The Hide-and-Seek Children: Recollections of Jewish Survivors from Slovakia

This book is in two parts. The first is an account of the efforts of dynamic Rabbi Dr Solomon Schonfeld to bring a transport of 148 child Holocaust survivors from Slovakia at the onset of the Communist regime, to a safe haven where they could begin to recover from the traumas they had suffered, nurtured in a traditional Jewish environment.

The second part comprises the individual stories contributed by 54 of these children and 6 others, of their own devastating experiences, many for the first time. One hundred of the party went to live in Clonyn Castle in the Republic of Ireland, purchased by a Jewish philanthropist from Manchester. Here they had the chance to recuperate in free and secure surroundings and the direction of their future lives was decided. Many retained a deep nostalgia for this significant time in their young lives as they describe in their reminiscences, as well as their deep gratitude and affection for Rabbi Schonfeld.

The book is illustrated with original archival documents recording the progress of the scheme, newspaper cuttings and photos, amongst them some treasured mementoes. The recoveries and subsequent achievements of the Hide-and-Seek Children after suffering such appalling circumstances is an inspiring record.