One of the reasons I find genealogy so fascinating is how it connects you to history.
I just recently discovered that my family tree in the UK includes this man, Rabbi Bernd Koschland, seen here receiving an MBE from Prince William. 1/
I just recently discovered that my family tree in the UK includes this man, Rabbi Bernd Koschland, seen here receiving an MBE from Prince William. 1/
2/ Bernd was born in Germany. His father Jacob, on the left in this photo, fought for his country in World War I.
3/ His proven patriotism didn’t matter once Hitler came to power.
After Kristallnacht, the Koschlands put Bernd and his sister on the kindertransport, the mission that transported 10,000 Jewish kids from Germany to save their lives. This is Bernd, sister Ruth, and mom Babette.
After Kristallnacht, the Koschlands put Bernd and his sister on the kindertransport, the mission that transported 10,000 Jewish kids from Germany to save their lives. This is Bernd, sister Ruth, and mom Babette.
4/ Bernd later found this photo of his father at the concentration camp Dachau.
6/ As James Baldwin once said, “history is not the past. History is the present. We carry our history with us. To think otherwise is criminal.”
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