50 Children-The Rescue Mission of Mr. and Mrs. Kraus 2013
Distributed by Seventh Art Releasing, 1614 N. Fairfax Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90046; 323-845-1455
Produced by Steven Pressman
Directed by Steven Pressman
DVD, color, 62 min.
College - General Adult
Jewish Holocaust, World War II
Date Entered: 10/29/2014
Reviewed by Alexander Rolfe, Technical Services Librarian, George Fox University, Newberg, ORIn 1939, when American anti-Semitism was sealing the fate of Jews trapped in Germany and Austria, Gilbert Kraus, a Philadelphia lawyer, and his wife Eleanor, began working to bring 50 Jewish children to America. This film tells the astonishing story of their dangerous trip to Germany and Austria, where they selected the children, secured visas, and brought them safely out to foster families in America.
The film consists of excerpts from Eleanor’s diary, archival footage and photographs, and interviews with their granddaughter and many of the people they rescued. Their memories of the Anschluss and their rescue by the Krauses are fascinating, but there was also something sobering in just seeing them in their old age, having lived full lives as a result of the Krauses’ heroism. It was a pleasant surprise to learn at the end of the film that several of their parents were also able to emigrate, once they had a child in the United States.
This documentary is excellent. The technical quality is superb. It’s tasteful and professional-- deeply moving without trying to shock or be maudlin. It leaves one wondering what made the Krauses risk so much when everyone around them cared so little.