And the writer and director of the hbo film 50 children the rescue mission of mr. And mrs. Kraus. His book 50 children expense of the film in details house against all odds gilbert and Eleanor Kraus traveled into the house style landscape of not see occupied vienna in 1939 in return to america with 50 children. It is remarkable of its details speaking of co pay loss during its shameful period of history. He is here this evening to share his journey and talk to us about the research he did that makes the story personal and powerful. Please join me to welcome all other steven pressman. [applause] thank you. I appreciate that. It is wonderful to be here i appreciate everybody being here it is the rare days it is almost as warm in San Francisco. [laughter] is always the retreat to be on either side of the Golden Gate Bridge and have foremother. I will spend a few minutes to revisit the first few pages of the of book because it sets the scene for what is quite incredible a twostory even in places where its reads like a piece of fiction for our promise this is a non fiction book. And i have slides. Eleanor teeeighteen glanced around the dining room of her spacious and comfortable brick home on cypress street not far from the fashionable square. She wanted to be sure the table was set. President gilbert had not yet arrived home from his law office but she had already dressed choosing a stylish dress and pumps and a strand of pearls with matching earrings and deep red nail polish. One of gilberts leases was bringing her fiance to dinner and eleanor wanted everything to shine. Moments after gil walked through the front door after 6 00 eleanor greeted him with the quick kiss. To remind him that the dinner guests would arrive very soon. Gil smiled at his wife. The way husbands often do and removed his overcoat to set down the briefcase filled with papers from his office. Just does eleanor was about to dash into the kitchen to check on tendered gil said there is something i need to discuss with you. Cut into the bathroom while i shaved. Eleanor had no way of knowing at that moment her life was about to be turned upsidedown in ways she could not have possibly ever imagined. She followed him upstairs into the bathroom. He undid his necktie and took off his shirt weve been on a sleeveless undershirt. Gil 42 years old he and eleanor who was 35 at the time had been married for more than 40 years and by now early january 1939 the couple had two children. 13 yearold steven and nine yearold ellen. As gil stood in the bathroom to carefully scrape the razr across his face she thought housesit and handsome he was. With the bride shoulders shoulders in for so he had the same athletic physique he had 20 years earlier when he competed on the varsity wrestling and football team. During the undergraduate days at the university of pennsylvania. Imagine a jew playing football in the ivy league. [laughter] weld eleanor sat on the bathtub he mentioned his good friend louis came by the office that day. He was saved successful realestate man but his visit had nothing to do with normal business matters. Instead he stopped in to see him as the grant master of a jewish fraternal organization. Said two men talked about a seemingly impossible idea whether there might be any chance helping to rescue jewish children trapped inside nazi, germany. Both gil and lewis were aware of the worsening condition of the jews living inside. The two men discussed the possibility that somehow they could sponsor a rescue effort. But he reminded the group they had built a summer camp along the creek in a semi rural area about one hour outside of philadelphia in college bill. And had constructed a large one story stone house that included 25 bedrooms. Intended for use as the old age home at the moment see in the completely empty. Gil had each enormous respect and listened carefully as the sholom leader talked about the dangers confronting the jews in nazi germany. The newspapers had for some time been filled with articles about the growing atrocity sugh the nazis were directing to the jews. Two months earlier the terrifying event in November November 1938 the night of broken glass had erupted throat germany and austria. Says that afternoon wore on lew was got to the point of his visit. He knew all about gil reputation of lawyers who could solve just about any challenge put before him. And he asked if gil would be willing to take form the childrens rescue project. Other groups including several jewish organizations have been trying since 1934 within one year of hiller becoming chancellor to rescue jewish children to bring them to safety in the United States. Such efforts had yielded very little success at the most, only a small handful of children. Before bumping up against the strict immigration laws. No one could figure out a way to have larger numbers of children. At the time that lewis left gil law office gil knew he could not possibly turn down the challenge that others have been unable to meet. Eleanor is listening patiently as wives to. [laughter] as he recounted his lengthy conversation and finally it was her turn to talk. Gil, this is really crazy. No one in his right mind would