the Netherlands
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War brings out the best and the worst out of people, that is just a fact. It is easy to acknowledge the good but there is often a struggle acknowledging the bad, even to the extent of trying to completely erase it from history. When it comes to the Holocaust there is no question about…
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The After-School Youth Care (BJZ) was one of the many departments of the Jewish Council. For Jewish children, the BJZ provided a welcome distraction from the worries of everyday life. Despite the limited and barely usable premises, the BJZ aimed to create a relaxed atmosphere. Jewish youth leaders engaged the children in activities such as…
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On the morning of August 4, 1944, Otto Frank was helping Peter van Pels with his language lessons, while Edith Frank remained in her room. That same morning, police officers arrived at Prinsengracht 263 in Amsterdam. They proceeded to the first-floor office, where the helpers of those in hiding were working. The officers questioned Victor…
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Eighty-three 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 30th wedding anniversary. It was a hot day, and I still vividly remember our first dance, the kiss, and our first night of passionate love as a married couple—each…
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When you look at the picture you might think that it is an innocent portrayal , of a street somewhere in the Netherlands. A typical Dutch scene. Someone cycling, two bikes parked against a sign. What could be hateful here? It is actually the sign itself that has a message of hate. It says “Jews…
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(originally posted on November 1, 2021, My friend Norman Stone pointed the story out to me, sadly Norman passed away earlier this year) Hate is never good, it clouds judgement and mind. I am not only saying this to those who read this but more so to myself. I have written so many pieces about…
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The Roma Holocaust, also known as the Porajmos (meaning “the Devouring” in Romani) or the Samudaripen (“Mass Killing”), refers to the systematic persecution and extermination of Roma people by Nazi Germany and its allies during World War II. This genocide, part of the broader Holocaust, resulted in the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Roma…
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Maastricht is one of the most beautiful cities in the Netherlands. It’s in the southeast of the country in the Province of Limburg. It is very dear to me. I was born only a few miles away from it, but it is the city where my father was born. A few years after the war,…
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This is a long read, but it offers a compelling glimpse into daily life in the Netherlands during World War II. Despite the horrors, life continued—though not for everyone. Tragically, 75% of Dutch Jews were murdered during the Holocaust. Some of them had worked in the luxurious department store Bijenkorf and its affiliated store HEMA.…
History of Sorts 