the Netherlands
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This blog is based on nostalgia and facts, although it could not be verified who made the cards. However, the photos in the blog are of a real deck of cards that were made by one or more prisoners in Japanese captivity, it is not known where exactly though, and who made them. They were…
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Something I had not been aware of, but of course, it makes sense that the Nazis also used trams to transport the Dutch Jews to the concentration camps in the Netherlands. The GVB is the company that runs the trams in Amsterdam and has had that name since 1943. A new film and book titled Verdwenen…
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Aside from the fact that February 28, 1944, was 80 years ago, the date is random, and that is just what all the murders by the Nazi regime were, random acts of violence. Yes, they targeted certain groups, the biggest group being Jewish, within the groups the Nazis were still random in the selection. If…
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I had the privilege today to interview Hans Knoop. Hans Knoop is a Dutch journalist who was best known for the role he played in the unmasking and arrest of the war criminal Pieter Menten.Knoop was born during the Second World War to Jewish parents in hiding. Knoop grew up in Amsterdam. In 1963, Knoop…
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I want to start by saying that I am not Jewish, although I may have some Jewish ancestry. I am still looking into that. However, the Jews from Geleen were my fellow citizens, as were any other one, regardless of race or colour were my fellow citizens. However, the majority of the Jews of Geleen…
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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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I am not sure if this was a case of friendly fire. In my opinion, it should be considered a war crime by the Japanese Imperial Navy for not marking the ship accordingly as POW and civilian transport. The attack on the Dorish Maru occurred on the night of February 6, 1944. The ship, commanded…
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I believe that the most effective way to keep the Holocaust in our memory is by remembering individuals—rather than talking about numbers, which are just so hard to comprehend. Ralph Blankenstein was born in Hamburg on September 29, 1922. His father, Isidor, lived in Hamburg, where he met his future wife Helene Blankenstein née Bluman,…
History of Sorts 