Children of the Storm

This documentary centers on interviews with dozens of the 1,100 Jewish refugee orphans who came to Canada under the postwar Canadian Jewish Congress War Orphans Project. Their stories describe survival of the Holocaust and the difficult transition to establish new lives in foster homes. Historian Irving Abella relates the Canadian wartime record, including Ottawa's rejection of 5,000 Jewish refugee children, all of whom subsequently perished. These survivors reflect the endurance and determination that allowed them to contribute to their adopted country in business, law, medicine, education, art and science. Shown for the first time at the Vancouver Jewish Film Festival of 2001, the film is based on testimonies and family photos.