The Six Percent: The Couple Who Helped Children Escape the Holocaust
About this episode
The episode tells the story of Roswell and Marjorie McClelland, who helped Jewish and political refugees escape the Nazis during the Holocaust.
On this episode of Our American Stories, in 1940, 26-year-old Roswell and Marjorie McClelland put aside the academic and professional lives they had planned and sailed for Europe with the Quakers' American Friends Service Committee. War had already engulfed the continent, and the young American couple soon found themselves helping Jewish and political refugees fleeing the Nazis. For our ongoing series The Six Percent , Deborah Dwork, author of Saints and Liars , shares the story of the McClellands and the agonizing decisions that came with trying to save lives during the Holocaust. Marjorie was eventually given an especially difficult task: choosing which refugee children would be evacuated to the United States. Every name she selected meant a chance at safety for one child, while countless others would remain behind. Support the show ( https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate) Support the show: https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
People in this episode
Guest: Deborah Dwork
Topics covered
- Holocaust
- refugees
- Jewish history
- American history
- humanitarian efforts
- decision making
Keywords
- Holocaust
- refugees
- McClellands
- Deborah Dwork
- American Friends Service Committee
- children evacuation
- Nazis
- Jewish history
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: American Friends Service Committee
Books & works: Saints and Liars
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