Holocaust survivor Vera Schaufeld has been hailed for her ‘strength and courage’, following her death aged 95.
The Association of Jewish Refugees (AJR) paid tribute to Ms Schaufeld, calling her an ‘extraordinary ambassador’ who ‘inspired countless people’.
Ms Schaufeld, who was born in Prague in 1930, was told when she was nine years old that she had to move to England on her own following the Nazi invasion of Czechoslovakia.
She saw her parents for the last time in 1939, shortly before she fled the country on Sir Nicholas Winton’s Kindertransport.
The scheme was set up to evacuate Jewish children from Germany in the wake of Kristallnacht – a night of co-ordinated violence by the Nazis in November 1938.
It resulted in the destruction of hundreds of synagogues and Jewish properties across Germany.
Ms Schaufeld’s parents remained in what is now known as the Czech Republic and were sent to a concentration camp where they were later murdered.
Holocaust survivor Vera Schaufeld has been hailed for her ‘strength and courage’, following her death aged 95
Ms Schaufeld later recalled the final time she saw her parents. She told how she waved to them as her train pulled out of Prague station.
‘My last sight of my parents was as they stood behind the barrier, waving their handkerchiefs, while I looked at them out of the train window,’ she said.
After arriving in England, Ms Schaufeld was taken in by Christian couple Leonard and Nancy Faires.
She remembered the kindness of their daughter Betty, who was three years older than her.
After the war, she trained as a teacher and spent some time working on a kibbutz in Israel, where she met her husband, Avram. The couple married in 1952.
When the pair returned to England, Ms Schaufeld continued teaching, sharing her testimony in schools and colleges, and began her work as an ambassador for remembrance and education.
Ms Schaufeld was made an MBE at Buckingham Palace in 2019 for her services to Holocaust remembrance and education and, later that year, received an honorary doctorate from the University of Roehampton.
The AJR praised her accolades, saying they reflect ‘just how much her work mattered’.
Michael Newman, chief executive of the group, said: ‘Despite being only nine years old, Vera’s strength and courage shone through, as she bravely waved farewell to her parents, never to see them again.’
Ms Schaufeld, who was born in Prague in 1930, was told when she was nine years old that she had to move to England on her own following the Nazi invasion of Czechoslovakia. Above: Pictured at Hook van Holland being met off her Kindertransport train by relatives who gave her a doll as a present
Mr Newman said: ‘Within the association, Vera’s dedication was unfaltering; she generously shared her testimony in our Refugee Voices archive, giving voice to her experiences as a Winton child and participated in many engagements, lectures, and educational events.
‘Through her eloquence and heartfelt storytelling, she brought the human dimension of the Kindertransport to life.’
He added: ‘Thank you, Vera, for your unwavering commitment, your strength, and your generosity. Your voice, your memory, and your spirit will continue to inspire all of us in the AJR – and beyond – for generations to come.’
Karen Pollock CBE, chief executive of the Holocaust Educational Trust, said: ‘Vera was an extraordinary woman whose gentle and kind nature touched everyone who had the privilege of meeting her.
‘Vera turned her experience of profound loss into a lifelong commitment to education, understanding and hope.
‘She spoke with honesty and warmth to countless young people, encouraging them to confront intolerance, racism and antisemitism.
‘Through her testimony in schools and colleges across the country, Vera shaped how generations of students understand the Holocaust and its lessons for today.
Sir Nicholas Winton (pictured above with one of the children he rescued, and right in 2014) organised the famous Kindertransport
‘We will miss her kind smile and gentle nature, and we will honour her by continuing her mission and ensuring that her story, and the lessons she shared, endure for generations to come.’
Ms Schaufeld was one of 669 children rescued under the scheme organised by Winton, who was a stockbroker.
His story was largely unknown until he met some of those he saved on BBC show That’s Life in 1988.
Ms Schaufeld was among the survivors who were invited to appear on the programme to surprise Sir Nicholas.
She went on to develop a lifelong friendship with the stockbroker and his wife Grete.
Sir Nicholas helped to arrange a total of eight trains that brought children from Nazi-occupied areas to Holland, before the youngsters came to Britain by boat.
A planned ninth train never with 250 children onboard never left Czechoslovakia due to the outbreak of war on September 1, 1939. All but two of those children died in the Holocaust.
Sir Nicholas, who died aged 106 in 2015, was plagued by guilt for the rest of his life.