Holocaust Survivor to Host Talk in Norcross

Local historian Dr. Edie Riehm and members of the Museum of History & Holocaust Education at Kennesaw State University will present the documentary "My Knees Were Jumping: Remembering the Kindertransports," along with a discussion from a Holocaust survivor this Sunday in Norcross.

The film and discussion will focus on Kindertransport, the Allied rescue mission that aimed to safely transport Holocaust children to England during World War II.

Sunday's speaker, Susi Schwarz, was one of the children of Kindertransport. Originally born in Berlin, Schwarz and her family moved to Austria after Adolf Hitler came to power in 1933. He took over Austria in 1938, the same year Kindertransport started. She was 16 when she was safely delivered to England from the transportation.

"My Knees Were Jumping," which will precede Schwarz' discussion, is a collection of old photos, archival footage, and interviews with survivors and rescuers from Kindertransport. The film by Melissa Hacker received the Sundance Film Festival Grand Jury Prize nomination in 1996 and was awarded the Critic's Choice title at the Prague International Film Festival.

Kindertransport saved 10,000 Jewish and Gypsy children from Nazi concentration camps between 1938 and 1939, according to a New York Times film review of "My Knees Were Jumping." Because Kindertransport concentrated on only saving children, nearly 90 percent of the survivors never saw their parents again.

The documentary screening of "My Knees Were Jumping: Remembering the Kindertransports" starts at 4 p.m. with doors opening at 3:30 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 19, in the at 10 College St. The event is free and refresments will be served. The movie has some strong language and adult situations.