In January 1941, the group, which included fourteen-year-old Sonja, became the very last circle of Aliyat Hanoar to leave Berlin. It was a group of sixteen girls, many of whom had to leave younger siblings behind because they were too young to join. They faced a devastating parting from their mothers at the train station—a parting that, for most, was forever.
Sonja recalls the devastating separation from her mother, who took her to the train station to say a final farewell. Even more painful was the goodbye to her brother Martin; she went to say goodbye to him in the Orphan House, where he was left behind with other Jewish children who had lost their parents. Sonja later recalled:
“The whole train ride was a mixture of terror, devastation, and hopelessness. I was among mostly older girls who I barely knew. We were all in a state of shock.”
Sonja's Story 