Survivor Profiles: Ernie Heimann
There is no denying what has happened. And we should learn from history and not repeat history. And because of that, if we learn from our history, we should make progress — maybe more slowly than is what would be desired, but we should make progress forwards, not to go backwards again.
Ernie Heimann
His Story:
Ernst “Ernie” Heimann was born in 1929 in Mainz, Germany (30 miles west of Frankfurt). During Kristallnacht, November 9-10, 1938, Ernie’s school and synagogue were destroyed. In the aftermath of these events, Ernie’s parents knew they had to get him out of Germany. On February 1, 1939, Ernie was placed on a Kindertransport to England, where his maternal aunt lived and agreed to sponsor him. She arranged for Ernie to live with an English family just outside of London. In September 1939, Ernie and others from his village were evacuated to the countryside because of the bombing in London. Ernie remained in England for four years until he came to the U.S. in 1943.
Learn More:
Coffee with a survivor facebook live session Podcast episode WBEZ interviewPhoto credits: John Pregulman