dirkdeklein
-
Like in Germany, the Holocaust in the Netherlands didn’t start with the mass murder of Jews—it was a gradual process. It started with a number of measures to initially humiliate the Dutch Jews. Summer 1942SD agents check the identity cards of Jewish citizens on the Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal, in Amsterdam. At the beginning of January 1941,…
-
The above photograph is a rail track I pass over nearly every day. Yesterday, when I passed it, I had to think of all those who went on train journeys and never returned. The trains that travel over this rail track are comfortable, They have soft seats you can sit on, and some even have…
-
The Ritchie Boys were a group of military intelligence officers and enlisted men of World War II trained at Camp Ritchie in Maryland, USA. Many of them were Jewish refugees who had fled Nazi Germany and other Axis countries. They were primarily recruited from immigrant communities in the United States, particularly those who spoke German,…
-
Candles are set as evening falls,Small flames against the dark.Their quiet labor ancient still—To testify, to leave a mark. Outside, the city holds its breath,A southern sky, the harbor still.Where sudden terror cut the dayAgainst the human will to live. Streets remember fear too well;So do our bones, so does our prayer.We light the shamash…
-
I watched ‘Charité at War’ on Netflix the last few nights. Although I felt that one or two portrayals gave a bit too much credit to some characters, overall, I believe it was a good reflection of the situation in the hospital during the last years of the war. The show takes place in 1943…
-
There you are minding your own business, enjoying a concert by a legendary rock band, Then suddenly some stupid with a flare gun burns the place to the ground. “Wait a minute” I can hear you all think “This and the title sounds very much like a song” and you would be right. Deep Purple…
-
The SS established the Neuengamme concentration camp on December 13, 1938.It would become the biggest concentration camp in Northwest Germany.In excess of 100,000 inmates would come through Neuengamme and its sub camps. The death toll totaled approximately 42,900: about 14,000 in the main camp, 12,800 in the subcamps, and 16,100 during the death marches. These…
-
For many growing up in the 60s to 80s(and even 90s) the year 2000 had a magical ring to it, it was the start of the new millennium and things would be completely different.We would all have flying cars and other cool gadgets. However people in the late 19th and early century also had their…
-
For all of you die hard Star Wars fans who think that you have seen all movies in the Star Wars universe, more then likely you have not. A long time ago in a galaxy not so far away, in fact this galaxy. The 1980 short film was created to accompany The Empire Strikes Back…
-
Your life was ended, and your voice was taken. But today, I am your voice. I cannot bring you back to life. I can speak for you. Your name will not be forgotten, and your voice will be heard. Jacques Kligman, age 12, from Paris, France, was deported to Auschwitz on convoy 23 and then…
History of Sorts 