My Voice: Leonard Kaufmann

Leonard Kaufmann was born in Germany in April 1935. With the threat of war looming, his uncle Arthur managed to secure sponsorship for Leonard to escape to England on the Kindertransport. Alice and Ronald Argles sponsored 30 children in total, and Leonard lived in their home in Staffordshire with them almost until the end of the war.

When Leonard finished school, he went into the family business, manufacturing egg slicers, which later developed into a wholesale business. In 1961, Leonard married Ruth and moved to Gatley, Manchester. They had two daughters, Sarah and Debra. Leonard worked as a clothing manufacturer for a short time and later spent many years as the administrator for the Yeshurun Synagogue. He does not remember his family who all perished during the Holocaust.

Leonard’s book is part of the My Voice book collection, a stand-alone project of The Fed, the leading Jewish social care charity in Manchester, dedicated to preserving the life stories of Holocaust survivors and refugees from Nazi persecution who settled in the UK. The oral history, which is recorded and transcribed, captures their entire lives from before, during and after the war years. The books are written in the words of the survivor so that future generations can always hear their voice. The My Voice book collection is a valuable resource for Holocaust awareness and education.