the Netherlands
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Dirk VI served as the Count of Holland from 1121 until his death in 1157. Succeeding his father, Floris II, at the age of seven, he initially ruled under the regency of his mother, Petronilla of Lorraine. His reign was defined by a delicate balancing act: acknowledging the Bishop of Utrecht as his overlord while…
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The Swedish white bread was a great gift to the Dutch population. Unfortunately, it was only a brief bright spot, and the winter of 1944–45 was not only extremely harsh but also very long-lasting. Swedish White Bread At the end of January 1945, the Red Cross transported flour from Sweden by ship. Only a month…
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I recently read a scientific report about the revised Extinctions and Radii for 1.5 Million Stars, which was observed by APOGEE, GALAH, and RAVE surveys. I am not sure what those three terms mean. But I was intrigued by the number of 1.5 million. 1.5 million is the estimated number of children who were murdered…
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Bert Jan Flim, a noted Dutch historian who has researched the rescue of Jewish children during the Holocaust in the Netherlands. His father and paternal grandparents were recipients of the Righteous Among the Nations award for their part in rescuing Jews during the Holocaust. Herman Flim, a baker from Nijverdal. During World War II, Herman…
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Liberation for Bergen-Belsen arrived on 15 April 1945. Major Dick Williams, one of the first British soldiers to enter and liberate the camp said, “It was an evil, filthy place; a hell on Earth.” The British comedian Michael Bentine, who took part in the liberation of the camp, wrote this on his encounter with Bergen-Belsen:“Millions…
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They say that music soothes the savage beast, But it can also bring joy and transport you back to a better time in your life. Benny Behr must have known this because he tried to keep up the spirits by playing music. Benny was Jewish and married to a non-Jewish woman, Wien Bouwina Sijtina Havinga.…
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On 27 February 1941, German occupation authorities implemented a regulation in the Netherlands that prohibited Jews from donating blood. Although seemingly administrative or medical in nature, this measure formed part of a broader racial policy imposed under Nazi rule. The exclusion illustrates how ideology penetrated even humanitarian institutions and how discrimination became normalized through bureaucratic…
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On 2 March 1943, a train with 1105 people left camp Westerbork for the then-unknown Sobibor extermination camp. After a three-day journey, the train arrived on the 5th of March. It was the first transport from the Netherlands to this camp. The first transport, like the second, was carried out by passenger train. Then cattle…
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The above photograph sent shivers down my spine. Not because it is a horrific image but because the opposite is true. Three young girls walk into town, pushing a pram. Why I find it so disturbing is—I know that street very well. I have walked the same route many times. In fact, all my Dutch…
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On 3 October 1934, George van den Bergh, one of the initiators of the Jewish Work Village, stated, “Then perhaps a simple stone will be placed here with the words ‘Here stood the Jewish Work Village Nieuwesluis.’ Then may all passers-by […] behold that stone with reverence,” after that, James McDonald, High Commissioner of the…
History of Sorts 