History of Sorts

My mother was born on December 10, 1935, and passed away on January 26, 1996, at the age of 60. It felt far too young, but I took solace in the fact that she lived a full life, witnessing all her children grow up and settle into their lives.

Sigmund Cohen, born on the same day—December 10, 1935—had a tragically short life. He was born in Gladbeck, Germany, and was murdered in Auschwitz on September 10, 1943, at the age of just 7.

In 1939, Sigmund fled with his grandparents to the Netherlands, but their hope for safety was cruelly cut short.

The 7-year-old child, Sigmund Cohen, was arrested in 1943 and was imprisoned in Camp Westerbork until September 7, 1943. On that day, the Nazis transported him from Camp Westerbork to Auschwitz.

According to War Sources (Oorlogsbronnen), the Nazis also transported 1,050 other people on September 7, 1943. Among them was Etty Hillesum, whose diary, An Interrupted Life, published in 1981, has touched countless readers with its profound reflections on the human spirit during unimaginable suffering.

“As life becomes harder and more threatening, it also becomes richer, because the fewer expectations we have, the more good things of life become unexpected gifts that we accept with gratitude.” — Etty Hillesum

Etty Hillesum’s parents were recorded as having died on September 10, 1943, likely during transit or upon immediate arrival at Auschwitz. Etty’s brother, Mischa Hillesum, remained in Auschwitz until October 1943, when he was transported to the Warsaw Ghetto. According to the Red Cross, Mischa died there before March 31, 1944.

Etty, herself, was murdered in Auschwitz on November 30, 1943.

September 10, 1943, was the fateful day as her parents, Sigmund Cohen, also was murdered upon arrival in Auschwitz.

Sources

https://www.joodsmonument.nl/en/page/196570/sigmund-cohen

https://collections.arolsen-archives.org/de/document/130274021

https://www.oorlogsbronnen.nl/tijdlijn/Siegmund+Cohen/57/130274026

https://www.the-low-countries.com/article/etty-hillesum-a-life-interrupted-a-spirit-unperturbed/