the Netherlands
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I do despair at times when I see how many of my fellow Dutch citizens were so willing to help the Nazi regime. I know it is easy (for me) to judge because I was never put in a similar situation. But it is still a puzzle to me that a nation known for its…
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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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Auguste van Pels, born September 29, 1900, in Buer, Germany, lived through one of the most tragic periods in history, ultimately losing her life during the Holocaust. Though she might have remained unknown to the world, she is now remembered as one of the residents of the Secret Annex, a small group of Jewish individuals…
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North Holland was the only province to have a Regional Sabotage Division (GSA). This was a resistance unit within the Internal Forces (Binnenlandse Strijdkrachten), composed of experienced members of the Ordedienst (OD), the Raad van Verzet (RVV), and the Landelijke Knokploegen (LKP) under the command of Colonel Wastenecker. The GSA was involved in seizing and…
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This broke my heart. On September 14, 1945, an obituary appeared in the Nieuw Israëlitisch Weekblad, a Dutch Jewish weekly newspaper. It was an obituary for several generations of one family: George Sandelowsky (father and father-in-law), who had died on February 25 as a result of the awful conditions in Bergen Belsen concentration camp. aged…
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The story of C&A during the Nazi regime is a microcosm of the broader interaction between businesses and totalitarian states. Founded in 1841 by Clemens and August Brenninkmeijer in the Netherlands, C&A grew to become a major player in the European clothing retail industry by the early 20th century. The rise of the Nazi regime…
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The ‘Three Hundred and Thirty-Five Years’ War lasted from 30 March 1651 to 17 April 1986. The “war” between the Netherlands and the Isles of Scilly is one of those curious historical footnotes that often draw a few chuckles. This conflict, if it can even be called that, occurred in 1651 during the First Anglo-Dutch…
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When you first look at the picture, there may seem to be nothing extraordinary about it. However, even a brief glance into its history reveals just how remarkable it truly is. The photograph shows a Jewish male choir from the Great Synagogue in Amsterdam. It was taken in March 1942. Although the deportations of Dutch…
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During the Holocaust, six million Jews were murdered. In 1933, there were about nine-and-a-half million Jews living in Europe. Worldwide there was an estimated 15.3 million. It gives you an indication of the impact of the Holocaust. The number of six million is often disputed, not only by Holocaust deniers but also, by people like…
