50 Children: One Ordinary American Couple's Extraordinary Rescue Mission into the Heart of Nazi Germany
Steven Pressman, 2014
HarperCollins
320 pp.
ISBN-13: 9780062237477
Summary
Two Ordinary Americans.
Fifty Innocent Lives.
One Unforgettable Journey.
In early 1939, few Americans were thinking about the darkening storm clouds over Europe. Nor did they have much sympathy for the growing number of Jewish families that were increasingly threatened and brutalized by Adolf Hitler's policies in Germany and Austria.
But one ordinary American couple decided that something had to be done. Despite overwhelming obstacles—both in Europe and in the United States—Gilbert and Eleanor Kraus made a bold and unprecedented decision to travel into Nazi Germany in an effort to save a group of Jewish children.
Fewer than 1,200 unaccompanied children were allowed into the United States throughout the entire Holocaust, in which 1.5 million children perished. The fifty children saved by the Krauses turned out to be the single largest group of unaccompanied children brought to America.
Drawing from Eleanor Kraus's unpublished memoir, rare historical documents, and interviews with more than a dozen of the surviving children, and illustrated with period photographs, archival materials, and memorabilia, 50 Children is a remarkable tale of personal courage and triumphant heroism that offers a fresh, unique insight into a critical period of history. (From the publisher.)
Author Bio
• Birth—1955
• Where—Los Angeles, California, USA
• Education—B.A., University of California, Berkley
• Currently—lives near San Francisco, California
Steven Pressman is an American legal journalist, freelance journalist and investigative journalist. He was born in Los Angeles in 1955 and obtained his B.A. 1977 in political science from the University of California at Berkeley.
Writing
Pressman is the author of a book about Werner Erhard, Outrageous Betrayal: The Dark Journey of Werner Erhard from est to Exile, published in 1993. Beginning in 2010, he wrote, produced, and directed a documentary film, To Save a Life, about the rescue of 50 Jewish children from Austria during World War II. His 2014 book, 50 Children: One Ordinary American Couple's Extraordinary Rescue Mission into the Heart of Nazi Germany, is based on the film.
Pressman has worked as a newspaper and magazine journalist in Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., and San Francisco. While researching his first book on Erhard, Pressman continued writing for various publications including California Lawyer, Legal Times, California Republic (where he was senior editor), and the Columbia Law Review. He contributed an article on libel law in 1994, for the United States Department of State.
In 1998, Landmark Education spent months in an unsuccessful attempt to compel Pressman to respond to deposition questions aimed at obtaining the confidential sources (used during research on Outrageous Betrayal) for use in the then-active litigation involving the Cult Awareness Network.
Filmmaking
Pressman produced short videos for the American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco, California. In 2010, he served as writer, director, and producer for the 2013 HBO documentary film To Save a Life (retitled 50 Children: The Rescue Mission of Mr. and Mrs. Kraus) is the story of Gilbert and Eleanor Kraus, a Jewish couple from Philadelphia who traveled to Nazi Germany in 1939. With the help of the B'rith Sholom fraternal organization, they saved Jewish children in Vienna from likely death in the Holocaust by finding them new homes in Philadelphia. The heroic Krauses were the grandparents of Pressman's wife, Liz Perle, and the film is based on the manuscript of a memoir left behind by Eleanor Kraus when she died in 1989. (Adapted from Wikipedia. Retrieved 5/5/2014.)
Book Reviews
Both an extraordinary humanitarian act and a classic tale of American initiative and perseverance....A rich and rewarding read….Pressman paints a moving picture of the rescue.
Wall Street Journal
It can be challenging to create suspense in a tale for which the ending is known. Pressman does a good job with 50 Children: One Ordinary American Couple’s Extraordinary Rescue Mission in the Heart of Nazi Germany, a book whose title pretty much tells it all.
New York Journal of Books
A brilliantly written book that takes the reader on a journey back in time. Yet, it is relevant today because Gil and Eleanor’s story proves that individuals with courage and strength can overcome the odds. … A very insightful read.
Military Press
[S]tirring account of determination against overwhelming odds.... Gilbert and Eleanor Kraus, worked to rescue 50 Viennese Jewish children from occupied territory during the early years of WWII.... In contrast to his praise for the Krauses...Pressman critiques American intransigence alongside more visible Nazi cruelties, and the whole makes for a story as troublingas it is inspirational.
Publishers Weekly
The astonishing story of a Philadelphia couple's resolve to help bring Jewish children out of Nazi-occupied Austria.... The details around selection of the children, leave-taking of their parents and the tearful travels are heart-rending.... With a careful eye to detail and dialogue, Pressman vividly re-creates this epic rescue.
Kirkus Reviews
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