Greta Korn

My mother first attempted escape from Nazi-occupied Vienna when she was 14, through the Swiss Alps but was captured and brought back. Her mother was overjoyed to see her, but was also conflicted, as she knew it was not safe for her daughter to remain in Vienna. 

My mother’s second attempt was successful, through the Kindertransport to London. Her first host family treated her like a maid. The second family was very kind, and the father, Tigger, encouraged my mother to get an education. She studied at Oxford, and later worked for the British government decoding Nazi letters. Her mother Manya, father Josef, and sister Sophia did not survive. Manya and Sophia were killed in Camp du Gurs in France, while Josef was murdered en route to Auschwitz. Greta’s sister Anna
survived, but, sadly, suffered from mental illness.

The day my mother boarded the bus to London, my grandmother said to my mother, “Go smiling through life.” My mother indeed chose that path, and became a vibrant face of survival, choosing love over hate, triumph over evil, making many friends and
deep connections with family and loved ones. Yvette Gralla, dear friend to my mother, provided me with a welcoming temple home, which I will treasure forever. 
                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                                  --Tina Maxwell