Jewish children leaving the Czech train (train marked with the letters CSD)

When possible, the Czech authorities facilitated the reunification of families. A few children were met by relatives who had been notified of the train's arrival. Originally the number of children leaving Poland was to have been 1,000. Then the number dropped to 750. Finally only 500 Jewish youths and 101 adults boarded the train. Only 488 children entered the Deblice camp.

The Vaad Hatzala's apparent inability to meet its monetary commitments for these Herzog children required the JDC to assume financial responsibility. The six weeks the children would stay in Deblice was a challenge to the children's supervisors and to the JDC. The children's boundless energy had to be channeled or chaos could easily ensue. This required both planning and money. The Czech camp was well prepared for the passengers of the “Children Train” because the JDC had stepped in to fill the void left by the Vaad Hazeleh's inability to fulfill their financial promises. The children needed shoes, clothing and some medical care. The JDC had to pick up the bill for all these expenses namely shoes and clothing.

A cable from Jacobson's Prague office to the JDC in New York complained that “his office did not receive notice about the children transport. The Vaad Hatzala organization disappeared from the scene and left the Joint with expenses” ^[1]

The counselors in the Deblice camp devised activities for the youngsters. Moshe Einhorn, Yeshua Spiner and Meir Weisblum were in charge of the Mizrahi/Hapoel Hamizrahi contingent while Rachel Sternbuch and rabbi Wasserman were in charge of the Agudah contingent.

Recha Rachel Rottenberg – Sternbuch, was born in Poland in 1905. She was the daughter of Rabbi Markus Rottenberg, who was the chief rabbi of Antwerp from 1918 until he was deported to the camp of Vittel, and then to Auschwitz–Birkenau where he was murdered. She is the sister of Rabbi Chaim Yaakov Rottenberg of Anvers and Paris, and is the aunt of Rabbi Mordechai Rottenberg of the Pavee synagogue in Paris. Recha Rottenberg married Isaac (Yitzchak) Sternbuch from Montreux, Switerland. Both represented the Vaad Hatzala in Switzerland. The country was neutral and enabled the Sternbuchs to maintain a vast corespondence with the occupied areas under German control. They also managed to help many Jews detained in Dachau concentration camp to be liberated by providing them with false papers that enabled them to enter Switzerland and live in the Saint–Gall (Recha Sternbach was the leader of the Vaad Hatzala in Poland and was very active in redeeming Jewish children from non–Jewish homes as described in the children train).

Rachela Sternbuch, Vaad Hatzala representative in Europe.

Rabbi Herzog, and his son Yaacov, left Prague on August 27, 1946, two days after the transport arrived in the city. They headed to Paris to urge the various organizations to speed up the preparations for receiving the children stuck in Prague.

As mentioned earlier, there were about 500 children and 101 escorts aboard the train. 488 children arrived at the camp in Prague. Some children joined families or relatives who waited for them. There is no complete list of all the children. Among the papers of the Zionist archives there is a partial list consisting only of Mizrahi and Hapoel Hamizrahi

JDC official with children from Herzog Transport (Deblice Camp, 1946)

The Zionist archives document, listing 234 children, is in Hebrew and has been transliterated here into Latin characters. The first column on the left is the last name, the second column is the first name of the child and the third column is the age of the child when the list was created. The list also contains the names of 45 adult escorts. No list has been found of the Agudah or Poalei Agudah children. There was also a group of about 34 children who were an independent group . Their names appear below. The names are Jewish sounding names and they entered the Deblice camp on August 25, 1946. It is assumed that the list of names was part of the Herzog train.

Partial list of children train

Family name	First name	Date of Birth	Remarks
ASZER	Nirla	1939
BANDER	Chaya	1930
BINDERMEN	Rifka	1937
BINDERMEN	Josef	1935
BINDERMEN	Chaya	1932
CZERNOGORA	Feiga	1935
CZERNOGORA	Feiga – Chani	1923
FAYER	Jankel	1933	(Feuer)
FAYER	Yankel	1933	(Feuer)
FINKELMAN	Liba	1936
FINKELMAN	Chene	1938
FLISZER	Les	1936
FLISZER	Szlama	1931
FOJBOMOIM	Pinkusz	1938	(Feigenbolm)
FUCHS	Judita	1933
FUCHS	Mojze	1936
GAYER	Mordecha	1930
GAYER	Jankel	1930
GITTELBAUM	Kalmen	1930
GRUBER	Israel	1937
JODWERKER	Ryke	1943
LEHRER	Feige	1936
LEHRER	Izrael	1938
LEHRER	Mayer	1933
LEICHTER	Ruchla	1938
PERL	Arie	1930	(Pearl)
RIBAK	Juda	1930
SZIER	Szura	1935
SZIER	Jakub	1931
THERBAUM	Lea	1936
WALTER	Szmul	1938

