Letters from OTC President Henry Frankel

In 2000 a non-profit organization called One Thousand Children (OTC) was established. The organizer, who then became the first president, was Iris Posner. Through painstaking research, Iris managed to track down the names and addresses of approximately 500 rescued children who had been placed in homes throughout the United States. We have interacted with other Jewish organizations, including the Hidden Child Foundation, National Council of Jewish Women, HIAS (Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society), and YIVO.

In December 2007, I succeeded Iris Posner as president of the OTC. I took on the responsibility because I believe that it is important to continue the work that Iris started - both to pass along our legacy to our younger generations and, hopefully, to help ease the plight of other children in similar situations. The proposed goals and objectives of OTC are as follows:

• Leave a legacy and encourage the participation of second and third-generation members.
• Preserve and enhance the OTC collection at the National Museum of American Jewish History.
• Encourage the production of OTC books, films, and other educational materials.
• Convene educational meetings on our own and with organizations such as Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society (HIAS) and the Hidden Child Foundation.
• Affiliate with and support HIAS and its efforts to assist our group.

Possible additions requiring Board of Directors' approval include:

Expand membership to include widows and widowers, second and third generation descendants of host families and social workers involved in our rescue. Participate in matters addressing the approximately 7000 unaccompanied children who come to the United States each year.

Of course, no organization can function properly without the participation of its membership, descendants, and interested individuals. Accordingly, the attached forms are here for you to peruse and return any to me. We look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,
Henry Frankel
President OTC
HenryFrankel@optimum.net

Dear OTC Member:

I regret to inform you that this will be my final correspondence with you as president of One Thousand Children (OTC). Due to the limited number of our members and our advancing ages, it has become impossible to maintain a formal organization. Accordingly, our executive board has elected to transfer our records and website to the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research. This transfer has been on-going for some time, but it will be officially commemorated at the YIVO headquarters at 15 West 16th Street in New York City on Sunday, October 27, 2013. All members and their guests are invited to attend this event at no charge.

The October 27th Commemoration will begin at 1:00 PM and will include the following:

• An Introduction by Jonathan Brent, Executive Director of YIVO.
• My introductory remarks to introduce Iris Posner.
• A presentation by Iris Posner, who founded OTC along with Lenore Moskowitz.
• A panel discussion which will include Iris, two OTC members, Eve Boden and Erwin Tepper, and Deborah Dwork, a noted Holocaust scholar.
• A panel question and answer period.
• An introduction to the HBO film, 50 Children: The Rescue Mission of Mr. & Mrs. Kraus. by Filmmaker - Steve Pressman.
• The screening of the film: 50 Children.
• A question and answer period with Mr. Pressman.
• Concluding remarks by Iris Posner.
• Reception!

I believe that in the relatively short span of its existence, OTC has accomplished many of its goals. Of course, we, the members, have come to realize that we, individually, were not the only children to escape to the United States from Nazi -occupied Europe without our parents. There were perhaps 1200 or more like us and we have gotten to know some of these children, now in their 70s 80s and 90s. In addition, Iris Posner co-edited the book Don’t Wave Goodbye which describes our flight from Nazi persecution to American freedom. As an organization, we have also performed the following:

• Placed a portion of our archives in the National Museum of American Jewish History in Philadelphia where some of our artifacts are on display
• Participated in a Harvard study of unattended children fleeing to the United States
• Have given talks to Jewish groups on the OTC experience
• Supported federal legislation for legal support to unattended immigrant children
• Have held programs and meetings in the metropolitan New York area

We feel that it is very important to maintain and update our archives at YIVO and invite you and your children and grandchildren to help us in this effort. We are particularly interested in making a guide to the OTC documents housed in other locations such as Atlanta and Baltimore. Lastly, we would like to have documents, and photos concerning those (such as host families and social workers) who were involved in supporting and nurturing us when we came to this country.

Future contact with me or our website can be made via henryfrankel@optimum.net or (732) 572-0036. 

I would like to wish you and your loved ones good health and happiness for many years to come!

Sincerely,
Henry Frankel
President OTC
HenryFrankel@optimum.net