In 1934, the American Jewish charities offered to find homes for 300 German refugee children. We were on the SS Washington, bound for New York, Christmas 1934.

Steinberger is recalling his escape from Nazi Germany as a child through an organized refugee-rescue effort. The mention of “American Jewish charities” and a fixed number of children underscores how emigration was often possible only via limited, quota-like humanitarian programs rather than open asylum. Naming the ship (SS Washington) and the date (Christmas 1934) anchors the memory in a concrete, almost documentary detail, highlighting how a single logistical corridor—sponsors, placements, passage—could determine survival. The quote implicitly contrasts the vulnerability of displaced children with the decisive impact of communal aid and international mobility at a moment when many others were trapped by tightening immigration barriers and escalating persecution.