The BBC has been fiercely criticised for failing to use the word “Jewish” in promotional material for a new film about Kinderstransport Hero Sir Nicholas Winton, who rescued hundreds from the Nazis during World War 2.
The film, starring Sir Anthony Hopkins, is billed by co-producer BBC Film as being about a man who “saved 669 children”, with co-producers See-Saw Films and distributors Warner Bros describing it in the same way on their websites.
Additionally, HMV and several other UK cinemas in the UK, including the Peckhamplex in London, shared promotions for the film describing it as the story of a man “who helped save Central European children from the Nazis”.
Daniel Sugarman, director of public affairs at the Board of Jewish Deputies, drew attention to the description on X, formerly Twitter.
He posted: “This is how the film is described on their website. No mention of Jews at all.
“That’s 2024 for you. Half the time we’re experiencing Holocaust inversion, the other half we’re getting written out of our own history.”
Countdown host Rachel Riley posted: “Wow. They can’t even bring themselves to say ‘Jewish children’ were saved from the Nazis.
“Jewish child Holocaust survivors no longer creditable? Sign of the messed up times.”
HMV apologised on X, saying: ‘We understand how this choice of wording could be interpreted and we have updated it to say that Sir Nicholas Winton rescued 669 predominantly Jewish children from Nazi occupation.”
Both Warner Bros and the BBC have also updated the wording on their websites to describe the children as “predominantly Jewish”.
During a wartime visit to Czechoslovakia Sir Nicholas, a stockbroker, compiled a list of children in need of rescue.
When he returned to the UK, he worked to fulfil the legal requirements to bring them to safety, finding homes and sponsors for them.
His remarkable achievement remained largely unknown for almost half a century, when he was invited to the BBC television programme That’s Life!, hosted by Esther Rantzen.
During his appearance, Sir Nicholas was reunited with dozens of the children he had helped.
Sculptor Flor Kent’s memorial for the Kinderstransport children can be seen at Liverpool Street station, where many of them arrived in London for the first time, to this day.
Express.co.uk has contacted the BBC and See-Saw Films for comment.
