Transcript:

Steve Adler was born in 1930 in Berlin Germany. He was the younger son of a middle class Jewish family.

At the end of 1938 things began to further deteriorate for German Jews. On November 10th 1938 Steve’s father was arrested for many weeks.

In March 1939 Steve was sent to Hamburg so he could go on the kindertransport. The kindertransport was a boat that brought children from Europe to England to keep them safe during the war. When Steve arrived in England he knew very little English. Steve was taken in by a home that was already housing many other kids.

While in England Steve was very sad and missed his home.

After the war Steve was reunited in England with his family.

Steve and his family traveled for 12 days across the ocean and arrived in America. His family settled with family in Chicago.

Steve is a member of the Board of Directors of the World Federation of Jewish Child Survivors of the Holocaust, an international educational and advocacy organization of child survivors. Steve is an active member of the Holocaust Center for Humanities Speakers Bureau.

England

Steve was 9 when he was sent to London via the kindertransport. Upon his arrival in London Steve’s father’s uncle was supposed to meet him but he was not there. Steve knew no English and not a single person in London. The absence of Steve’s great uncle left an impact on Steve and taught him two very valuable lessons that he continues to live by to this day. Steve learned to always keep a promise and to show up when and where he said he was going to be. The second lesson that Steve learned was to never take anything that does not belonged to him. Steve learned this lesson not directly due to his great uncle not picking him up when he was in London staying at a home with other Jewish children. Steve stole some coins for charity and after realizing that he had been spotted taking the money he knew that he could never take things that did not belong to him. Steve’s arrival in London was awful and distressing but from experience he learned how to make sure that he never disappointed or hurt someone the way he had been.

Advice for young people

We asked to Steve to tell us about his advice for young people and his view on today’s world, both in our country and across the globe. Steve said that he has learned a few lessons that he wants the people of our generation to know about. First of all, Steve has learned that he must keep his promises and he wants all of us to do the same. Steve was very hurt when his Uncle never came and picked him up from the kindertransport so he wants to make sure that everyone else can keep their promises. Especially promises to young people. Steve also learned from his life not to take what does not belong to him. This is another valuable lesson he wants to pass on. Steve says that we should not be greedy and that we should make sure to not take too much and to never take what is not ours. However, Steve told us that the most important advice he has for young people today is to be kind to one and other despite the differences we might have. Steve notes that something like the Holocaust would have never happened if people had not gone along with Hitler's actions. It's the bystander that makes the problem not go away. Steve tells us to be kind to everyone for who they are and to be an upstander instead of a bystander. Steve says that this is especially important today. He is very upset and concerned by the rise of nationalism in America and across the globe. He agrees with us that the rhetoric we are hearing now is very similar to the rhetoric there was in Europe in the early 1930’s.

Being told he is a survivor

At the time Steve Adler lived in Connecticut with his wife he would frequently visit Washington D.C, once when he visited D.C he went to the Holocaust museum with his wife. The first thing Steve saw when he walked into the museum was “Holocaust survivor registry.” Steve went up to the registry desk and asked the lady working at the desk “I am here to register if I am survivor” the lady asked Steve to tell his story and Steve told her about the kindertransport and she said, “you’re definitely a survivor.” Before this encounter Steve and many other survivors who escaped through the kindertransport like him lived under the impression that there was a hierarchy of suffering meaning: Lived in a camp and survived – top of the suffering list, hid in Europe – little but lower on the suffering list, escaped Nazi Germany and parents were alive – bottom of the list not even suffering. After the lady told Steve he was a survivor it gave Steve a whole new perspective about being a survivor.