An unsung hero of the twentieth century was Sir Nicholas Winton. Winton secured visas to Britain for 700 mostly Jewish children in the late 1930s, saving them from being victims of the Nazi Holocaust.
For decades, Winton’s work went unnoticed for the simple fact that he didn’t tell anyone. Decades later his secret was discovered and revealed to the world. In fact, there’s an actual video clip online of the then-grown children thanking Winton.
Now, a new movie to be released later this year, starring Anthony Hopkins, tells the story. Yet, all the early press releases and a number of articles fail to mention that the children who were saved were Jews, either ignoring that detail entirely or calling them “Central European.”
The children weren’t in danger because of where they lived. They were in danger because of who they were. Whether because of antisemitism or a seeking not to offend, erasing Jews from a story about the Holocaust is itself evil.
Breakpoint