the Netherlands
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Westerbork had opened by the Dutch authorities during the summer of 1939 to shelter and house the Jewish refugees coming from Germany. The first refugees arrived in Westerbork on 9 October 1939. After Nazi Germany invaded and occupied the Netherlands, Westerbork became the main concentration camp in the Netherlands. From 1942 to 1944, the majority…
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It would be easy for me to say that Dutch Jews, and those who fled Germany and Austria, were badly treated by the Germans in the Netherlands during World War II. To a great extent that would be true, but the Germans were helped by a great number of Dutch. One thing I have often…
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Time and time, I get told the history of the Holocaust it is not mine to tell. That I should leave the stories to others. I get told this from children and grandchildren of survivors and those who want to distort history alike. To those, I say, “It is my story to tell.” In fact,…
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Croonenberg Family of Grevenbicht (a small village near Sittard) Before I go into the main story I have to explain the geographical history of the Westelijke Mijnstreek (Western Mining area). It is situated in the province of Limburg, the most southern province of the Netherlands, in the southeast of the country. It is also the…
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This is the aspect of the Holocaust I struggle most with. How can anyone look at this child and perceive him to be a threat to the nation. How can they look at his face and decide that he needs to be killed immediately. Sjelomo Hamburger would have celebrated his 80th birthday today. But he…
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At first glance when you look at the picture it doesn’t appear to be extraordinary. There is an officer clearly giving a speech. There are a few Christmas trees at the back so it appears to be some sort of Christmas do. The officer is Albert Konrad Gemmeker he was a German SS-Obersturmführer and camp…
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I am not suggesting that charity is a bad thing—quite the opposite. However, some charities are not what they appear to be. During World War II, for example, several organizations operated under the guise of charity. One such case was Winterhulp in the Netherlands, which was more focused on propaganda than on genuinely helping people.…
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In the fall of 1944, South Limburg was liberated by American troops. Many young men subsequently volunteered for the Domestic Forces to contribute to the liberation of the Netherlands after years of occupation. Among them were veterans Cor van Wageningen (1918–2013) and Frits Faro (1921–2012). In the fall of 1944, they were assigned as guards…
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Like in Germany, the Holocaust in the Netherlands didn’t start with the mass murder of Jews—it was a gradual process. It started with a number of measures to initially humiliate the Dutch Jews. Summer 1942SD agents check the identity cards of Jewish citizens on the Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal, in Amsterdam. At the beginning of January 1941,…
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The above photograph is a rail track I pass over nearly every day. Yesterday, when I passed it, I had to think of all those who went on train journeys and never returned. The trains that travel over this rail track are comfortable, They have soft seats you can sit on, and some even have…
History of Sorts 