Kindertransport (play)

Kindertransport is a play written by Diane Samuels, first performed in 1993. The play explores the themes of identity, guilt, and the complex relationship between mothers and daughters in the context of the Kindertransport, a rescue effort that brought thousands of Jewish children from Nazi-occupied Europe to Great Britain between 1938 and 1940.

The story centers around Eva Schlesinger, a nine-year-old Jewish girl from Hamburg, Germany, who is sent to England on the Kindertransport to escape Nazi persecution. The play interweaves Eva's childhood experiences as a refugee with her later life as Evelyn, a middle-aged woman living in England and struggling to confront her past.

Through a non-linear narrative structure, the play reveals the emotional and psychological impact of the Kindertransport on Eva/Evelyn and explores the lasting consequences of displacement, loss, and the choices made by those who sent their children to safety. It also examines the challenges faced by child refugees in adapting to a new culture and the complexities of their relationships with their biological and adoptive families.

Key themes explored in Kindertransport include:

• The Holocaust and its impact on children: The play portrays the fear and uncertainty faced by Jewish families under Nazi rule and the difficult decision to send their children away.
• Mother-daughter relationships: The play examines the complex dynamics between Eva and her mother, Helga, and between Evelyn and her daughter, Faith.
• Identity and belonging: Eva/Evelyn struggles to reconcile her German-Jewish heritage with her English identity and to find a sense of belonging in her adopted country.
• Guilt and trauma: The play explores the survivor's guilt experienced by those who escaped the Holocaust and the long-term effects of trauma on individuals and families.

Kindertransport has been widely performed and studied as a powerful and moving depiction of a significant historical event and its enduring consequences. It is often used in educational settings to teach about the Holocaust and the refugee experience.