Holocaust Remembrance: The Fred Kader Story, “Piecing Together A Lost Past”
On Wednesday, February 12th, 2014, Pleasanton students in the eighth and eleventh grades connected via Skype to Dr. Fred Kader, a World War II Holocaust Survivor. The Skype connection linked Dr. Kader from The Institute For Holocaust Education (located in Omaha) to Pleasanton High School.
At the age of four he became an orphaned child of the Holocaust in Belguim. Dr. Kader shared his story of being the lone surviving member of his immediate family, being placed in an orphanage, and later found by his uncle. Dr. Kader learned that his family was part of the mass deportation of Jews in Belgium that began in September, 1942. His father had been rounded up with other Jewish men and sent to a forced labor camp in France. His older brothers were deported to a death camp. Kader later found himself with his mother at a rail station in Antwerp, Belgium, where trains were transporting Jews to Auschwitz.
For Kader, a pediatric neurologist with his own private practice in Omaha, the strain of not knowing his own life history left a void he could not fill. Through a series of miraculous events and connections, he began to learn more about his family and the events of being hidden from the Nazi soldiers. By learning about his past, he chose to become a physician with the goal of helping children with disabilities. Married with three grown children who also work with children professionally, Dr. Kader has chosen to share his story to help others understand the Holocaust initiated by Nazi Germany. He hopes to educate students so that similar atrocities do not take place.
Dr. Kader states: “We have to tell our story because it’s the only way we can teach people what happened. You hope people will listen and you hope people will learn. If you know about it, then when you see bigotry in front of your eyes you’ll recognize it and them maybe you’ll try to put a stop to it.”
Click here to learn more about Dr. Kader’s story. To learn more about the stories of Fed Kader, Marcel Frydman, and Tom Jaeger in “The Trauma of the Hidden Child Revealed”, click here.
Distance Learning Connections 
I thought the Skype connection was pretty awesome I learned alot of information of what happend during WWII. The topic of the story was you need to make decision and not be a bystander because there is no innocent bystanders just bullies and people who let evil happen. I thought the odds of events in Dr. Kaders start were miraculous and made the story interesting.
I loved Dr. Kader’s message. He has a very interesting life story. The message that stood out the most to me was “nobody is an innocent bystander.” It is so true. I had never thought about it in the way he put it. You can always step in and help. If you don’t do your best to stop someone from doing something wrong then you are guilty. Everybody should have integrity and do the right thing even when nobody is watching.
I thought Dr. Kader’s story was amazing. I really liked his advice to figure out was is proper and right. It is very easy to become bitter and feel bad for yourself when life gets rough. You have to make the choice to not give up and be kind.
There is no such thing as an innocent bystander means if you aren’t helping, you are hurting. Even if you are not the one who is being mean, letting it happen makes you just as guilty. Dr. Madder witnessed this first hand.
Thank you Dr. Kader for this unique and very interesting experience. Your life story is very touching and I enjoyed every minute of it. I hope that many other kids will get to experience your life story. When you were talking about recovering from a traumatic event and still making the best of life, it was very inspirational. Thank you again for this opportunity.
I think that it was amazing that Dr. Kader found out everything about himself. He seems like a very good man. Being brave enough to talk to be people about his struggles would be hard. Dr. Kader was very determined and found out many things he wanted to know. The way he talked about bystanders is so true. During the Holocaust, a lot of people were being bystanders. They just stood by and watched a lot of people get killed. It is a good lesson for us to learn to not stand by and let bad things happen.
During the Holocaust presentation Dr. Kader shared many interesting facts about his adventure. I learned many things about what had happened to Dr. Kader and the other children. The way he had told us his story about how he was given many times to miss the train and get away made the story feel like someone was looking out for Dr. Kader throughout his journey. Dr. Kader had a very hard childhood, but the way he was able to pull his life together from all that had happened to him, and create an amazing career makes him an extraordinary man in my eyes.
Dr. Kader told us some interesting insights. He told us that he survived the Holocaust. He survived with other hidden children. I think it was amazing that he found most of the people who helped him survive and get away. I learned that there are no innocent bystanders. Dr. Kader taught us many important lessons.
I think that Dr. Kader was great at telling his story about Holocaust. At the age of four I think that it was hard to leave his family and not see them again. I think he was right about the bullying because you should not be the follower maybe you could be a leader and tell kids to stop bullying other kids. Through Dr. Kader I learned that nobody is an innocent bystander. He seems like a very nice man because he can tell people about himself and the Holocaust.
I thought that the Holocaust story was amazing. He has a very interesting life story. I really liked his advice “Nobody is an innocent bystander”. I think everybody should have integrity and do the right thing even if nobody is watching. It’s amazing how he lived through everything during the Holocaust. He is a good man and is very brave. It’s amazing how he is still finding more information about him and about the Holocaust. I think this story is a very good lesson.
I enjoyed the Skype connection with Dr. Kader. He had an awesome story to share. I learned a lot from Dr. Kader. I learned that nobody is an innocent bystander. If you are witnessing something that isn’t right, you should do what is right and do something about it. You shouldn’t just let it go and think that if you’re not the person doing it, then it’s ok. It’s not alright to do, and you should stick up for others to show them you care. Doing what is proper and right can make you a better person.
I think it was cool that Dr. Kader went to the conference and learned more about what happened. He got to meet with people who saved him. I thought think that was awesome. Dr. Kader is a strong person and encourages others to care not only for themselves, but others as well.
Dr.Kader, the story you shared with us was amazing. I found it incredible how all those coincidences happened causing you to stay alive. Your advice on how there is no innocent bystanders truly spoke to me. Personally, I believe it is completely true and that any bystanders should immediately take action and step in and stop the bullying. Also, when you say that people should “figure out what’s proper and right,” people should listen. I feel like most people cant tell the difference from right and wrong and they need to. So, thank you Dr. Kader for sharing your story with us.
I enjoyed the presentation about the Holocaust by Dr. Kader. One of my favorite quotes from Dr. Kader was “Nobody is an innocent bystander.” What this means to me is if you are not part of solution you are part of the problem and you can’t be either. It is amazing that Dr. Kader got to reconnect with people that he has met during WW 2. When I learned about the hidden children it gave my a better idea of what it was like for the surviving children. What I learned during the presentation was that every one under 16 years old was under the Queen’s protection. Dr. Kader was saved from the train ride to the death camp by Miss. Blum and some kids that were with her. At the convention Dr. Kader got to see the person that found him in the train station. It was an amazing story.
Listening to Dr. Kader gave me another perspective of what happened during the Holocaust. I learned about the Hidden children and how the Nazis set up orphanages in Belgium. Mrs. Blum was an amazing person for taking care of those orphaned children. Dr. Kader said “what people did because it was the right thing to do, because they care and have a love for other.” This quote describes Mrs. Blum.
Dr. Kader’s message on figuring out what is proper and right was a valuable message. Everyone goes through hardships in life, but how we handle ourselves in those times defines who we truly are. We are given the opportunity to make choices, but whether we make the right or wrong ones is up to us. I thoroughly enjoyed Dr. Kader’s presentation and the messages he shared. Such messages are essential in being a successful person.
Dr. Kader I think that you have an amazing story about the Holocaust. I very much appreciated you telling us the story of how you survived. I think that it is awesome how you met the people you were with. It was crazy how you met the man whose lap you sat on in the truck and also how you went to the all of those meetings and me other survivors . You are a very successful man for your resilience and determination.
I learned how to combine all are ideas together to make one big product. That was the most fun activity ever.