Sports are taken very seriously in the Netherlands, and the Dutch are passionate about many sporting events. For a small country, it does well in many sporting disciplines. Equally important are the people reporting or covering sports, especially on the radio.
Hartog “Han” Hollander was the first Dutch radio sports journalist. He was Jewish—but changed his name to Han to make it sound more Dutch.
The 11 March 1928 football match, which ended in a 1-1 tie between the Netherlands and Belgium, was broadcasted live on the radio—for the first time in sports’ history and was covered by Han Hollander on AVRO. Who was this man who could speak so compellingly about sports?
In 1936, he was allowed to report and cover the Olympic Games in Berlin, which he did with great enthusiasm. His positive contribution to the Olympic spectacle earned him a certificate signed by Hitler personally.
When the war broke out on 10 May 1940, Han’s career ended suddenly. The German occupier did not take the first steps in anti-Jewish legislation until January 1941. Willem Vogt, the co-founder and director of AVRO, on 16 May 1940 fired Hollander because of his Jewish origin. His once-good friend broke off contact with him. Years later, Vogt lamented that he took these measures—so as not to offend the Germans.
Unfortunately, Hollander did not see the need to go into hiding during the war. He said he relied on the certificate from the 1936 Olympic Games signed by Hitler to protect him. Sadly, Hollander did get deported to Westerbork. After a careless remark from his wife, they were moved to Sobibor. There they were murdered on 9 July 1943. Their daughter’s death was at Auschwitz—murdered by the Nazis on 28 February 1943.
Sources
https://www.joodsmonument.nl/nl/page/76033/hartog-hollander
http://www.historien.nl/grootste-sportverslaggever-vermoord-in-sobibor/
http://resources.huygens.knaw.nl/bwn1880-2000/lemmata/bwn2/hollanderh
https://voetbalstats.nl/opstelnedxi.php?wid=92
Donation
Your readership is what makes my site a success, and I am truly passionate about providing you with valuable content. I have been doing this at no cost and will continue to do so. Your voluntary donation of $2 or more, if you are able, would be a significant contribution to the continuation of my work. However, I fully understand if you’re not in a position to do so. Your support, in any form, is greatly appreciated. Thank you. To donate, click on the credit/debit card icon of the card you will use. If you want to donate more than $2, just add a higher number in the box left from the PayPal link. Your generosity is greatly appreciated. Many thanks.
$2.00
History of Sorts 
Leave a comment