History

  • Why? Why? Why?

    Young human beings—why did you have to die? One of you still has the eyes open, but the eyes are without a spark—the life has gone out of them. I don’t know who these children are—all I do know is that they died from starvation and typhus and were about to be buried. The only…

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  • Little did I know when I was aged 7, that 2 headlines in a regional newspaper would have links to my life in ways I could never have imagined. On November 7,1975 2 events were in the Dutch newspapers. One event was a disaster which happened in a chemical plant, the other event was the…

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  • What happens if you set aside different religious beliefs and ideologies and when you look at only humanity? Hate and indifference disappear, and respect for each other prevails. This was true during the darkest time in history and is still true today. Prior to the outbreak of World War II, Si Ali Sakkat had been…

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  • I usually don’t do political blogs, but today I received a comment on a Holocaust blog I wrote a few months ago called “Killing Humans is okay, but don’t boil a lobster-Nazi animal welfare.” Today I received a comment on the blog by an animal right activist who calls him or herself ‘Fart Cat’ the comment…

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  • Give Me Your Children

    There were many contradictions during the Holocaust on one hand there were Nazis like Wilm Hosenfeld who saved Jews, on the other hand there were Jews who helped the Nazis ensuring many Jews  were put on transport to their deaths. One of those Jews was Chaim Rumkowski and although I try no to be judgmental in this…

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  • One of the most famous paintings, if not the most famous painting is the Mona Lisa,painted by Leonardo da Vinci. In 1503 or 1504 Leonardo da Vinci was commissioned to paint Lisa del Giocondo (nee Gherardini), the painting became known as the Mona Lisa. Aged 15, real-life Lisa Gherardini married Florentine merchant Francesco del Giocondo. a…

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  • Two sisters, the younger one lively,outgoing and bubbly, the older one a bit more reserved and shy. Two sisters who were very different and yet in many ways the same, On October 30, 1944, they both boarded a train. Not to go a big city to go for a shopping spree or to the cinema,…

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  • Halloween in WWII

    Originally posted on History of Sorts: I know I am a day early but with all the trick or treaters calling tomorrow  I might not be have the time to do a piece then. Although Halloween is originally a Celtic event.Halloween’s origins date back to the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain (pronounced sow-in). The Celts, who…

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  • The children’s camp on Przemyslowa Street in Lodz, which was located within the Lodz Ghetto.Separated from the Ghetto only by a high fence made of planks. The young inmates were Polish children from all of Poland’s regions.The children were either ophans or the children of deported parents. They were aged between 2 and 17 but…

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