History of Sorts

There is no way to rank the sadness of Holocaust stories. Each death is a tragedy, a haunting reminder of humanity’s capacity for cruelty. Yet, some stories resonate with an indescribable poignancy, striking us deeply.

One such story is that of Friedel Levie, the daughter of Jozef Levie and Else Metzger. Friedel was born in the Westerbork transit camp—a place of despair and suffering. There are no cherished baby photos of Friedel, only stark records marking her birth and death.

Friedel’s mother, Else Levie-Metzger, was 32 years old and pregnant with Friedel when the Germans deported her to Westerbork in early October 1942. Else had fled Germany in 1938 and settled in the Netherlands with her husband, Jozef, and their young daughter, Marga, at H.W. Mesdagstraat 13 in Groningen. Friedel’s grandparents and her aunt Rosa also lived in the same house.

On January 6, 1943, Friedel was born in the Westerbork Camp. By then, her older sister, Marga, was six years old. The Nazis murdered many of Jozef’s family. When Friedel was just four months old, her father succumbed to despair and took his own life in Westerbork.

Three weeks later, the Germans deported Friedel, her mother, and her sister to the Sobibor extermination camp. Upon their arrival on May 21, 1943, the SS murdered all three immediately.

Friedel was just four months old when the SS took her life.

Sources

https://www.openarchieven.nl/gra:22e3e1f1-dbf5-73ca-be76-3db4ea073280/en

https://www.joodsmonument.nl/nl/page/217301/friedel-levie

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