History of Sorts

Westerbork had been opened by the Dutch authorities during the summer of 1939 to shelter and house the Jewish refugees coming from Germany. The first refugees arrived in Westerbork on October 9, 1939.

After Nazi Germany invaded and occupied the Netherlands, Westerbork became the main concentration camp in the Netherlands

From 1942 to 1944, the majority of Jews in the Netherlands were sent to Westerbork before they were deported to be killed at Auschwitz, Sobibor and other camps. More than 100 trains departed from Camp Westerbork in the direction of the camps in Eastern and Mid-Europe. On 15-16 July 1942, the first prisoners were deported to Auschwitz. 2,030 Jews, among which were many orphaned children. The start of a long line of victims. In the first months, the train departed twice a week: on Monday and Friday. In 1943, Tuesday was most frequently the day of transport. Prior to every…