the Netherlands
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Sara de Jong van Koningsbrugge was born in Schoten, the Netherlands, on 24 April 1914. The SS murdered her in Auschwitz on 21 January 1945 at the age of 30. Since 1936, Sara de Jong was married to Adolphus (‘Dolf’) Adrianus Petrus van Koningsbrugge (Amsterdam, 21 October 1913 – Heerlen, 15 June 1974). Based on…
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Crimes committed during the Holocaust were not exclusively the actions of Germans. In ALL occupied territory, there were local citizens who willingly participated in the atrocities. While some governments, , have made efforts to confront this dark history, others, particularly in Eastern Europe, have attempted to whitewash these crimes. Why I begin with this will…
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The painting titled “Boats on Rough Seas Near a Rocky Coast” was created in the mid-17th century and seized in June 1944 from Minna Bargeboer-Kirchheimer, who was a victim of Nazi persecution. Minna was born on October 7, 1867, in Nieheim, Germany. In 1893, Minna married Abraham Bargeboer, a Dutch Jewish cattle dealer from Winschoten,…
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Henriëtte Pimentel (1876–1943) was the director of the daycare center on Plantage Middenlaan. With a small group of allies, she smuggled approximately 600 Jewish children from the center to safe hiding places. On Tuesday, April 19,2022 the Henriëtte Pimentel Bridge was unveiled. The beautiful bridge over the Mauritskade leading to the Tropenmuseum will officially be…
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The buzzword of the day seems to be “immigrants,” often carrying a negative connotation. But here’s the question: who exactly is an immigrant? What follows is just a brief snapshot of history—a glimpse into my family’s background, at least on my mother’s side. The picture at the beginning of this blog shows the marriage certificate…
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The Dutch Hunger Winter, also known as the Hongerwinter, was a devastating famine that gripped the Netherlands during the final months of World War II, from November 1944 to April 1945. This period of extreme hardship left a profound mark on Dutch society, shaped the collective memory of the war, and offered critical insights into…
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Betsy van Creveld lived in Hoensbroek during the war. Sonny Zurel was her child. The last refugees who were deported by the Nazis from South Limburg, the Netherlands, to Westerbork were two young nurses who had sought refuge in Hoensbroek. Betsie Zurel-van Creveld and her friend Cato van Lier, both from Amsterdam, were arrested by…
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Before I go into the main story, I think it is good to point out the differences between Fascism and Nazism. Key Differences Between Nazism and FascismFascism and Nazism are both far-right authoritarian ideologies that share similarities, such as promoting strong centralized leadership, suppressing dissent, and glorifying the state over the individual. However, they differ…
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The Foundation for Individual Insurance Claims Sjoa (Stichting Individuele Verzekeringsaanspraken Sjoa) pays out life insurance policies of individuals who were persecuted as Jews during the Second World War in the Netherlands to their rightful beneficiaries. They have a list of approximately 2,500 individuals with life insurance policies that were likely not paid out to the…
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My mother was born on December 10, 1935, and passed away on January 26, 1996, at the age of 60. It felt far too young, but I took solace in the fact that she lived a full life, witnessing all her children grow up and settle into their lives. Sigmund Cohen, born on the same…
