Sobibor
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(For Gretha Frank, born in Amsterdam on December 4, 1939– murdered at Sobibor on July 16, 1943) Born beneath the Dutch grey skies,A baby’s laugh, a child’s bright eyes.Winter’s chill could not confine,The warmth of life, a spark divine. Amsterdam streets cradled her feet,A city’s hum, her heartbeat’s beat.Innocence spun in golden threads,Dreams that danced…
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The Końskowola Ghetto, a small yet harrowing piece of the Holocaust’s vast history, stands as a stark reminder of the Nazi regime’s genocidal campaign against the Jewish people. Located in the Lublin District of Nazi-occupied Poland, this ghetto represents the systematic oppression, suffering, and extermination faced by Jewish communities during World War II. Although less…
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Anne Frank’s schoolmates played a significant role in her early life, forming a close circle of friends that shared childhood dreams, games, and conversations during a turbulent time Anne Frank attended two main schools in Amsterdam before she and her family went into hiding: Montessori School (from 1934 to 1941)Jewish Lyceum (from 1941 to 1942)Since…
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The Sobibor revolt, which took place on October 14, 1943, stands as one of the most remarkable acts of resistance against Nazi oppression during the Holocaust. This uprising occurred in Sobibor, one of the Nazi extermination camps located in German-occupied Poland, and was organized by a group of Jewish prisoners determined to escape their imminent…
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I want to start by saying that I am not Jewish, though I may have some Jewish ancestry, which I am still exploring. However, the Jewish people of Geleen were my fellow citizens, just like anyone else, regardless of race or color. Tragically, the majority of Jews from Geleen were murdered during the Holocaust—a fate…
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Below are just a few names of athletes and artists who competed in the Olympic Games and were among those murdered during the Holocaust. In 1928, Stella Agsteribbe competed in the first-ever Olympic gymnastics competition for women. Despite placing 13th in the Dutch team selection event, she elected to compete in the group competition. The…
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I noticed a great number of Jewish names from the Netherlands on the Joods Monument that were murdered at Sobibor on May 21, 1943. On May 21, 1942, 4,300 Jews were deported from the Polish town of Chelm to the Nazi extermination camp at Sobibor, where they were all later gassed to death. On the…
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In the dark of history’s cruel abyss,A child’s innocence—lost in the mist.Amidst the horror, the anguish, the pain,A young soul’s light, forever slain. In shadowed corners, where terror thrived,A child’s laughter, once so alive.But silenced now, by tyranny’s hand,In a world where humanity couldn’t stand. No tender embrace, no gentle care,Just the echoes of sorrow,…
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The name Abraham is synonymous with the age of 50 in the Netherlands. When a man reaches the age of 50. Dutchmen who turn fifty are embarrassed by a life-sized puppet of Abraham in the front garden or outside an apartment. Abraham Barend did not reach the age of 50. Abraham Barend did not reach…
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This is Rachel Soesan—her face is filled with so much life and joy, and why wouldn’t it be when she was 4. Her whole life lay before her. Yet there were some who perceived her as a threat to society. She was born on December 20, 1938 in Amsterdam. She would have been 85 today.…
History of Sorts 