Holocaust
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Life is only a sequence of events and accidents, often determined when and where you are born. When I was 15, as a young man in the 1980s in the Netherlands, my main interest was girls and trying to get beer. When Elie Wiesel was 15 and a young man in Romania (or then Hungary)…
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It is often said that the Holocaust by bullets, is the forgotten Holocaust, and I agree. However, in my opinion, it is not the only forgotten Holocaust. I believe the actual deportation would fall under that category. We all know what happened after the transports and deportation, but know very little about what happened or…
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+++++++++++++++++++CONTAINS GRAPHIC IMAGES+++++++++++++++++++ The Kaufering IV—Hurlach Subcamp was one of 169 subcamps belonging to the Dachau Concentration Camp system. It had several names—KZ Schwabmünchen/Kaufering IV or KZ Hurlach. Whatever we call it, it did not matter as it was a place of evil. The camp was liberated at the end of April 1945 by a…
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We are in the middle of a new UEFA Champions League season and only a few months away of UEFA Euro 2024 This inspired me to look at some players who never had a chance to play in football tournaments, either as players or coaches. Before I go into the stories of some individual footballers,…
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Somebody once told me, “Evil acts can only be committed by men.” I disputed that notion. History has many examples of women who are just as evil—if not even more evil than men. Anyone who knows me knows how important eye health is to me. In 2011, I lost my right eye, and in 2015,…
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Most people will have heard of Sophie Scholl, but perhaps not so much about her brother Hans. Both Hans and Sophie were members of the resistance group, The White Rose. The reason I refer to Hans Scholl as a victim (in the title) rather than a resistance fighter is as follows:Except for the Jews, Roma,…
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Americans and the Holocaust is an exhibition at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, DC, which opened on 23 April 2018. Before I go into the details of this exhibition, I want to mention one of the few Americans, Eddy Hamel, who was murdered during the Holocaust. Eddy Hamel was the first Jewish player, and…
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The vow: David whispered in Dora’s ear. “No matter where they take us, we will meet back here in the Square, when this is over. Stay strong my Love, and know my thoughts and prayers are with you.” Dora replied with tears in her eyes. “I love you David and I will pray every night…
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A few months ago, I visited Dachau. Today, for some reason, I was reminded of something that the tour guide said. The guide was from Ireland, which I found surprising but it was a pleasant surprise because he was clearly an expert in Dachau and its history. However, despite his expertise, there was one thing…
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Sabotage: a destructive or obstructive action carried out by a civilian or enemy agent to hinder a nation’s war effort. The Dutch are often criticized for not having done enough to protect their fellow citizens during World War II, especially their Jewish neighbours. To an extent, it is a justified criticism. However, this doesn’t mean…
History of Sorts 