The ’45 Aid Society is here to support and help teachers who would like to use the story of the Boys to study the Holocaust.
The Boys story is an intensely personal way of looking at the Holocaust and a unique way of engaging students in the subject.
The ’45 Aid Society are committed to telling the story of their families – both the Boys who came to the UK after the Holocaust and those who lost their lives during it.
Statistics are impersonal and difficult, if not impossible, to grasp. Focus on individual experiences makes understanding the enormity of what happened more personal. This is the unique importance of the story of the Boys.
Students can find difficulty relating to the Holocaust. The Boys were all the same age as school and college students, which makes their story so relatable.
Using the story of the Boys provides primary source material in their photographs, memoirs and testimonies.
The story of the Boys allows students to study the places they grew up in and families they lost as well as their experiences in hiding, in the ghettos and camps and on the death marches.
The ’45 Aid Society website has a unique collection of photographs, memoirs and testaments that can help teach the Holocaust.
The photographs offer a hugely personal way of approaching the Holocaust from the pre-war period right through to the present day. The photographs in the Birthplaces section on this website in particular relay scenes and events that are instantly recognisable for students.
The Holocaust was the systematic, bureaucratic, state-sponsored persecution and murder of over six million Jewish people by the Nazi regime and its collaborators.
It was the radical, violent culmination of antisemitism, occurring between 1933 and 1945, where Jews were targeted for total annihilation.
The Boys arrived in the UK after World War II on a scheme organised by the Central British Fund for German Jewry (CBF), now World Jewish Relief.
Members of the Boys were held in Nazi labour and concentration camps and used as slave labourers. They had also survived World War II in hiding or as lone children.
No. The members of the Boys came to the UK after World War II between 1945 and 1948. The Kindertransport children came to the UK in 1938-39.
There are however some close links between the two groups:
The Central British Fund for German Jewry set up in 1933 organised the Kindertransport. They also organised the four transports of the child survivors who came after the war known as the Boys. The conditions imposed on joining the Boys transports were the same as for Kindertransport – significantly they had to be paid for by the Jewish community and the children had two years leave to remain.
The Committee for the Care of the Children from the Concentration Camps which was set up to care for the Boys was made up of prominent members of the Central British Fund who had organised the Kindertransport.
Many of the senior staff hired by the Central British Fund had been involved in organising and accompanying the Kindertransport. Many of the junior staff who worked in the hostels were on the Kindertransport. The Boys were also often housed in hostels with Kinder from the Kindertransport or attended schools (which had fled Nazi Germany) such as Bunce Court and Stoatley Rough, where many Kinder were also looked after.
The Primrose social club in London was a place where the Kinder and the Boys met and romances began. Many Boys married Kinder.
The lessons learned from the Kindertransport affected the way the Boys were cared for and led to the initial use of hostels rather than foster families.
The Kindertransport also had important repercussions in the DP camps. There were 220 child survivors who were due to come to the UK from the Belsen-Hohne DP camp in 1945 but their transport to the UK was blocked by Zionist and religious survivors. The later quoted the Kindertransport for their opposition to the children going to the UK as many of the Kinder had been placed in Christian homes.
Although nearly all students react to studying the Holocaust sympathetically and with respect, there is a possibility that some will express antisemitic sentiments, often unintentionally.
The Holocaust Educational Trust advise that teachers should deal with such occurrences as they would any other form of racism or prejudice in accordance with their school’s anti-racism policy.
Teachers can also tackle antisemitism by dispelling casual and often unintentional antisemitic ideas, for example myths of supposed Jewish wealth and power. The most effective way to do this is by using reasoned argument based on accurate facts and understanding while employing language carefully.
Holocaust denial is a manifestation of antisemitism. Initiating a discussion on the topic is not advised as it might suggest it is worthy of debate, but in the current climate increasing numbers of students have heard the term and are asking teachers what it means.
The story of the Boys is likely to raise the topic as many of the survivors give Holocaust denial as a reason they have decided to speak about their experiences.
Teachers should confront the idea of Holocaust denial by focussing attention on the testimonies of the survivors including the profiles of the Boys included in this pack; the racist motives of Holocaust deniers; and the clear historical evidence, produced in large part by the perpetrators themselves, such as photographs and prisoner lists.
Critical Thinking Questions are an important way of stimulating discussion in the classroom.
In each of the Teachers’ Corners across this website you find a list of questions that can prompt a deeper understanding of the story of the Boys.
Here is a full list of Critical Thinking Questions designed to accompany the teaching of the Holocaust in schools and colleges from Key Stage 3 upwards.
On the Page
Between the lines
Beyond the Page
On the Page
Between the Lines
Beyond the Page
On the Page
Between the Lines
Beyond the Page
On the Page
Between the Lines
Beyond the Page
On the Page
Between the Lines
Beyond the Page
On the Page
Between the Lines
Beyond the Page
On the Page
Between the Lines
Beyond the Page
On the Page
Between the Lines
Beyond the Page
Using a glossary is essential when teaching the Holocaust because it builds historical accuracy, provides critical context, and counters deceptive propaganda.
A structured vocabulary ensures students grasp the profound moral and historical realities of the genocide without relying on imprecise language.
A Glossary:
There is a main glossary and country specific glossaries to help students on this website:
A timeline can help students studying the Holocaust.
Using a timeline can help:
There are full timelines that tell the story of the Boys on this website that can be used in the classroom:
To receive a copy of our education pack please write to us.
You can also book a speaker to talk to students after they have completed the education programme.
Thank you for getting in contact. We will get back to you as soon as we can.
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