January 2025

  • Sara de Jong van Koningsbrugge was born in Schoten, the Netherlands, on 24 April 1914. The SS murdered her in Auschwitz on 21 January 1945 at the age of 30. Since 1936, Sara de Jong was married to Adolphus (‘Dolf’) Adrianus Petrus van Koningsbrugge (Amsterdam, 21 October 1913 – Heerlen, 15 June 1974). Based on

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  • RIP John Sykes

    John Sykes, a guitarist who played with rock bands Thin Lizzy, Whitesnake, and Blue Murder, died on January 20, 2025 at the age of 65. The British musician died after a “hard-fought battle with cancer.” John Sykes is an accomplished English musician, songwriter, and guitarist, renowned for his contributions to hard rock and heavy metal.

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  • It’s interesting how research can lead you to unexpected discoveries. While looking into one topic, I stumbled upon something even more compelling: the photograph above. It’s an identification photo from the Herzogenbusch Concentration Camp, aka Vught concentration camp, in the Netherlands, depicting prisoner Martinus T. Barbier taken by the camp photographer on January 20, 1944.

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  • The German word “Wahnsinn,” meaning “insanity” or “madness,” bears a slight phonetic resemblance to “Wannsee.” The image above depicts the villa located at Am Großen Wannsee 56–58 in Berlin. On January 20, 1942, this villa became the site where 15 high-ranking Nazi officials convened to devise the horrifying plans for the Holocaust. Although the Holocaust

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  • A Recipe Most Noble for a Tuna Salad Sandwich Hark, fair chef, and lend thine ear to this tale of victuals fine! Prepare thy table, and let us commence: Ingredients Method To ServeCut the sandwich in twain, triangles or squares, as thy fancy dictates. Present upon a platter, garnished with fruits or chips, and share

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  • 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

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