netherlands
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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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In March 2023, I interviewed Caroline van der Plas shortly after the Dutch Provincial elections. She is the leader of the BoerBurgerBeweging (BBB), (The Farmer–Citizen Movement). The BBB was founded in October 2019 by agricultural journalist Caroline van der Plas, Wim Groot Koerkamp, and Henk Vermeer from agricultural marketing firm ReMarkAble, in response to the widespread farmers’…
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The photograph above is of Anna Maria ‘Settela’ Steinbach. She was a Sinti girl who was murdered in Auschwitz. I have written a few blogs about her in the past. This blog is about the man who took that picture. It is a still from a film called, The Westerbork Film, which was shot by…
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The title of this blog is a question I have often asked myself. Why did the Dutch not stop the Nazis from persecuting and murdering the Jews? It is also a question I will attempt to answer—at least to an extent. The Dutch are often known for their pragmatism, directness, and openness. They value honesty…
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Before I start the main story, I must tell you about the wider context. About 75% of all Jews in the Netherlands were murdered during the Holocaust. The Netherlands as a country, received understandably a lot of criticism for this and to a great extent, it was justified. However, it is not as a black-and-white…