go into nazi germany right now. It is not safe and especially for jews. Im not sure you could stand it 24 hours and i would be too scared to put a fly into that country. Assuming the storm troopers would even let us in. Now it was time for gil to listen patiently to his wife as he stepped in to use of the address he began to dress for dinner. He was not surprised by her reaction and fully aware of the risks to move ahead with the rescue plan. Traveling to nazi germany was hardly an appealing thought for a jew. Even traveling with the protection of the american passport and the rescue project would require him to spend several weeks or months in europe. And even if he did no way to know if there was a remote chance to succeed. But with all of that minorities felt strongly it was a risk worth taking it as he dressed for dinner he said something that was absolutely worth doing defoliates slight chance to bring children back to america. With that yellow onionskin paper that was held together last week a few days ago speaking to a group in philadelphia of large synagogue one side of the sanctuary someone Elderly Group of people, on the other side about the hundred confirmation students. There was non etfs of recognition on the right side of room and blake expressions on the other side when i mentioned onionskin paper. One boy basically knew what that was. I am pretty sure everyone here knows what it is or was. But my wife kept that stack of paper tucked away half for buying in a desk drawer in a home is in the San Francisco mixed with of Bank Statements and medical records and to and then to the carefully typed the contents of the plastic baggie wedge between the of file folders added drama to the pages inside the bank were passports each stamped with the swastika bearing the name and photograph. The broad outline in had done in the spring of 1939 more or less says the couples daring voyage with the eve of the holocaust and the return to the United States and for the rest of their lives however neither eleanor or gil spoke in detail with family or friends with the probable actions and offered no clues how or why of the jewish couple from philadelphia note blown up in nazi control vienna determined to rescue children whose lives were at stake. But fortunately eleanor had written it all down. Then there was a richly detailed account of a seemingly farfetched rescue plan that began starting with that afternoons discussion. At first klans the typewritten pages, i remember reading them read like the improbable, impossiblembqp3xan product of a very vivid imagination. A narrative that had seemed unlikely to jive with reality. Incredibly the bold rescue mission took place as eleanor had described it. In full historical significance will beyond her own account the 50 boys and girls a listing shown here in her handwriting from vienna 1939. That comprise the largest single donor group of children whod traveled without their parents parents, legally admitted into the United States during the entirety of the holocaust. And also became quickly very clear to me this was more than simply another holocaust rescue attempt. Indeed my research into their actions it led to a much greater understanding of the considerable obstacles that stood in their way as they valiantly and singleminded they carried out the mission. It to a place within with the political environment in the United States that made the achievement all the more stunning and sadly, a singular. The 30s were marched by rampant antisemitism antisemitism, attitudes reflected within the state department and elsewhere throat of government roosevelt may have held more sympathetic views with jews under hitler but by 1939 he had other more compelling priorities. Saving large numbers of jews was not among them. Kraus also had a brief period of time when the nazis who were determined that they were allowing or pressuring said jews to leave. But tragically the greater challenge was to find countries to take them. During the year leading up to the a outbreak of war september 1939, 10,000 jewish children germany, austria and czechoslovakia were sent off by their parents to england to that was known as the cantor transport. In america with the rigid immigration laws that had strict quotas for every country including germany and austria only allowed 1,000 unaccompanied children those traveling without their parents. And as i mentioned 50 children saved by a gil and eleanor croswell that being the Largest Single Group of those of the company children. Prior to right seeing this book i was privileged to have made a documentary film a rare case where the film preceded the book. Perhaps you have had a chance to see the film. To the and my wife says she does not necessarily view her grandparents as saints. That if they went to nazi, germany once they got there they stayed in Luxury Hotels , eight in the finest restaurants. After all that is the life that both of them were accustomed to living and is simply would not have occurred to them to travel any other way. But what they did to save the lives of 50 children was absolutely selfless. I dont think for a moment from my research that either gil or Eleanor Kraus set out to be heroes. Instead i think of them as relatively ordinary people who did something truly extraordinary and the deed came very close to being lost forever. That stack of pages now more fragile to the touch still rests inside that cardboard binder. 