AFTERGUT	Nathan	15
AFTERGUT	Sarah	14
AFTERGUT	Roza	12
AGRABSKA	Yanka	13
ALTMAN	Haya	14
ALTMAN	Marina	11
APPELBAUM	Marina	16
ARBETSMAN	Eva	14
ASHKENAZI	Malka	16
ASHKENAZI	Israel	13
ASHKENAZI	Sarah	10
BERGMAN	Itzhak	11
BERGMAN	Eisik	9
BERNSTEIN	Zosha	5
BESSER	Nathan	12
BIRENFELD	Yehiel	15
BIRENFELD	David	11
BLANKENSTEIN	Roman	16
BLASZKOWSKI	Lucian	13
BLAU	Genia	12
BLAUSTEIN	Shimon	16
BLITZ	Yehoshua
BLUMBERG	David	16
BOKINSKI	Baruch	16
BORENSTEIN	Michal	12
BORGENICHT	Leon	15
BRAMA	Nachman	16
BRAMA	Nachman	14
BRAMA	Nechama	16
BRENDER	Boniek	10
BRENDER	Regina	13
BUCH	Golda	16
DANIELSKI	David	14
DIAMAND	Frida	6
DYM	Berta	12
ENGELHARD	Chaim	15
EPSTEIN	Alexandra	2
FEDERBUSH	Lea	13
FEUR	Hersh	12
FEUR	Lazar	13
FISHER	Lola	15
FISHER	Magozita	12
FISHLER	Leon	13
FLANER	Papa	15
FRAGLAS	Klara	5
FREUND	Risha	14
FREUND	Moshe	14
FRIDLER	Genia	6
FRIDMAN	Irena	15
FRIDMAN	Naphtali	10
FRIDMAN	Rosilia	13
FRIDMAN	David	13
FUTTER	Mechel	13
GABER	Solomon	15
GERSHTENBLUT	Zlata	15
GERSHTENBLUT	Rivka	13
GERTNER	Rachel	9
GERTNER	Hinda	9
GESUNTHEIT	Shmuel	12
GETZLER	Markus	15
GINSBURG	Ita	7
GINSBURG	Salomon	3
GLOBINSKA	Rona	15
GOISKI	Yehoshua	12
GOLDBERGER	Harry	15
GOLDFARB	Genia	15
GOTTESDINER	Berek	10
GOTTESDINER	Tzila	8
GOTTESDINER	Sala	4
GREIFNER	Heshek	11
GROMET	Mozed	13
GROMET	Yaakov	13
HENDEL	Hanah	16
HOFFMAN	Helina	12
HOLENBERG	Mania	12
HURT	Esther	16
INDIK	Miriam	11
KAGANOWITZ	Lodziya	8
KAHANA	Lola	13
KANNER	Leon	13
KAPLAN	Eliezer	13
KATZ	Yossef	12
KAWE	Izu	1
KIRSHENBAUM	Sarah	12
KLEIN	Stephan	12
KLEINMAN	Yaakov	15
KLEMPFER	Mendel	16
KLERFALS	Eva	10
KLERFELD	Marian	6
KLODINSKI	Yossef	10
KORZUCH	Fela	12
KORN	Solomon	14
KUPPER	Mark	1
KUPPERBERG	Kazek	10
LANGBERG	Benek	8
LANGBERG	Asher	12
LANGSAM	Frida	15
LANGSAM	Melech	13
LANGSAM	Chana	10
LAUFER	Elimelech	13
LAUFER	Perla	10
LEHRER	Adela	16
LEHRER	Frida	13
LEICHTER	Shoshan	13
LIBERMAN	Nathan	16
LIBERMAN	Dudek	11
LICHT	Charlotta	12
LICHT	Leon	9
LICHTER	Hinda	13
LUFTGLASS	Mashek	14
LUFTGLASS	Esther	10
MANDELBAUM	Rachel	16
MANDELBAUM	Yeshayahu	14
MANDELBAUM	Yossef	15
MANDELBAUM	Gedalia	12
