The Dutch Football club AJAX FC is often seen as a Jewish football club, although it doesn’t actually have any Jewish roots. Although it has had a Jewish connection since the 1930s when the home stadium was located next to a Jewish neighbourhood of Amsterdam-Oost and opponents saw many supporters walking through the Nieuwmarkt/Waterloopleinbuurt (de Jodenhoek—the “Jews’ corner”) to get to the stadium.
Additionally it did employ several Jewish players like Sjakie Swart and Eddy Hamel for example. Another legendary member of staff was Salo Muller, seen above with another Ajax legend, Johan Cruijff. Salo is a former physiotherapist at the club and was there at the time when the club saw some of its biggest successes.
But to me he is a hero for a different reason. Salo’s, parents were murdered at Auschwitz.
In 1941, when he was five, his parents were arrested by the Nazis and put on a train from the capital Amsterdam to Westerbork, where they spent nine weeks before being deported to Auschwitz and murdered.
He decided to act when he heard that the French government had agreed a $60m compensation fund with the US to be distributed among thousands of survivors and their relatives.He started a campaign to force the Dutch Railways to follow suit to pay compensation to the Dutch survivors of the Holocaust
In 1941, when he was five, his parents were arrested by the Nazis and put on a train from the capital Amsterdam to Westerbork, where they spent nine weeks before being deported to Auschwitz and murdered.
He decided to act when he heard that the French government had agreed a $60m compensation fund with the US to be distributed among thousands of survivors and their relatives.
According to NS, several thousand people could be eligible for the payments, including about 500 survivors and their direct descendants.
Nonetheless, the committee set up by the company acknowledged that “there is no reasonable or appropriate amount of money that can compensate in any way for the suffering inflicted on the persons covered by the scheme.”
When considering the amounts to be paid, the committee said, it noted that “although NS was an essential link in the transport to the concentration and extermination camps, it cannot be held responsible for the existence of these camps and the crimes that were committed there.”
The NS decided that it would pay each survivor €15,000 (£13,000; $17,000), while €5-7,000 will go to children and widowed spouses of victims.
It had been a long struggle fro Salo Muller, several times he had been rejected by the NS, He was told that he was a nice man and they still knew him from his Ajax days, butthe NS were never forthcoming in relation to payments. They had officially apologized for their role in the Holocaust, But only Yesterday they decided to pay compensation.
Just goes to show one man can make a difference.
Donation
I am passionate about my site and I know you all like reading my blogs. I have been doing this at no cost and will continue to do so. All I ask is for a voluntary donation of $2, however if you are not in a position to do so I can fully understand, maybe next time then. Thank you. To donate click on the credit/debit card icon of the card you will use. If you want to donate more then $2 just add a higher number in the box left from the PayPal link. Many thanks.
$2.00
Source
BBC
New York Times
Volkskrant
History of Sorts 
Reblogged this on History of Sorts.
LikeLike