--- title: Remembering Sir Nicholas Winton, Who Saved 669 Children From Holocaust description: "Britain's Schindler" stepped up to save children while the world was burning canonical: https://time.com/3944620/sir-nicholas-winton-britains-schindler/ author: Rabbi David Wolpe article:opinion: true article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-07-02T15:31:46.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-22T08:44:09.166Z article:section: Ideas og:title: Remembering Sir Nicholas Winton, Who Saved 669 Children From Holocaust og:description: "Britain's Schindler" stepped up to save children while the world was burning og:url: https://time.com/3944620/sir-nicholas-winton-britains-schindler/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt801742f8923ec82b/6988595ce20a876303a8c1ff/britain-nicholas-winton.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2560 og:image:height: 1440 og:image:alt: An Oct. 28, 2014 file photo of the then 105 year-old Sir Nicholas Winton waiting to be decorated with the highest Czech Republic's decoration, The Order of the White Lion at the Prague Castle in Prague, Czech Republic. Winton, a humanitarian who almost s og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Remembering Sir Nicholas Winton, Who Saved 669 Children From Holocaust twitter:description: "Britain's Schindler" stepped up to save children while the world was burning twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt801742f8923ec82b/6988595ce20a876303a8c1ff/britain-nicholas-winton.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Remembering Sir Nicholas Winton, Who Saved 669 Children From the Holocaust > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME Inside TIME: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition Inside TIME is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. A closer look at TIME's latest cover and our most compelling stories. 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It explains how TIME's journalism is made, from the first pitch through the editorial decisions behind a finished story or cover. #### How can I read about how TIME chooses its covers? Inside TIME is the newsletter where TIME's Editor-in-Chief explains cover selection and the editorial reasoning behind major stories. It is free at time.com/newsletters. #### Who is the editor of TIME? Sam Jacobs is TIME's Editor-in-Chief. He writes Inside TIME, a twice-weekly newsletter about the newsroom's reporting and editorial decisions. #### Is Inside TIME free? Yes. Inside TIME is a free newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. A paid TIME subscription is separate and available at time.com/subscribe-agent. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-inside-2026q3/newsletters?i=e488c9e4-7fb2-4235-8951-44be67b4d511&cr=time-nl-inside-2026q3-v1) by [Rabbi David Wolpe](https://time.com/author/rabbi-david-wolpe/) ## Rabbi David Wolpe Jul 2, 2015 3:31 PM UTC  The then 105 year-old Sir Nicholas Winton waiting to be decorated with the highest Czech Republic's decoration, The Order of the White Lion at the Prague Castle in Prague, on Oct. 28, 2014. The then 105 year-old Sir Nicholas Winton waiting to be decorated with the highest Czech Republic's decoration, The Order of the White Lion at the Prague Castle in Prague, on Oct. 28, 2014. Petr David Josek—AP by [Rabbi David Wolpe](https://time.com/author/rabbi-david-wolpe/) ## Rabbi David Wolpe Jul 2, 2015 3:31 PM UTC What if the only way you can be good is to be great? There are moments in history when people are confronted by moral choices so stark that they either have to take risks or turn away. In 1938 it became clear that the Jewish children of Europe were marked for extinction. All across the world, people came to know this shocking truth. And all across the world, people did what we all do—they turned the page of the paper, took another sip of coffee, shook their heads at the tragedy of it all. Sir Nicholas Winton, who [died Wednesday](http://time.com/3943552/nicholas-winton-britain-obituary/) at the age of 106, realized the threat while traveling through Czechoslovakia. Great turning points in human history do not take place in public but in a secret chamber in the hearts of human beings. The heart must be awake before the dramatic action. Winton, a Jew by descent who had been raised as a Christian, decided that he could not simply shake his head and drink his coffee and know that these children would die. His heart woke; he decided to be good by being great. Winton arranged trains to carry children from Nazi-occupied Prague to Britain. He became the “[one-man children’s section of the British Committee for Refugees from Czechoslovakia](http://time.com/3943552/nicholas-winton-britain-obituary/).” His plans were ambitious: He drew up lists of thousands of children and persuaded families to accept these refugee children. We all know people who try to get us involved in a cause. They plague us with their earnestness and single-mindedness. How many checks have been written to get someone to leave us alone? But Winton wasn’t asking for money. He was asking for much more—that people take a child from a different country and often a different tradition into their homes. He wanted his countrymen to save children when no one else would. And he succeeded. Winton kept quiet about his work, and the truth of his heroism did not come to light for decades. For almost 50 years he was silent until his wife found documents in the attic, and his story was told. Winton said he always regretted that he could not do more, but unlike other rescue operations, he was essentially working alone, a one-man lifeboat for drowning children. This remarkable yet humble man saved 669 children. In this YouTube video, you can see how he did it, and what it meant. It is impossible not to cry at the end of these four minutes. We often ask why, during times of war, did people not intervene? The truth is most of us do not stir ourselves to act. We know of suffering in the world and yet continue to live our lives, go to work, take care of our families, and sleep in peace. Some precious souls are moved to a goodness that transcends explanation. Sir Nicholas Winton left behind many who lived, had children and grandchildren, because of his drive to save children while the world was burning. In his memory, we should all observe a moment of silence, and promise to do better. 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