the Netherlands
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In August 1942, a group of refugees from the Netherlands was arrested in Belgium. The men were placed in Breendonk, and the women and children were placed in the Jewish orphanage. They were all very young children. In the end they were all deported to Auschwitz and murdered upon arrival on August 28, 1942. Below…
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The picture is of Dutch SS volunteer Berend Johan Westerveld, nicknamed ‘The Bicycle Repairman’ or ‘The Knight of the Bicycle Pedal’, presumably taken after his arrest.Berend Johan Westerveld was born on August 23, 1905 in Zutphen. His career was characterized by a series of failures. Just before the war he became a bicycle repairer and…
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He is just one of the 6 million. But I believe that remembering all those Jewish fellow citizens, is best done one at a time. They were all human beings like everybody else. The same ambitions, the same emotions. Iwan was born in Iserlohn, Germany, on 31 March 1903. He came from Cologne to The…
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The NIOD Institute for War, Holocaust and Genocide Studies is a national and international centre of expertise for interdisciplinary research into the history of world wars, mass violence, and genocides, including their long-term social consequences. In addition, NIOD collects, preserves, and provides access to archives and collections. It is based in the Netherlands. Recently they…
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This is an article written by Eddy Boas, Eddy and his family survived Bergen Belsen. I had the privilege to interview him 2 years ago. In the article he poses a few interesting question in relation to the investigation to who betrayed Anne Frank. “Who really betrayed Anne Frank?The real betrayal – no investigation necessary…
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I watched the movie “My Best Friend Anne Frank” last night, I know about the amount of criticism when it was first released, I don’t really know why though, of course, there was some fictionalisation. However in essence the main story is true. But this is not going to be a movie review. The story…
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A photograph like the one above is nearly as disturbing to me as an image of piles of dead bodies. It is not the image but the knowledge of what happened to most—if not all—of the people in the picture. The majority looking into the camera lens were young, healthy people, still in the prime…
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It is impossible to remember all six million+ Jewish victims of the Holocaust individually. However, it is important whenever it is possible to remember one individual to do so. Because they weren’t born to be victims, they were born to lead a life like anyone else. They were all human beings, with the same needs,…
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Sometimes I come across photographs which are so vivid that they seem like they are not photos—but realistic. And then, knowing what the fate is of those in the picture, I feel like just giving them a hug and telling them everything will be fine. I also know that couldn’t be further from the truth.…
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On 2 June 1942, 64 people were transported from Camp Amersfoort in the Netherlands to Mauthausen in Austria. Of the 64 people, 12 were murdered on 6 July 1942. Nathan de Klijn was born in Amsterdam on 29 August 1905. He was murdered in Mauthausen on 6 July 1942. He reached the age of 36…
