In what would seem to be the most appropriate post to end the weekend tribute to Bevrijdinsdag, Dutch Liberation Day, I offer this video of the Liberation of Amsterdam. Although the harsh realities of what took place during these 5 years of Nazi occupation would soon come to light for those who had survived, on this day the good people of Holland had every right to celebrate. And that they did. As the Jews of Holland would learn of the devastation that had struck their world, those left in Holland, such as Sipora Groen, my mother and the woman on the cover of the book Jew Face, would at least be able to try to rebuild in what was now a free and always had been a friendly Holland. It is for this reason I take this opportunity to say on a personal note that although I am very proud of my Jewish roots, I am also very proud of my Dutch ones. Thank you Holland and thank you to all of the Dutch people for doing whatever you could to turn tragedy into hope. No nation deserved freedom more on that day and it has been my honor to celebrate it.
Tag Archives: Nazi
Bevrijdingsdag-Dutch Liberation Day:The Liberation of Amsterdam and a personal Thanks
Israel: Sunrise for the Jewish people
In 1948, three years removed from the end of Nazi terror and the murder of 6 million Jews, the State of Israel was born. Every year we remember the souls who lost their lives in defense of the Jewish state. But just as many days of sadness ended in 1945 with an eternal moment of celebration in 1948, so too every year we celebrate Israel’s independence the day after we remember those we lost. So for me, nothing signifies the strength of the Jewish people more than an Israeli flag at sunrise. For when the sun sets on the Jewish people and the world becomes dark, the sadness ultimately passes and the sun rises once again.
Happy Birthday Israel! Consider this my message to you on your Facebook wall.
How it all connects
In this post, for those who are not more directly connected, I am going to explain why things are as they are on this blog. For example, how does Yom Hazikaron, Day of Remembrance, a day to remember those who sacrificed their lives for the State of Israel, tie in to the book Jew Face. No post on this site is random. The origin of it all goes deeper than the book itself.
Jew Face, as the cover says, is a story of love and heroism in Nazi-occupied Holland. The love story between my parents and their heroic acts and behavior, Nardus and Sipora Groen is the main subject matter of the book and naturally will lead to many posts surrounding them and the life they lead. Expanding it further the book discusses the heroism of various people, Jewish and non-Jewish throughout the 5 years of occupation. Those active in the Dutch resistance will be discussed frequently and as in as much depth as possible with the main focus being on the righteousness of Lubertus and Geeske te Kiefte.
When you peel away another layer however the function of the blog goes much deeper and maybe requires explanation. Three years after the Jewish people experienced the devastating horrors of the Holocaust, the Jewish State of Israel was formed. Jews all over the world declared “Never Again” and have felt a sense of security knowing that there is a Jewish state willing to defend the lives of Jewish people all over the world regardless of their practical support for the nation. The mere existence of this state gives an added strength to that cry of “Never Again”, and every life that is lost in defense of this state is a life that was sacrificed to protect the Jewish people.
When writing a book like Jew Face, a book about what 2 people experienced, as a Jew myself it is impossible to ignore the deeper importance of the story. The origin is the history and future of the Jewish people together with a hopeful betterment of mankind. May God always bless those who have made the ultimate sacrifice.
Holland’s Experience:Test your knowledge
In a continuous effort to increase Holocaust awareness, I have put together a series of questions regarding what the Dutch community went through during the Nazi-occupation. The answers are at the bottom of the page. Comments are welcome and well be posted after moderation.
1-What percentage of Amsterdam was Jewish in 1940?
2-How many Dutch Jews were murdered in the Death camps?
3-What was the name of the concentration camp in Holland set up to accommodate German refugees in the 1930s and later used as a transit center?
4-What was the name of the Death camp where an estimated 34,000 Dutch Jews were murdered?
5-In what concentration camp did Anne Frank die?
These are just 5 questions but they will give an indication of what you know about what Holland experienced during this time. The more we know, the more we can increase awareness and fight those who try to claim it never happened. Again, your feedback is welcome.
Answers-10% 2-104,000 3-Westerbork 4-Sobibor 5-Bergen-Belsen
The Life That Was Not Lived
The following piece written by my father of blessed memory is the Foreword for the book “Jew Face: A story of love and heroism in Nazi-occupied Holland.” It is extremely appropriate for Yom HaShoah (Holocaust Remembrance Day).
FOREWORD
by Rabbi Nardus Groen, of blessed memory
The life that was not lived:
This is the story of two people whose experiences cannot be seen as
separated from one another. At the same time, it includes a multitude of people
whose story will never be told. We therefore consider it a privilege as well as a
duty to share with you some of the 4,380 days of our being on this earth.
Existence is more or less a state of exposure. Life, on the other hand,
is a matter of faith. If there was such a thing, my choice would be for
something in between. Some attributes may be applied to it, and others
may not fit the shoe.
We may in the course of it meet people who, for whatever it’s worth,
may be portrayed as heroes, while others are cowards, pacifists, or activists.
They are all the products of mankind. For them, there will always be a
place under the sun (with the exception of the traitor). But being as we are
a homogenous society, no one can ever be left out. And as it is by the very
inclination of the human race, the dark shadow of the wicked will play an
overpowering role in leaving behind the marks in the way of scars brought
upon them by society.
If the worst could ever be turned into good, the only lesson to be learned
of that is, never ever forget. For in the past lay the present, and in the present
the future. Without that, we will be repeating our mistakes and shortcomings,
and as a result the world will not be the place it was created to be.
In order to live, you still have to be able to somehow believe in the
goodness of mankind. In that light, we will start with our first words to
describe that which has been and never should have been.
