovice and Letná, which we have been striving for a very long time, is the best gift for this year’s 140th anniversary of Prague 7,” he said.
“It is a great honor for the Association of Jewish Refugees to bring together four Winton kinder (children), their families as well as several other descendants to attend this poignant dedication to Sir Nicholas Winton," according to Michael Newman, AJR chief executive.
“It is hugely symbolic that his endeavors are recognized and celebrated as well as to acknowledge the heroism of many others with whom he worked. In remembering Sir Nicholas, we also honor the parents who sent away their children to an uncertain future as well as the foster families who gave sanctuary to the youngest victims of Nazi oppression.
“It is our fervent hope that this memorial will educate and instill in all audiences this vital history, and that the salvation of the Kindertransport will never again be needed,” he added.
Petr Papoušek, chairman of the Federation of Jewish Communities in the Czech Republic said: “Naming a street after Sir Nicholas Winton is not only a tribute to his legacy, but also a clear reminder of the values we must constantly uphold – compassion, courage and justice”.
The future street will be crossed by a railway corridor, following the route of the former Jewish deportations. The street bypassing the Bubny station will commemorate the stories and experiences of the child refugees who fled Nazi-occupied Czechoslovakia via the Kindertransport and the families who made the decision to send their children to Britain.
- This article is reprinted with the permission of the Jewish News