The Os Aid Society

The future of the world lies with the children, the helpless, and the forgotten. These are the people who need the most help and guidance. The Oeuvres des Secours aux Enfants, or Children’s Aid Society (OSE), is one organization that is known especially across Europe for its role in saving children from the horrors of the Holocaust. Founded by intellectuals and doctors, it is a Jewish organization that put forth an effort that was mostly unseen to save children from the Holocaust. The OSE has a rich history of helping those in need, and was especially involved during and after World War II, doing the right thing despite the dangers.
After its 1912 founding in Russia, the OSE was quick to earn a reputation as a great source for families in need
to find the help some so desperately searched for.
After World War I and its atrocities had completed, the OSE moved headquarters to Berlin and soon after named Albert Einstein as its honorary president. Germany remained home to the OSE from 1922 until 1933. During the building of the Socialist Party’s power, the decision was made to move the headquarters once again, this time to Paris. From here, work was continued as normal.
In 1940, however; it all changed. With a large portion of Europe once again going into war, and some horrific acts by the Nazis being directed toward the Jewish population of Europe, the OSE took a role in saving Jewish children from concentration and death camps. The OSE began operations to make available social services to detainees in internment camps. As it became apparent that this wasn’t enough, the OSE took it even farther and started to open safe houses to hide people before they were taken to the concentration camps. These safe houses took mostly children, as they were less capable of surviving the horrors of the Holocaust. Many parents were known to drop their children off to spare them from being taken with them
to the concentration camps. With the occupation of France, all operations to save children escaped from view. Only a few people knew what was happening. The OSE continued to run orphanages and safe houses in Vichy France. These orphanages would provide schooling to the children, part of which was teaching them survival skills to help them to live despite the dangers of Germany. Children were held until they could be secretly transported to unoccupied countries. The OSE worked to gain connections to get the children out of harm’s way. This was in many cases to get help from government officials from other countries to provide visas and transportation to safety. Many of the children were found underground passages to Spain and Switzerland. A large group was even given passage into the United States. By 1944, the OSE had helped five thousand children. Many were known to get away safely, but a large portion unfortunately still ended up going to concentration camps. The work did not stop there, though. The OSE gave physical and psychological assistance to upwards of 400 survivors of the Holocaust, including a future Nobel-winning writer and a future Chief Rabbi of Israel.
The OSE stood in the face of danger to do what its members knew was right.
It is amazing to think that an organization with such little support could save so many people and do so humbly. Moral courage is doing the right and just despite all the dangers and oppositions. The OSE went above and beyond, not just sheltering children, but also educating, preserving, and evacuating them. This was not only against the law, but in some places, it was also socially unacceptable to oppose the Nazi regime. It took a while to gain momentum, but the OSE overcame almost every obstacle just to help others. The courageousness of each individual member was what made up the effectiveness of the whole. Just one member doing the wrong thing could have gotten the attention of the Nazis and ended the whole plan to save as many children as possible. The collective opposition of the Nazis by groups like the OSE is what kept the Holocaust from being worse than what happened. The OSE did its part in helping others, but that was nearly seventy-five years ago. We can do something
today.
With the right motivations and given the right circumstances, anybody can become a hero. Most of us however don’t find the perfect circumstances, unlike the OSE worked miracles for those who needed them during and after World War II. While the circumstances make known the hero, we can be a hero too, just by doing what we know is right.