(Update from the November 2016 blog)
One aspect of history I find particularly difficult to grasp is the collaboration of some Jews with the Nazis. On the one hand, I understand that self-preservation is a powerful human instinct—survival at any cost can drive people to make unimaginable choices. Yet, conversely, it’s hard to reconcile how those who collaborated could ignore or overlook the fate of their friends and families. At some point, many must have realized that Hitler’s ultimate goal was the complete annihilation of the Jewish people.
Anna (Ans) van Dijk (born in Amsterdam on December 24, 1905 – executed in Weesperkarspel on January 14, 1948) was a Dutch-Jewish woman who collaborated with Nazi Germany during World War II by betraying fellow Jews. She remains the only Dutch woman executed for her wartime collaboration.
Born to Jewish parents, Aron van Dijk and Kaatje Bin, Anna married Bram Querido in 1927 and later opened a millinery shop, Maison Evany, in Amsterdam.
Her father had suffered from paranoia and died in 1939 at the psychiatric hospital Het Apeldoornse Bos. Shortly afterward, Ans divorced her husband. Following the end of her marriage, she entered into a romantic relationship with a Jewish woman named Miep Stodel, who had previously worked for her in the shop.
In 1941, the Nazis closed Maison Evany as part of their systematic seizure of Jewish property (Jews, by law, were prohibited from owning businesses or working in retail). After the closure, Ans dyed her hair blonde, acquired false identity papers, and assumed a new name: Alphonsia Maria (Annie) de Jong. Meanwhile, Miep Stodel fled to Switzerland in 1942.
Initially, Ans became involved in selling goods from properties seized from deported Jews. She also helped some Jews find hiding places. However, in January 1943, she was forced to go into hiding.
Her concealment was short-lived. The Gestapo arrested her on Easter Sunday of 1943 by the Sicherheitsdienst (SD) with the assistance of Detective Peter Schaap from the Office of Jewish Affairs of the Amsterdam police.
Ans van Dijk was released after agreeing to cooperate with the Sicherheitsdienst (SD). Under the guise of being a member of the resistance, she offered to help fellow Jews secure hiding places and obtain false identity documents. In reality, she was working as an informant. Through this deception, she betrayed at least 145 individuals—including her brother and his family. Of those victims, approximately 85 perished in concentration camps. It is estimated that she may have played a role in the deaths of up to 700 people.
Following the end of the war, van Dijk relocated to The Hague. However, on June 20, 1945, she was arrested at a friend’s home and charged with 23 counts of treason. The police brought her before the Special Court in Amsterdam on February 24, 1947.
Van Dijk confessed to all charges, stating that her actions had been motivated solely by a desire for self-preservation. Despite her explanation, the court sentenced her to death.
Van Dijk appealed her conviction, but in September 1947, the Special Court of Appeals upheld the death sentence. Her final hope—a request for a royal pardon—was denied by Queen Wilhelmina.
On January 14, 1948, Ans van Dijk was executed by firing squad at Fort Bijlmer, located in the then-municipality of Weesperkarspel (now part of Amsterdam’s Bijlmermeer district). The night before her execution, she was baptized and converted to the Roman Catholic faith.
In her final days, van Dijk wrote several farewell letters. One of them was a response to the nun who had visited her in prison after she had expressed interest in Roman Catholic rehabilitation work. In the letter, she shared that she had been baptized and would soon receive her First Holy Communion.
Some theories suggest that Anne Frank may have been betrayed by van Dijk.
Sources
https://www.annefrank.org/en/anne-frank/go-in-depth/was-anne-frank-betrayed/
https://landmarkevents.org/assets/email/2024/01-08-history-highlight/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ans_van_Dijk
Please support us so we can continue our important work.
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