'He said goodbye to his mother at Prague Station - that was the last he saw of her'
As plans continue to welcome Afghan refugees, York's Rose Berl has been sharing her father's story of escaping to the city from Nazi occupation.
A York woman whose father received sanctuary in the city says Afghan refugees must be welcomed with open arms.
Max Berl was born in what is now the Czech Republic - but managed to flee to York following Nazi occupation.
He returned to the country after the Second World War, before escaping again to York after the Communist takeover.
Rose Berl is Max's daughter, and has been sharing his story with Greatest Hits Radio: "My father was from a Jewish family and was born in 1906 as a subject of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
"He was born in a privileged position because it was a wealthy and highly educated family, and he inherited the family business. The part of the world that he lived in became part of the new country Czechoslovakia, where Jews were 'tolerated'. He had to learn Czech because his mother tongue was German.
"Hitler gained power, and what happened was that Jews weren't allowed to own property. Dad was put in prison; he wasn't badly treated but he was forced to renounce his property - 5 Sawmills. I think he also had to renounce the family home.
"His mother still lived in the family home, as did his younger brother and sister - they moved to Prague and thought they'd be safe, but dad didn't trust it. Dad told me he queued for two days and two nights for a visa, but my grandmother didn't want to leave because her husband was buried in Czechoslovakia and my aunt and uncle didn't want to leave either.
"He waited until the last possible day that he could leave the country - I think around March 1939 - and said goodbye to his mother at Prague Station; that was the last he saw of her.
"His brother survived Auschwitz but his mother and sister didn't.
"There was a little boy with his mother at the station and he could also leave the country - but not with his mother; she asked dad to keep an eye on him. Jews weren't allowed to travel through Nazi Germany but he had to.
"Apparently a guard came in and saw dad and the little boy, and turned a blind eye and let them through. They received so much kindness when they came to York, and received board and lodging - along with free tickets to the Rowntree Swimming Pool.
"He also got tickets to the Saturday night dance in the Assembly Rooms where he met my mother - who was a York girl.
"He went back to Czechoslovakia after serving for the British Army during World War 2, but couldn't get his property back because he had renounced it. The Communists then became the sole power there, and dad was labelled a capitalist - being that, Jewish and having a German-sounding name was all bad in their eyes.
"Mum came back to York easily; dad couldn't leave straight away but was given sanctuary again in York. He was married to a British woman and had served in the army, and so he built his life up again here".
Work is underway to prepare for refugees from Afghanistan to arrive in York. Late in August Councillor Darryl Smalley - Executive Member for Culture, Leisure and Communities - said: "It's now or never to save innocent people from the terror of the Taliban. Work is underway to ensure York does its bit in this international effort.
"Since the announcement that NATO military forces would withdraw from Afghanistan, the Council started work alongside the Home Office, Ministry of Defence and MHCLG to support the national effort with regard to the Locally Employed Staff (LES) scheme, which is part of the wider Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP). We stand ready and willing to support the recently announced Afghan Citizens' Resettlement Scheme (ACRS) in any way we can.
"Council staff are working around the clock so that we are ready to give refugees the sanctuary they need. Alongside local authorities in the region, we are working closely with Government and Migration Yorkshire who will allocate councils a proportion of refugee families. Once we know the families’ specific needs, alongside our local key partners, we will work to provide the all the necessary support as we have always done with previous refugees".
Rose wants York to play its part again in helping refugees - just as it did for her father: "I always think we're so lucky to be born in a country which we complain about, but at the same time we're not at war; you're not frightened that a bomb is going to drop in your house or that someone is going to hammer on your door in the night and drag you off to prison.
"We're so fortunate and how we treat other people affects us. We are all connected and how we welcome people or reject them - we're either welcoming or rejecting a part of ourselves.
"If we were from Afghanistan we would desperately hope that people in York would welcome us. I try to put myself in their place, but also we can learn from people who come from other cultures.
"York's made up of immigrants and refugees; it's made this city such a rich and wonderful city.
"I'm always extolling what a wonderful place York is, and part of what makes York such a wonderful place is that it has welcomed people in the past - and I hope it does now".