Kindertransport is Diane Samuels' play, first published and performed in 1993. Samuels' play follows the evacuation effort in pre-World War II Germany from 1938 to 1939 and saw Jewish children's movement from Nazi-controlled areas to safe zones in the United Kingdom thanks to the kindertransport (or children's transport) law.
Although Samuels' play is fictional, it is based on the real-life stories of those children who escaped Nazi prosecution. Kindertransport follows a young woman named Eva Schlesinger, who was sent to live in foster care in Manchester, England, after the Nazis came to power. Kindertransport explores the difficulties Eva faced when adjusting to her new life without her parents, who she tried desperately to get jobs to live with her in England. Over time, though, Eva starts to forget her religious identity.
Kindertransport is regarded as one of the most significant works about the Holocaust in history. It has been produced in several venues, perhaps most significantly on London's prestigious West End from September to November 1996. Kindertransport is still being produced, reflecting the play's enduring popularity and importance.
