Hanna Ramras - January 26, 2008
Being Transported to England
So that's how you heard about the Winton transport?
I knew nothing. Nobody told me anything. I--one, one fine day my mother said, "We're going on a little trip," and she took me to a place not far from, from Prague but a beautiful place--a village in the mountains. And uh, there there were many youngsters waiting and they, they were waiting. We didn't know what we were waiting for but I was very upset because I didn't want to leave my mother and she said, "This is the best place right now because here you will continue to study. You will learn here. Classes are being given and you can't just remain without instruction." And uh, I was a good child. I didn't ask too many questions, so. My mother went back and I stayed there. How long we were there I do not know because I can't remember the, the, the time uh, how much time lapsed but I know it was fun to be there because they were nice youngsters...
Were there other children from the orphanage there as well?
No, not from my orphanage but when we had--when there were meetings here of the Kindertransport in Jerusalem I heard others who had also been in orphanages and that must have been a solution for people who were in dire straights because it was the time of the, the, the crash, 1929.
The Depression.
And Depression and I saw poverty in my mother's life. So, one day we were told to sort of line up and we were waiting for someone that was visiting. In came a, a, a English--an Air Force officer and he sort of inspected us and he couldn't speak the language, we didn't speak English and he picked a few youngsters and he said, "I want these children to be ready and they should be in Prague by tomorrow," and uh, I kept saying, "But I don't want to go without my mother." And I was told that, "Your mother will be at the airport. She's not traveling but we're going to England." And uh, a number of youngsters together with me were at the airport the next day. We received a food package, we got on a plane and I am waiting for my mother and my mother doesn't show up. So, that was the last time that I saw my mother is when she left me in this place--in this village.
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