Rotterdam

  • This is a long read, but it offers a compelling glimpse into daily life in the Netherlands during World War II. Despite the horrors, life continued—though not for everyone. Tragically, 75% of Dutch Jews were murdered during the Holocaust. Some of them had worked in the luxurious department store Bijenkorf and its affiliated store HEMA.

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  • Just a Girl

    Just a girl, not a soldier or a politician. Just a girl, the only threat she posed was that one day her smiley face would melt someone’s heart. Just a girl, no hate to be seen in her eyes. Just a girl, the only wish she had was to grow up. Just a girl, just

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  • The Dance of a Mother

    Catharina Brücker was the eldest child of Romanian tailor Mozes Brücker (1892–1944) and the Dutch Rossetta Eijl (1896–1944). Her father made women’s clothing for major fashion houses in Rotterdam and owned several shops in the city. From age six until she was twenty, Catharina attended a dance school where she learned ballet, tap dance, and

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  • On the morning of May 10, 1940, the Netherlands awoke to the thunder of German bombers overhead and the sound of artillery fire along its borders. After months of tense neutrality, the small, strategically located country found itself swept into the maelstrom of World War II. The invasion of the Netherlands marked a critical moment

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  • Johannes Berens, a young Dutch policeman from Rotterdam, stands out as an emblem of quiet resistance and sacrifice during World War II. Born on January 27, 1924, Johannes was raised in the Netherlands, soon to face brutal occupation by Nazi Germany. His life, like many of his countrymen’s, would be profoundly impacted by the events

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  • May 14, 1940, marks a significant day in the history of Rotterdam, as it was the day the city was bombed during World War II. During the early stages of the German invasion of the Netherlands, the Dutch army attempted to defend Rotterdam, but they were ultimately unable to prevent the Germans from advancing. As

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  • Westerbork—Sobibor

    On 2 March 1943, a train with 1105 people left camp Westerbork for the then-unknown Sobibor extermination camp. After a three-day journey, the train arrived on the 5th of March. It was the first transport from the Netherlands to this camp. The first transport, like the second, was carried out by passenger train. Then cattle

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  • Limburg is the southern province in the Netherlands (there is also a province with that name in Belgium). It was one of the first places to be liberated in the Netherlands. By the end of September 1944, the entire province was liberated. Hanna Van de Voort was a woman who was born in Meerlo, the

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  • One in Six Million

    The definition of ‘one in a million’ is : a person or thing that is very unusual, special, or admired. Herman Wertheim was certainly that. However, sadly he was also one in six million. He was one of the six million Jews who were murdered during the Holocaust. Herman Wertheim was born on February 17,

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  • A good Church has an organ, it is not just a musical instrument but sometimes also a statement of grandeur. During WWII one of these organs also became a hiding place for 3 Jewish families, well more the attic above the organ. During the Second World War, the Breeplein Church in Rotterdam harboured a secret:

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