Holocaust
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This blog is not meant to pass judgment, I am not in a position to do so, simply because I was never put in that situation. All I know is I would do anything for survival, and especially for the survival of my family. I leave the judgment to those who survived the Holocaust, it…
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The title is an excerpt from the diary of Etty Hillesum. Following are a few excerpts of several Holocaust diaries. What I find striking—is that despite the horrors, they still had a glimmer of hope. Anne Frank June 12, 1942: “I hope I will be able to confide everything to you, as I have never…
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Last year in June, I had the chance to visit Dachau, for lack of a better word, it was the highlight of my year. Strangely enough, it inspired me—in a creative way. In shadows cast by history’s hand,Where sorrow’s echo still commands,Lies a place where darkness roams,A haunting tale of Dachau’s home. Amongst the polar…
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Fritz Beer, was born in Berlin, on 28 May 1927. He was murdered at Auschwitz on 31 March 1944, He was 16 years old. Emanuel Louis Kats was born in Apeldoorn, on 5 April 1915. He was murdered at Auschwitz on 31 March 1944, His occupation was a tailor. He was 28 at the time…
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In the summer of 1942, several Jewish families from Winterswijk, the Netherlands, decided to hide in the Korenburgerveen nature reserve. With the help of farmers, barracks were built in the peat, and local residents provided water and food. A total of 23 people found refuge in the bog, including five children. On November 27, 1942,…
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This is my interview with Bryan Mark Rigg, military historian, and author.Bryan Mark Rigg is the author of several highly regarded books on World War II history, including Hitler’s Jewish Soldiers: The Untold Story of Nazi Racial Laws and Men of Jewish Descent in the German Military and The Rabbi Saved by Hitler’s Soldiers: Rebbe…
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Mary Weinrib was born on July 16, 1925, in Warsaw, Poland. She was born Mary Mania (Malka) Rubinstein. She grew up in Wierzbnik, a Jewish town that was part of Starachowice, Poland. Her mother was Rose Rubinstein, a dressmaker. Her father, Gershon Rubinstein, was a butcher. The family, which included a younger sister (Ida) and…
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To many Koenraad (or Koen), Rozzendaal is a forgotten Hero, but for at least one friend of mine, he isn’t. Koen (Koenraad) Rozendaal was born in Oud-Beijerland, the Netherlands . On April 19, 1911. He was a Dutch resistance fighter during the Second World War and a member of the KP-Waterland.KP stands for Knok Ploeg…
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The text of the letters below, are the innocent words of an 11-year-old boy, The contents seem harmless enough, not complex at all, but with childish wisdom. However, put in the context of the time the letters were written, it makes the text devastatingly heartbreaking, with no coming back. Dear Mommy, How are you? I…