Hidden Children During The Holocaust

Jan 30, 1933 – May 8, 1945, a genocide in which Adolf Hitler's Nazi Germany and its World War II collaborators killed about six million European Jews. 1.5 million of the victims were children. During the time of the Holocaust, many parents looked for a safe haven for their children. Most of the time they put their children into hiding.

During the time children were put into hiding, some children could pass as non-Jews and live an open, normal life. Those who could not had to live in secret, often in attics or cellars. The Jewish children who were able to pass as non-Jews had to carefully conceal their true identity. Even a momentary lapse in language or behavior could expose the child, and the rescuer, to danger. They were to hide their true identity with everyone, except of course the rescuer. Over the course of the war, children often had to move from one refugee to another.

For the Jews to pass as “Aryans,” it was essential to have false identity papers, which were often gained through contacts with the anti-Nazi resistance. These papers were very difficult to get, and you’d be risking your life. The Germans often closely examined these identity documents for any differences. “ I had to keep my Jewishness hidden, secret, never to be revealed on penalty of death. I missed

It was one of the most painful things. The Jewish children who could not pass as “Aryans” were hidden, kept quiet, even motionless, for long hours that felt endless. They were fed little but given enough to get through the day. They couldn’t walk around because if the neighbors heard anything of suspicion, they would call the police to raid the house. The hidden children had to stay away from windows, and keep quiet at all times. Their life was a strict secrecy, to stay alive they had to be on the lookout and cautious about their every