Learning from the past ~ lessons for today - Holocaust Education ...

Michael Falk
In 1941 my parents left Europe on the last passenger ship
before America entered the war in December. As soon as
they arrived in America they contacted us. After the war I
joined them in New York City.
The Teller family moved to London and remains warm as
always. (The Tellers always made me feel how lucky they
were to have me.) Today we often make many visits between
London and Israel and we are frequently in touch with the
Teller family.
I would like to point out again how grateful we are to the
Briscoe family. We have met and spoken to Joe and Debbie
Briscoe when they have visited Israel, and have also met
their son Dr Daniel Briscoe (who lives in Israel).
Michael Falk
Michael Falk
I was born in Schneidemuhl, a small town in West Prussia.
After the increase of antisemitism and persecution, our
family moved to Frankfort on Maine in 1937. During this
time my parents and I (my brother was already in Palestine)
waited for our quota number to the United States. It should
have arrived in about 1941.
After ‘Kristallnacht’ in November 1938 my parents wrote to
the people they knew who had already left Germany, hoping
someone would at least take me in.
Mrs Hollander, a good friend of my parents, was living in
Dublin and was approached by Dr & Mrs Teller, who wanted
to adopt a refugee child (still in Germany) about the age of
their son. Stranger then fiction, their letters crossed.
Now begins the unsavoury part of the story. However much
they tried to bring a nine-year-old child to Ireland, the Irish
Consul in Berlin was adamant in his refusal.
The matter was brought to the attention of Robert Briscoe
TD. He arranged a meeting with Prime Minister Éamon de
Valera, together with Reverend Herzog, who was in Ireland
on a visit at the time. Within two weeks I was in Ireland.
The Jewman’s Funeral, Dublin Michael Falk, 1998
Dr Teller was a botanist educator and one of the founders of
the Dalton School and Stratford College. He also taught in
the Talmud Tora School on Bloomfield Avenue.
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