MANDELBAUM	Sarah	12
MANDROWSKI	Israel	16
MANN	Michael	13
MANTIL	Rivka	16
MANTIL	Miriam	14
MANTIL	Haya	11
MAYER	Sonia	14
MAYER	Heniek	12
MEIRSDORF	Sarah	13
MESSERSHMIDT	Mania	14
MIECZIK	Yasha	8
MILSTEIN	Dora	12
MORGENSTERN	Yehoshua	14
MORGENSTERN	Riwka	10
MORGENSTERN	Shoshana	8
MOZES	Nahman	13
NETOWICZ	Celina	12
NEUSTEIN	Elvira	15
NISSANTZWEIG	Eva	11
PCZINEK	Itzhak	13
PETER	Yanek	11
PETER	Dora	8
PINKAS	Melech	13
PRZEDKOWICZ	Ella	15
RAWITZ	Lola	14
RAWITZ	Sabek	14
REISMAN	Esther	11
REIZMAN	Wolff	14
RIGGENHEIM	Hawa	10
ROMMER	Yehuda	9
ROMMER	Berek	15
ROMMER	Fania	13
ROMMER	Mania	12
ROMMER	Esther	9
ROSENBERG	Bluma	9
ROSENBLUM	Monik	13
ROSENBLUM	Rosa	12
ROSENBLUM	Hawa	16
ROSENTHAL	Markus	16
ROSENTHAL	Tzipora	9
ROSNTHAL	Sarah	14
ROTCHILD	Inga	13
RUBINFELD	Blima	12
RUBINSTEIN	Fania	9
RUDESZEWSKI	Moshe	11
RZUBISKI	Aaron	9
RZYPKO	Pessah	14
RZYPKO	Reuven	11
RZYPKO	Zalman	16
SAWITZKI	Yerzy	10
SCHECHTER	Mark	10
SCHECHTER	Tusha	8
SEGALOWICZ	Yeshayah	14
SHAKRAKA	Motek	14
SHAPIRO	yehuda	13
SHEFDEL	Chaim	13
SHEIFELD	Basha	14
SZER	Baruch	13
SZER	Golda	15
SHNAYER	Mira	13
SHNAYER	Israel	9
SHOWIN	Henech	13
SHPIGLER	Salek	8
SHPIGLER	Henech	14
SHPILMAN	Karola	8
SHTEINER	Paula	16
SHTEKEL	Yanek	5
SHTURM	Henia	14
SHTURM	Gittel	3
SHTURM	Yehoshua	13
SHUSTER	Roza	1
SHWEITZER	awraham	10
SOBOL	Heniek	10
SOBOL	Yehuda	14
SONENSHEIN	Rachel	5
SPINER	Miriam	11
STRAUCH	Henia	14
TILLMAN	Nachman	13
TOBIAS	Israel	12
TOTENGRABBER	Ella	14
TREMBLINSKI	Yossef	5
TZENTKIAR	Benjaimin	13
TZUKER	Sonia	4
VERED	Rachel	13
VERED	Felicia	14
WAKSBERG	Yeshayah	15
WAKSBERG	Israel	14
WASS	Molek	10
WEISBLUM	Aviva	1
WEISSFOGEL	Sabina	15
WEISSMAN	Itzhak	13
WENTZELBERG	Yona	12
WERTHEM	Lila	14
WICZIC	Tusha	15
WIENER	Sala	5
WILNER	Tulek	12
WINBERG	Lipa	7
WINFELD	Wolff	13
WINFELD	Guta	13
WISHNITZER	Leopold	11
WITMAN	Paula	12
WIZENFELD	Danuta	8
WIZENFELD	Arnold	15
WOHLGELERNTER	Palus	5
WURTMAN	Eisik	16
YAAKOV	Tziporah	12
YAAKOV	Shaul	9
ZEIDEN	Elvira	12
ZILBERTZWEIG	Rachel	10
ZILBERTZWEIG	Tula	7
ZOLMAN	Shmuel	13
ZOLMAN	Nathan	9
ZOLMAN	Basha	9
ZRUWANITZER	Hawa	16

