Westerbork-Distraction from fate.

I have done several blogs on Westerbork before. The reasons why I highlight Westerbork so much are.

1. It was the place where most Dutch Jewish and Jewish Refugees passed through before being sent to extermination camps
2. It had initially set up as a refugee center for Jews prior to the war.
3. Although the death toll was much lower in Westerbork then in other camps ,i was also one of the most sinister camps.

It is the sinister aspect I want to go into here. The biggest crime comitted in Westerbork was that it gave those who were imprisoned there hope or rather false hope. It was a distraction to the real fate that awaited them.

The Dutch government established a camp at Westerbork in 1939 to intern Jewish refugees, mostly from Germany. The first refugees arrived in Westerbork in October of that year. In April 1940, there were approximately 750…