Israel
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Eighty-four years ago today, Edie (Elias) van Biene and Sara (Sonja) Rood were married in The Hague. Just a few days ago, I celebrated my own 31st wedding anniversary. It was a hot day, and I still vividly remember our first dance, the kiss, and our first night of passionate sex as a married couple—each…
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I once painted skies.Vast, open, careless heavens that dripped sunlight and hope.My brush danced with joy, my palette a chorus of life.But then came the grey. It was not the grey of morning mist or soft winter clouds—It was the grey of silence,of smoke that climbed like prayerfrom chimneys built to erase names. I was…
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Education is often seen as a human right and it really should be, but so often it is a privilege taken away from many. Moshe Flinker was a teenager born in the Hague, in the Netherlands on October 9, 1926. He had a particular talent for language,he studied eight languages including Hebrew. The language he…
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The meeting between Adolf Hitler and Hajj Amin al-Husayni on November 28, 1941, in Berlin represents a significant, though often overlooked, episode in the broader context of World War II and the Middle Eastern political landscape of the time. Hajj Amin al-Husayni, the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, was a key Palestinian nationalist leader, and his…
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An Iranian official risking his life to save Jews? This scenario, while unlikely nowadays, actually happened during the Holocaust. Abdol Hossein Sardari, often hailed as the “Iranian Schindler,” disagrees with that title; he was Sardari, and Schindler was Schindler; comparing the two men takes away from what they both did. Sardari was a notable Iranian…
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The Farhud, which translates to “violent dispossession,” was a violent pogrom against the Jewish population of Baghdad, Iraq, that occurred on June 1-2, 1941. This tragic event is considered one of the most significant anti-Jewish riots in the Middle East prior to the establishment of the State of Israel. The Farhud took place during World…
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Martin Haas was born Martijn Haas, at the end of 1936 in Breda, a small city in the south of the Netherlands. Just before the war started, about two hundred Jews lived in Breda. Martin survived because his parents kept him safe in hiding. His parents and 2 of his siblings did not survive. His…
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This blog is not intended to judge or assign blame. Instead, it aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of the Holocaust by examining all aspects of that dark period, particularly the early days of the Third Reich. During this time, the Nazis successfully deceived many people, including those they would later persecute. The Association of…
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The fall of Masada in 79 AD (some sources give another date)stands as one of the most symbolically charged episodes of the ancient world, marking the dramatic conclusion of the First Jewish–Roman War. Perched atop a rugged plateau overlooking the Dead Sea, Masada was not merely a fortress—it was a final refuge, a political statement,…
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Before I started with the main story. I will first try to explain to the non-Jewish readers, which includes me, what Purim is. The jolly Jewish holiday of Purim is celebrated every year on the 14th of the Hebrew month of Adar (late winter/early spring). Purim began in 2026 on Saturday night, March 2, and…
History of Sorts 