Amy at the Memorial for the Deportees, Yad Vashem | 23 January 2025

We, who are singed by the burning, mark the liberation of Auschwitz on 27 January, 1945.

Yesterday, at the request of the team filming my story, Bobby Lax and David Zarif film an interview with Dr. Amy Williams at Yad Vashem, Jerusalem.

Who are these people?

Amy Williams has spent the last months researching Kindertransport history in the archives of Yad Vashem. As her Fellowship draws to a close she discovers the lists of Kindertransport children, long considered lost. The lists record the names and details of each child traveling through Holland. They were compiled by the Dutch Railways. Amy sends me a copy of the page with my name and number.

Bobby, Amy and David

For the last few years Amy has guided me as I continue recovering fragments from the ashes of the past and she introduced me to…

Bobby Lax, a film maker, living in Israel, the son of a Kindertransport survivor who has created an unforgettable film telling his father’s story.

Back in Berlin (2021) Film poster

Our film team watched Bobby’s film and he watched an early cut of my story, “i was 8814” and we shared our responses, heart to heart, on a zoom call.

What is the back story?

What is the back story that brought Amy, Bobby and David to Yad Vashem on 23rd January, 2025?

David and Kathi Peters have almost completed editing, i was 8814. As we talked together on our regular weekly Zoom call, we became aware that we were caught up in a historic moment in Kindertransport history and Amy’s find impacts the story we are telling. What should we do?

Amy was on that call. The question was raised, Should we film an interview with Amy describing her discovery?

Bobby’s name surfaced, would he say yes to our request? We want to film at Yad Vashem, will they give permission? The window for filming is very narrow, Amy is at the end of her fellowship, she has the flu…

We try to discern, Is this really God’s will, or our own bright idea?

And then…yesterday the camera rolled!

Bobby setting the scene

David filming Amy at the Deportees Memorial

What is the connection to my life story?

How am I affected by this unexpected event… Amy’s groundbreaking discovery of the Kindertransport lists.

I am mesmerized by the timing of her find.

I look again at number 8814 on the copy of the list of  children who were also saved.

Even though our film i was 8814 is almost completed, it is as if we are all compelled to record Amy’s find. And Bobby and David are ready to go!

And then there’s the link with the name of Bobby’s grandmother, she was called Amalia, my mother was named Amalie. His father and I were children of the Kindertransport.

Concentration Camp Memorials, including Chelmno where my parents, Amalie and Markus Zack were gassed

What is the meaning of this sudden flurry of events?

I’m still ruminating on the drama of these unexpected developments, exploring, searching  beyond my limited understanding.

Where did the idea for filming originate? 

How was it that Amy came to Israel at this time? 

And the friendship with Bobby causing him to say yes immediately, how did that happen?

What do you think?

Leaving Yad Vashem

All photos from Amy Williams