Identity and Belonging

Jews who escaped the Nazis had to leave behind their homes, synagogues, friends and loved ones. Separation from community made it hard to hold onto pre-war identities. This was especially true for children. For example, Jewish children sent to safety in Britain on the Kindertransport rescue had to leave their parents behind. Many never saw them again. These children spent the war in Britain, away from home and family. It was hard for the children to remember their lives and families before the war. They struggled to find a sense of belonging. 

Most Jewish children who survived in Nazi-occupied Europe did so by hiding. They hid with Christian families, in homes, orphanages or convents, using false identities. Some Jewish children were baptized to make their new Christian identities more believable. They took on new names and families, learned new prayers and languages. They had to move often to avoid being discovered. While these measures were necessary to protect the lives of hidden children, they created complex questions of identity.  

For hidden children, the trauma did not end with the war. Reunions with their parents were happy but also painful and confusing. Many children were too young to remember their parents. It was difficult for them to regain a sense of comfort with their families. They had formed close bonds with their foster parents and the Christian religion in some cases. Some associated their pre-war Jewish identity with fear and danger. Years after the Holocaust, many child survivors still grapple with issues of identity and belonging.