Joan Stiebel

Stiebel was born on 23 April 1911.

She was the daughter of non-Jewish parents, although her father’s family was Jewish.

She became increasingly active in Jewish affairs after becoming secretary to Otto Schiff in 1933. In 1939, after Schiff and others formed the Central British Fund, she was appointed to that organisation full-time.

After the end of World War II, Stiebel was responsible for making travel arrangements for the children who came to be known as the Boys. She met them at the airstrip near Carlisle, was at the Windermere reception centre and organised their journeys to hostels and homes.

In 1958, she was appointed as the UK-based Joint Secretary of the World Jewish Relief organisation, which grew out of the Central British Fund. In 1978, she was awarded an MBE for her lifetime of service to Jewish refugees.

She died on 25 January 2007. In May 2019, the British Government honoured her with a British Hero of the Holocaust award.

This profile was written by Ruby Kwartz.

Associated Hostels:

Windermere

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