75 years later almost to the day by the way, i am quite proud to bring this dramatic story of quiet here was a matter of the darkness and into a very well deserved a spotlight. Thank you. [applause] and now it is your turn. I would love to hear comments and questions. I loved the movie. I am sure i will love the book. What is different for what could you elaborate that allows you to have that . Yes. I was so excited to write the book because when i did the research for the film, i gathered all this great stuff, archival documents documents, and i dug through the state Department Records , and looked at the archives in vienna, a jerusalem and i will describe that in a second. All this great material and it turns out only a fraction and winds up in a 64 minute film. I was anxious and restless sifting for a couple of years sitting on this incredible story in material. I am proud of the film but it scratches the surface with the broader story. I knew i had this story that weld went beyond one couple and what they did. I mentioned the United States at the time. I always knew i had a story to tell about america at this particular time and what these two individuals had to combat not just nazi, germany but with their own government. Even other jewish organizations and individuals who objected to what they were doing. Some of that is alluded to in the film but only in the pages of a booker you can get into the meat of that to take advantage of the panoply of rich material and the broader story. Honestly i do think the book provides a much fuller portrait of food these people were. Who were gil and Eleanor Kraus . Other Figures Figure prominently in the story. The film is not about them and it is only in the riding of a book i could incorporate all that material. I mentioned the archives in jerusalem i showed you in one of the slide that handwritten list of children. I made a discovery that my wife and i were in jerusalem together for this come as something called the central archives for the history of the jewish people. It sounds like it should be in the building like the National Archives in washington d. C. It is in a trailer on the edge of the hebrew university. But there was nothing trailers like about a cartload of file folders that an elderly woman wheeled out and plopped on the desk, file folders i dont believe have been opened for decades and inside were the questionnaires and though this and records of these 50 children and hundreds of others whose parents were desperate to send their children to safety. That is not something i could capture in a movie. Literally holding those pages in my hand, it was so moving to see firsthand what gil and eleanor were up against and the painful choices they had to make to choose the of 50 children. Along when did he answer to a great question. What happened to the children . One of the great things about this project i came to know quite intimately a number of the surviving children. When i started my did not know any of them or how i would find them. There are some journalists in the room and i will spill a trade secret about Investigative Journalism further you type the name into google and get good stuff. [laughter] i found a number of them that way. And as i did the film it into research for the book i was in touch with about 20 of the 50 children and accounted for many of the others. All of them with one or two exceptions not too surprising weve lived fairly normal and Productive Lives in america. Children, grandchildren, gre atgrandchildren, writers, e mergence, housewives, lawyers , and the gamut of the american experience. But something that has always stayed with me, when i found some of these folks either through email or picking up the phone to call them, i would call them out of the blue to ask about something that happened 70 years before. We this to say they were a little wary to hear somebody like that. But as soon as i told them i was married to the granddaughter of the couple who rescued them the ice melted in a hurry. And in many cases, i did not see this happening i could fill in the gaps that they had 70 years later about the circumstances that they were rescued. Needless to say that was extraordinarily gratifying for me to shed some light on all these years later. And i continue to stay in touch with a number of them. One of them in fact, became my wifes orthodontist. [laughter] is in the cosmic instance of the universe. [laughter] you mentioned archives in jerusalem with the childrens information . Im sorry those are questionnaires that the families were filling out in vienna 1938 for purposes to qualify for the precious american and visa. It was information about their life in vienna. Did any of the childrens families survive . Yes. Many of them. Can i know this will sound strange with a holocaust torrey but it is a feelgood story in the sense not only were they saved but many of their parents and other siblings