the Netherlands
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I don’t want to tell your story, but I have to. It is my duty as a father and as a human being to ensure that no child will ever get treated, they way you were. My heart breaks each time when I see a photograph of innocence—knowing the war destroyed that innocence. What makes…
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Geleen is a small former mining town in the province of Limburg, in the southeast of the Netherlands. It is not a particularly famous place, although it is where the first professional football was played in the Netherlands, and it used to host one of the world’s biggest rock festivals, “PinkPop.” It is also where…
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On 6 July 1942, Otto Frank took his family into hiding in the now-so-well-known secret annex where Anne wrote her diary. Otto and Edith Frank planned to go into hiding with the children on 16 July 1942. However, Margot received a call-up notice from the Zentralstelle für jüdische Auswanderung (Central Office for Jewish Emigration) on 5 July,…
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++++++++ Warning: Contains Graphic Images+++++++++ One could be forgiven to think that the photos in this blog are photos of a famine in a 3rd world country, as we have seen so often before. However, these photos are from one of the richest countries in the world, the Netherlands. Towards the end of World War…
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At the De Zorg farm, on the Oude Sloterweg in Nieuw-Vennep,the Netherlands, the Boogaard family, led by the 75-year-old Johannes Boogaard, showed remarkable compassion. They helped hundreds of—mainly Jewish—people in hiding, providing refuge in every corner of the yard: an air raid shelter, on the haystack, and in a car. Their compassionate actions during the…
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Alleen maar een meisje, geen soldaat of politicus Alleen maar een meisje, haar enige bedreiging dat haar glmlachend gezicht een hart zou kunnen laten smelten. Alleen maar een meisje, geen haat waar te nemen in haar ogen. Alleen maar een meisje, haar enige wens was om op te groeien. Alleen maar een meisje, Alleen maar…
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Just a girl, not a soldier or a politician. Just a girl, the only threat she posed was that one day her smiley face would melt someone’s heart. Just a girl, no hate to be seen in her eyes. Just a girl, the only wish she had was to grow up. Just a girl, just…
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The biggest group of people who were murdered during the Holocaust were the Jews. An estimated 6 million were killed. The number of 6 million should have really been zero, because none of these people had done anything wrong, They were only killed because they were Jewish or had been Jewish, there was no other…
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The 12th of May 1942, is the date that changed my life. I know some of you will find this an odd statement because it was 26 years before I was born. 12 May 1942 was the date that my paternal Grandfather died at the hand of the German occupiers, either by execution or suicide.…
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It is important to tell the stories of those who collaborated with the Nazis. Regardless of what some governments want you to believe, there were collaborators in all occupied countries. Some were even more evil than the occupiers. However, it is equally important to honour those who helped their fellow citizens, often at risk of…
History of Sorts 