Complete List of Names in the book “Jew Face”
Now you can find a complete listing of every name mentioned in the book “Jew Face: A story of love and heroism in Nazi-occupied Holland”. Check back regularly as links will be added to provide more information about the most relevant characters in the book.
To go to the Page CLICK HERE or click the header on the Home Page of the site.
Friday August the 13th, 1943
THE FOLLOWING IS A SMALL EXCERPT FROM THE BOOK JEW FACE. IT IS THE BOOK’S PROLOGUE
PROLOGUE
The date was Friday, August 13, 1943, and it felt like the worst moment
of Sipora’s young life. She knew that the Germans were in the building
and getting closer to finding her. She had already been through so much
and she knew that the situation was going to get a lot worse before it got
better. Her will to live was being taken over by despair. She was not the
type of woman who would ever do anything to speed up her own death,
but she also did not feel like running or fighting. So she decided that she
would just wait on the third floor and when the Nazi soldiers located her,
she would willingly leave with the rest of the patients and hospital staff . At
least then she felt as though she could do some good by making the sick
and elderly patients a little more comfortable.
Nardus, however, had no intention of allowing this to happen. As had
been the case since the beginning of the Nazi invasion of Amsterdam, he
instinctively knew that whatever Jews were not murdered instantly would
instead suffer greatly through torture, experimentation, rape, or brutal
slave labor. Since he found Sipora before the soldiers did, he knew he had
to get her out. And to a man like Nardus, it did not matter what Sipora
thought of this idea. It was going to happen his way. And that was that.
When Sipora saw Nardus, she had already sunk so deep into
hopelessness she wasn’t even able to feel any sense of relief. And she was
determined to let him know.
“I am just going to wait here and let them take me too,” she told
Nardus. “They will need a nurse for the trip. If nothing else, I can make
them feel more comfortable.”
Some moments define an individual, and other moments can define
a relationship between two individuals. In many ways, what was about to
take place would define much of Nardus and Sipora’s relationship. True to
his nature, Nardus was not suggesting or asking what would happen next.
What he was doing was telling Sipora what would happen next.
“I’ll tell you what,” he said in his straight-to-the-point manner, “since
you are going to your death anyway, and that is your plan, I will throw
you out the window right now myself. At least then you will die quickly.
Either way you will die.”
Sipora was crying now. “What’s the point?” she said. “There’s no hope.
My family is gone; your family is gone. They’re even taking sick and old
patients from here and transporting them out of the city.”
Knowing that he needed to remain calm and in control, Nardus made
it very clear to Sipora what was to happen next.
“Get up and let’s get out of here. We will find a way to survive this. All
you have to do is trust me and listen to what I tell you to do.”
Although what she was experiencing felt like hell, Sipora was at least
able to move now. What made the difference was that someone else,
someone she was growing to trust more and more by the day, was taking
control and leading her in what at least felt like a better direction.
Neither Nardus nor Sipora had any idea what was to come next, but it
did not matter. The only thing that mattered now was that Nardus would
never allow either one of them to just sit and wait to be killed.
At this moment, which signified all the drama, horror, and significance
of the times they were living through, these two people were thrust together
in a way that set the tone for all that was yet to come.
The Writing of Jew Face
How does one write a book about one of the most horrific times in history? How does one write a book about his or her parents especially when one has been gone for close to five years? And how does someone write about various people who exemplified courage, righteousness, kindness, and self sacrifice?
On so many levels writing the book “Jew Face” has been one of the most humbling experiences of my life. As much as I might try to feel what people who lived through the Nazi occupation and Holocaust in Europe felt, there is no way anyone who did not go through this time could actually capture this feeling. On an intellectual and compassionate level, anyone who is decent and thoughtful can understand how awful it was, but to write about it and to attempt to immerse oneself in it, is at the very least difficult, at most impossible. I made every attempt to do this while realizing all I could really do was convey my respect and honor to the memories of those lost and the pain and suffering of those who survived.
In writing about my parents I was confronted with a challenge. Do I search out their flaws and develop those areas of their character, or do I eliminate that dimension and focus on the qualities that made them special in this story? I chose the second option for two reasons. First of all my stories were based on their personal accounts and therefore I chose to portray those accounts the way that they were conveyed to me. I as someone who heard these stories my entire life, still find them fascinating. This is because of the positive content, not because of an unnecessary objectivity of the character of those who told the stories. The book is about their stories, not about the complexities of their respective characters. As a son I remembered only the greatness of my father and recognize the greatness of my mother with the same passion.
The second reason I went this direction is because the evil in this book is so clearly defined by being either a Nazi or a Nazi sympathizer that I chose not to focus on the imperfections of the decent individual. In this book there is a clearly defined good and evil. There are very few shades of grey.
And finally, how did I manage to write about people who exemplified such incredible behavior? By constantly feeling humble, feeling honored to write about them, and by trying to learn to be a better man while writing about better men and women than I could ever be. They are already immortalized by the worlds that have come from them. All I did was attempt to make it possible for as many people as possible to learn about this small handful of very special people.
A Story of Good and Evil
There is an absolute good and there is an absolute evil. Everything in between is open for interpretation. And sometimes it is not even relevant.
“Jew Face:A story of Love and Heroism in Nazi-Occupied Holland”
Now available on barnesandnoble.com and Amazon.com
A Story of Good and Evil
There is an absolute good and there is an absolute evil. Everything in between is open for interpretation. And sometimes it is not even relevant.
“JEW FACE: A Story of Love and Heroism in Nazi-Occupied Holland”
Now available on barnesandnoble.com
Holland's Heroes 