who were left behind found it a little easier to get their own visa to come to america wants the children were here. Even though i cannot account completely for the fate of the parents of all 50, i do know one year after this takes place, the children arrived june 1939, 01 years later the sholom organization had an annual convention at the ritz carlton hotel. The statement grand master louis who first brought the project to gil delivers the grand master address it in 1940, nine months later reports 31 of the parents had been reunited with their children in the United States. Within one year. I know from my own Research Others came later. To of the 50 the orthodontist and his sister who were saved together live with gil and eleanor as foster children for two years and their parents somehow managed to remain in hiding in vienna throat to the entirety of the war then came to the United States 194780 years later. It did have a happy ending for many. Sadly some children lost one parent in the holocaust. But of the children i had the pleasure of finding and talking to, no one lost both parents. That was a nice outcome for them at least. Other questions . The most difficult thing about writing the book . Not to breaking down emotionally as i was reliving the lives of both sides of the atlantic ocean. i a little trite but to rediscover some of the painful things about our own country that i had no idea. In to the typical fighters challenges win you tell a parallel story. Here i was juxtaposing set against a broader back drive. And hopefully succeeded. It was a challenge but a fun one to have. It sounds from the opening that mrs. Kraus was a good writer. What else . Did she tell a good story . She wrote the incredibly detailed account. Some of it was prosaic. In the motion of the written. And we dont know for sure when she wrote this account. We do know she kept careful notes those materials do not exist not as if they were written at the time that the account does run the gamut from a somewhat routine and indeed in many cases almost petty what she would bring to vienna. Eleanor was stylish and prided herself on her looks and packed accordingly. And dressed accordingly as well. So hurry couch reflex that also the wrenching moments set a she and gil have been vienna, berlin, washington d. C. Meeting with the state department, fortunately for me as a filmmaker and author recounts ultimately gave me the blueprint then i had to fill in the gaps but the raw material was there it was a good read and a shopping list. No way what it you know, about the kraus would they be gratified about the attention or profoundly embarrassed . Yes. Me. [laughter] next question. Card to say. I would like to say they would not be rushing out to form a the Facebook Group whether or not they themselves had contact with the children some people turn up their eyes they didnt. Why wouldnt they . I actually think they have altruistic reasons they were smart enough to know once the children were here the paramount issue was to resume normal see in the childrens lives to keep his disconnection a part of that. I ran some letters that the children had a bar mitzvah within one year and writes a letter to all colt gil to invite him to the bar mitzvah. He was not the kind of guy to show up but he sent a lovely note to say i am so gratified to hear your mother has recently of five do we wish you nothing but the best that they remove themselves from these childrens lives. I have a feeling that is what their attitude to day would be. I am not sure there would be front and center with the premier or the book talk maybe i am lucky i did not have a chance personally to use it down. Weve met many years after both had passed away. There are one or two questions of with like to ask. Did you learn club was there relationship . Cero. [laughter] these were as secular jews as you could possibly imagine. Coming from a German Jewish family whose grandfather, his father was born in philadelphia. They would come over has part of the great migration. Not particularly religious the list told me philadelphia of the equivalent like the gentile community. Those were the kinds of choose but its a elenore likewise had two children they were educated at quaker schools in philadelphia. But then as to get those planks stairs is the same synagogue that gil was confirmed in 1913. But there is some reason to believe he rarely if ever crossed of threshold any moment after 1913 and lived through 1975. He was given is several opportunities to escape and itos he chose to do stay. Sadly his family was all exterminated. He survived and was hired by the nazis to work another 25 years as a psychiatrist and a major hospital. And to put out more hatred and was faulted for that. So at as he is disabled to be detached from the experience. His love affair, i do you have any comments to make . I am not quite sure where the parallel is. Let me take a stab at because i did always ask the surviving rescue children but whether or not they ever returned to vienna. For any purpose or reason. And not too surprisingly their response ran the gamut theres several children who absolutely had gone back because they wanted to show