HMV describing Jewish refugee children as Central European Children

[Trulywonderful]

Would I be unreasonable to as any of you on twitter or willing to write an email complaint to HMV to do me a favour

HMV have described the Jewish refugee children in the new One Life film as Central European Children. This is erasing there Jewishness from the description. I know some may feel objection to this is petty but at the moment the Jewish community are seeing a far bit of this behaviour. Erasing us from things to make people feel more comfortable etc

Anyway if people want to help and tweet about this or email HMV I would be very grateful

The Sir Nicholas Winton Memorial Trust describes them on their website as Czech children, then later as mostly Jewish. They also say on their website that the film has been been written by Sir Winton's daughter, so it sounds like something to take up with them- particularly as the similarities in the descriptions suggests that the media outlets have taken the info from the press release?

I can't ever work out how to link sorry- hopefully this works- https://www.nicholaswinton.com/

Have you seen the film? It addresses this.

The point of Winton having to organise the trains was because the children didn't qualify for kindertransport, as that was restricted at the time to Jewish children from Germany and Poland, and these were displaced children in Czechoslovakia. Yes of course the majority were displaced as they were Jewish and so fleeing, but not all. They were children who appeared on vulnerable lists because they living in unhygienic camps, and were unlikely to survive winter.

But if they were not all Jewish then surely it's not unreasonable not to refer to them as Jewish children? It's not about erasing their identity, it's about being factually correct. If you call them Jewish children and 10% (or whatever %) aren't Jewish then it's not only erasing the minority, but it's incorrect. Maybe "predominantly Jewish" would be better?

I am always very upset by the complete lack of acknowledgement of Romany victims of the holocaust. But I agree that "Central European children" feels a little off.

I think that in headlines such as these, something like "hundreds of Central European children who were mostly Jewish" seems reasonable perhaps?

School education of the holocaust is yes often very poor depending on the school and who is teaching it. However if you pop on the main holocaust memorial/ remembrance websites you will see they do talk about everyone.

Plus if you go to a holocaust memorial in the UK or most places in Euro that is run by the Jewish community you will see that other ethnic groups are mentioned on those too

What you experienced I am guessing is bad education about the Holocaust in the UK. This is something that I very much would like to address. For instance books used like the boy in the stripped pyjamas. That one was written by someone that has said in interviews they knew very little about the Holocaust when they wrote the book but had learnt more after writing it. Hence the reason it has not got much factual detail etc

My great aunt was one saved. She wasn't Jewish, but her parents were saving Jews from the Nazis. They were sent to a concentration camp because of this.

I am sure my great Aunt would prefer them all to be called Jews than it not mentioned at all.

Agree with your suggestion works fine

It is the idea that they talk about the children like they could be any European Children that is the issue

The title could be more specific and would be better for it.

It is not inaccurate as it stands however, not all of the children involved were Jewish. Just as not all of the people targeted during the Holocaust were Jewish.

Wow!!

I am sick to the back teeth of Jewish erasure. It is anti-Semitic to change the language of what Jewish people are. It’s happening everywhere - people are even denying that Jesus was Jewish. And Holocaust deniers have bigger voices too.

Why are people afraid to say ‘Jew’?

I have fatigue from fire fighting this for me and for my children.

Absolutely. It’s a scary time for us, and I will not give in to this racism

It should be mentioned yeah.
Our articles usually say "children, mostly Jewish". I think that's fair description

It would have been inaccurate to use the word Jewish where you want it because as you have recognised, many of the children being referred to weren’t Jewish. Those children shouldn’t be erased either and it would be wrong to promote the idea that the holocaust in WW2 only affected Jews.

I would agree with this.

Its just language guys.

Surely all you birthing parents understand we have to be inclusive now? We can't point anyone out and anyone that does, is themselves a Nazi bigot.

The Jewishness or otherwise of the children doesn't need to be mentioned as it doesn't apply to all of the children. What is mentioned is a group heading that includes all children and not a stastitical analysis.

What seems to be absent from this debate was that without this man they'd all have been dead. The erasing was being done by the Nazis, not the BBC, or are you reccomending that Jewishness needs to be stated at all times?

Alternatively, why not state a mensch behaved like a Christian should and save a shed load of kids? Isn't saving lives the pertindnt point?

'Mainly Jewish children' or similar would be a description that would ensure those who were about to be deported are not forgotten, whilst remembering that the majority of those the Nazis killed or wanted to kill were Jewish.

Agreed OP,

I think it should have included all the ethnicities of those saved to show how the Nazis dehumanised Jewish people, Romany people and anyone who opposed them politically.

To write 'Central European' is bizarre it was glaringly obvious by omission. Even Czech children would have been better. It feels like HMV did it on purpose because Jewish children are involved.

The children weren't just Czechoslovakian though. They were also from countries around. So Central European is accurate, rather than just Czechoslovakian.

You forgot about disabled children, who were gassed, hanged, starved to death or injected straight into the heart.

Did Sir Winton take disabled children out?
My apologies if so - I didn't know that.

The Jewishness or otherwise of the children doesn't need to be mentioned as it doesn't apply to all of the children

It does need to be mentioned because their Jewishness was the reason they were targeted. There is a really worrying trend at the moment to try to play down the fact that the overwhelming majority of those who died in the Holocaust were Jewish. It was an attempt to erase Jewish people from the face of the earth through industrialised murder.

Oh I see. And we should also not mention the Jews who died in the Holocaust because Roma, disabled people, and political prisoners were also killed? Right.

"are you reccomending that Jewishness needs to be stated at all times?"

Yes.

Again.
"mainly Jewish" would be absolute fair

I am becoming increasingly alarmed at the language and vitriol aimed towards Jews and now this reluctance to even use the word Jew is horrifying.

I agree that it isn't factually accurate to say all Jews but they should name the groups of children - this was a deliberate targeting of certain people and it shouldn't be forgotten.

From the figures quoted 84% of the children saved were Jewish. So of course it makes more sense to say mainly or predominantly Jewish rather than Central European. It looks like this has come from Warner bros directly as lots of outlets are using the same wording, and sites like imdb.