Nicholas Winton
Sir Nicholas George Winton MBE ( born May 19, 1909 in London ) is a British citizen who organized the rescue of 669 mostly Jewish Czech children of the impending Holocaust shortly before the Second World War. This action became known as the Czech Kindertransport. Winton is regarded as " British Schindler ".
Life
Winton was born to German Jews who had converted to Christianity and had changed their names after their emigration to England in 1907 by Wertheimer to Winton. After schooling and banking, he worked at banks in England, Hamburg (L. Behrens & Sons ), Berlin ( German Bank Oscar Aquarius) and in 1931 at Banque Nationale du Credit in Paris, which was the BNP Paribas later. On his return to London he worked as a broker. At the invitation of friends he visited instead of a planned ski vacation in Switzerland for Christmas 1938 Prague, which was beset by the occupation of the Sudetenland refugees. Sensitized In its origin, he tried to help and organize the departure of children, at least after his return to London. After the November pogroms This was made possible by a British law for children under 17 years ( Refugee Children Movement ). That he managed from London with a Prague informant by finding adoptive parents, collecting money for Visa, Deposits and travel costs for transports of children whose last was scheduled for 3 September 1939. After the outbreak of the war, this train did not come into existence. Winton, the profit was also active in old age and was honored with the Order of the British Empire, concealing his actions. The children were not aware of his contribution. They believed in a participation of the Red Cross. It was not until his wife found in 1988 in a suitcase in the attic of the apartment building material and brought the matter to the public.
Petition for the Nobel Prize
Through the initiative of Czech students a petition calling on the relevant bodies of the Norwegian Parliament in the high school and middle school, Nicholas Winton was to award the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts. To 9 October 2007 the petition had 32,233 signatures.
Films
1997 produced Matej Mináč, a Slovak filmmaker, the feature film All My Loved Ones, at the end of a scene with Winton is seen. This scene had such a strong effect that Mináč decided to make a documentary about Winton's life entitled: Nicholas Winton - The Power of Good. This film won the 2002 International Emmy Award in the category of Documentary.
2001 visited Charles and Rita Gelman from Ann Arbor (Michigan, USA), the Czech Republic shortly after September 11. There she also met Matej Mináč and watched the movie. Then the Gelman were convinced of the idea that this film should see every American student. Today the " Gelman Educational Foundation " sells this movie for free to teachers across North America.
Honors
Nicholas Winton now lives in Maidenhead, UK. He was recorded in 1983 for his charitable work for the elderly as a member in the Order of the British Empire, mainly due to the establishment of the Abbeyfield houses. In the Czech Republic, he was awarded the Freedom Prize of the City of Prague. On 28 October 1998 Winton received from the hands of President Václav Havel the Masaryk Order. On 5 July 2001, an asteroid was named after Winton: ( 19384 ) Winton. In December 2002, Winton was defeated by Queen Elizabeth II for his services to humanity knighted.
As the son of Jewish parents, he converted to Christianity can not be honored as Righteous Among the Nations at Yad Vashem.
At the age of 100 years, Nicolas Winton experienced the memorial service in London, where 70 years ago arrived the children. On 4 September 2009 continued the historic train "The Winton Train ," in which were some of the Holocaust survivors, one in Liverpool Street Station. They and their children and grandchildren thanked Nicolas Winton personally.