the children and grandchildren were they had come from. No doubt there was a feeling of satisfaction. Guess what . We are still here. And there were others who said there is nothing for me back there why would i ever step fly in a city that wanted me out . I can understand both responses. I took to extended Research Trips to vietnam. I dont have a personal connection to this city but as someone who is jewish jewish, vienna is the pretty put strange place to be even today. There is the palpable sense 75 years later that we are still outsiders in a city that wanted every du to ziv. There is a small jewish community, russians and Eastern European jews that have settled in vienna and a handful of jews who began in vienna via the but it is the best response icahn give it was an underground story. With your wifes family. And everything was tucked away but were they told anything . No. Truly. If not for the fact elenore for whatever reason had written it down nobody would know anything. I would be up here to talk about the story the only way i would know about it. My wife knew of little bit in schaede to her orthodontist was one of the 50 children that nobody knew the full significance. All families have family issues. We all come from families with issues. This family falls into that category. Theyre all kinds of reasons this story was not bandied about or talk about. It is strange to me largely because i grew up in a family where there were not too many secrets. We did not have Great Stories or i would have written that story. [laughter] and my parents would be here. [laughter] but i got this one and it is a good story but shockingly enough it was another story in just briefly to fill live in the gaps that they were rescued. Many of them had not heard of sholom. Is they knew anything there was a pediatrician who came with gil initially who also helped and was say pivotal part that is not what they knew but they got on about outside philadelphia and to learn the very strange game of baseball and learned to eat jello. Threeyear for people remember jello it is a weird memory. But said details of how they were rescued . Not a clear. Any reaction to your film or booking in vienna . I am glad that you asked that. And i am delighted. The u. S. Embassy they have a screening of the film next monday evening in vienna. That is the first litmus test in vienna. Both nervous and excited to show the film in vienna. Two weeks later with further evidence to be justice in the world the Austrian Embassy in washington d. C. Ambassador is sponsoring a screening at the embassy in washington. There is unique opportunities to share this story with folks in vienna and the guest of the Austrian Embassy as well. I am excited about that. When i saw the movie i kept thinking what is the motivation . If you figure that out let me know. [laughter] but with two Young Children at home and the risk was very high they would not come back. And to they were willing to do that . Said it was a challenge it was the mining thing . Because they did not keep in of a great unanswered question in that lends itself to speculation. My wife knew her grandparents very well later in life and she describes her grandfather as somebody who was day contrarian stubborn but also had a very deep sense a moral conviction of right and wrong. Id 1939 he looked around not just nazi, germany but was not going on in the United States and thought that was wrong. How that translated that was failing to do nazi, germany there was the gap. Id like to sit down with him to day what on earth was going through your mind . Because that part of this story is essentially a non answerable. For both eleanor and gil. Obviously a wonderful thing that they did this. Analysts speculation on my part that gil himself did not think he was assuming in a great risk to go into nazi germany with an american passport, a lawyer, a handsome three piece suit and nobody would touch him. There is an episode that takes place in vienna where they sit across from the gestapo offices to issue the passports that were required for all these children before they could please. If i was sitting across from the officer as a jew in 1939 . I am not sure i could handle that. But there is eleanor and gil sitting across the desk and gil says in english after making sure he knows theyre jewish he says why are you here . Gil says we are here to take 58 jewish children with us to america. It does not get any more profound than that. Eleanor came to a couple weeks later regionally they would go together and an aide calls her aside back when you go to washington in d. C. To get a passport and says i dont have Legal Authority to chill you know, but a woman is going to nazi, germany right now is probably not a great idea. Eleanor not the greatest adventure probably did not mind to be told not a good idea so initially she stayed behind to. One week later he calls his wife and gil says there is too much to do. I really need you here and she is on the next ship to europe. Thank you very much. [applause] i will be sitting here if anybody wants me to sign their book. [inaudible conversations] [applause] is everyone 0k for listening . A little louder