BIRENFELD	Sarah
EINHORN	Moshe
ENGELHARDT	Dov
ENGELHARDT	Frimta
ERLICH	Awraham
FLOMENBAUM	Benyamin
GABER	Chaim
GABER	Tziporah
GINSBURG	Feie
GINSBURG	Sarah
GLUCHES	Bela
GOLDBERGER	Anna
GOLDBERGER	Yaalow
GOLDBERGER	Haya
GOTTESDINER	Mira
GOTTLIEB	Shimshon
GOTTLIEB	Gisela
KNOBEL	Roza
LUFTGLASS	Sarah
MANDEBAUM	Luba
MANDEBAUM	Duba
RAPPPORT	Riwka
RICHARD	Mordecha
RICHARD	Dwora
RIMMER	Yente
ROSENGARTEN	Pola
SHAPIRO	Awaham
SHAPIRO	Yehoshua
SHAPIRO	Ella
SHAPIRO	Lea
SHUSTER	Aaron
SHUSTER	Liza
TEPFER	Shalom
WEISSBLUM	Meir
WEISSBLUM	Sarah
WIZENFELD	Mendel
WOHLGELERNTER	Haya
WULKAN	Elimelech
YERED	Sarah
YERED	Lisa
ZOLMAN	Sarah

Rabbi Itzhak Eisik Halevi Herzog

Yaakov Herzog

Rabbi Zeev Gold

Rabbi Salomon Wohlgelernter, UNRRA Representative

Rachel Sternbuch, Vaad

The Czech government was putting extraordinary pressure on the JDC in Prague to move the Herzog children out of the country. But the JDC was faced with one delay after another. To further complicate matters, some of the children were supposed to go to France and others to Belgium. But there were no places for the children in France or Belgium. Meanwhile the children remained in Prague.

Rabbi Herzog and his son Yaacov headed to Paris to speed up the reception process for the children's transport in Prague. Rabbi Herzog met in Paris with the British foreign minister, Ernest Bevin, on August 30, 1946, and urged him to open the gates to Palestine for the survivors of the Shoah. He also met with Jewish Agency officials in Paris. The rabbi had working sessions with the JDC leaders in France and urged them to speed the process of preparing rooms for the children stuck in Prague. The rabbi also decided to leave to the JDC a batch of the French visas he had obtained for rabbis and rabbinical students still stranded in Poland who couldn't leave legally without the proper documents.

Rabbi Herzog also addressed several congregations in Paris to raise money. William Leibner and his father attended a meeting at a Belleville synagogue in Paris, France. Rabbi Herzog began to speak in French but soon realized that most of the audience did not understand French so he quickly switched to Yiddish and smiled when he saw the relieved look on the audience's faces, a look that, according to Leibner, turned to joy as the rabbi gave them hope that a better life was just around the bend. He urged the audience to keep their traditions and have faith. He prophesied that the gates to Palestine would soon be open and all Jews who wanted to live in their own land would soon be able to fulfill the dream.

The rabbi then left Paris and headed to London where he arrived exhausted. Doctors urged him to rest. As usual, he ignored the doctors and continued on his speaking tour, determined to raise money to bring more Jewish orphans out of the Christian homes and institutions in which they were living. He made an appearance before Britain's religious council and described his activities saving Jewish children in great detail. He also spoke to groups urging them to make a donation and help save Jewish children. Rabbi Herzog succeeded in raising a significant amount of money on this tour, enough to provide funding to the small network of rabbis he had organized across Europe so they could continue their work finding and redeeming Jewish children.

As part of his fund–raising efforts the rabbi visited his old haunts in Ireland. He was received by his old friend, Eamon de Valera, who was now the prime minister of Ireland. He also made contact with members of parliament he knew and those he wanted to meet. The visit resulted in an unusual gift. The Irish government informed him they would donate tons of meat, slaughtered according to orthodox regulations, and send the meat to Europe for Jewish Holocaust survivors. Pleasantly surprised with the gift, Rabbi Herzog realized he was ill–prepared to become a shipper of food, and again turned to Dr. Joseph Schwartz, the JDC director in Europe. Schwartz agreed to handle the details of collecting, shipping and distributing the food. One major obstacle that soon arose was the lack of tin to package the meat. Several weeks passed before that issue was resolved. When it was, the JDC quickly collected the meat and distributed it to Jewish survivors, many of whom were suffering from malnutrition. Following Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, Rabbi Herzog left London on his way back to Jerusalem, with a stopover in Paris. He finally arrived back in Palestine, exhausted but exhilarated by his accomplishments.

Meanwhile, the plans to absorb the children in France were finished. All the papers and transport arrangements were completed. A Czech train awaited the passengers at the station. 488 children and 45 adult escorts boarded busses and were taken to the train station where they boarded a special train. Then the train started to roll to France.

The train rolled on, crossed the German border into France. At the Strasbourg railway station, a large crowd of Jewish youngsters awaited the Herzog train. All Mizrahi and Hapoel Hamizrahi children and their escorts left the train. They were received by the local Bnei Akiva or religious Zionist youth members. The group was then transported to the Strasbourg University dorms, where they were to stay until after the Jewish High Holidays. Then they would be placed in a spacious villa on Rue Selenic in Strasbourg.

The Agudah and Hapoel Agudah children and their escorts continued their journey to the city of Aix–la–Capelle, France, where they were lodged among several Jewish orphanages. Some of the children were later sent to Antwerp, Belgium.

Thus ended the children train operation of Rabbi Herzog.

Footnotes

1. JDC cable number 3879 from Prague to New York. Return
2. Shragai. Report.p.89, Return

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