Camp Westerbork

When the National Socialists had come to power in Germany, it became increasingly clear to many Jews that things were getting dangerous. In the years 1933-1939, an increasing number fled abroad. Also to the Netherlands, even when it was noticed, that a war was imminent. They thought, that also this time the Netherlands would manage to remain neutral. In the countries where the refugees arrived, public opinion was usually negative. Just like today. The Dutch government found a “solution”: the refugees had to build their own camp, far from the inhabited world on the heath in Drenthe. In 1939 it was put into use as Central Refugee Camp Westerbork to concentrate already admitted Jewish refugees from the German Reich awaiting deportation. [1]
Today, they intend to dispose of unwanted refugees in Rwanda.
When the German army conquered the Netherlands, not much changed at first. The Nazis, of course, were glad with the fact that many Jews were practically ready for transport. When the roundups began, Dutch Jews came in.

At the Wannsee Conference in Berlin [2], the process was initiated to exterminate the Jews in all Nazi-controlled areas. That genocide proceeded in a very effective manner. Jews arrested in the Netherlands first had to be rounded up in Westerbork. The Central Refugee Camp Westerbork became the Judendurchgangslager (transit camp for Jews) Westerbork. The first deportation train left the camp on June 16, 1942.
In order to keep the killing machinery running as quietly as possible, the “divide and rule” system was used, as in all concentration camps. A hierarchy was established among the prisoners. At the top of this ladder were the “old camp inmates” who had escaped from the German Reich before. They were given some privileges, such as temporary exemption from the transports, but also had to perform tasks such as drawing up the transport lists.

To ensure that everything went as smoothly as possible, it was also alleged that the Jews were being sent to Eastern Europe to start a new life there. They already knew this from the Bible: the Babylonian captivity. Forced labor was suspected, but not mass murder. However, rumors circulated that everyone would be killed. But most people thought, or wanted to think, that it wouldn’t be that bad.
In Westerbork, neither cost nor effort was spared to maintain this illusion. The camp’s school, kindergarten and hospital continued to run as usual, all sorts of self-organized cultural activities were set up with the support of the camp management and so on. Everything seemed so normal if it hadn’t been for the regular transports.
The non-Jewish population of the Netherlands also generally gave little credence to the rumours about the extermination camps. After the defeated February strike of 1941, hardly anyone dared to show solidarity with the Jews. Aid for the Jews only really took off when most of the Jews had already been deported. Over 107,000 of them were deported from Westerbork. Only 5,000 survived the war. [1][3]
Below this page you will find only the names of deported Jews from the former municipality of Valkenburg-Houthem. It is impossible for a single person to include other places as well. But they all have their own lists and Stumbling Stones.

When only Jews who had gone into hiding were still living in the Netherlands, it was the turn of the so-called Zigeuner or Gypsies. Most of them were traveling Sinti. In 1943, travel was banned for all caravan dwellers who did not have an exemption permit (e.g. fairground entertainers), so they lost their source of income. On May 14, 1944, the Dutch police were instructed to centrally arrest all persons residing in the Netherlands who had the characteristics of gypsies and to bring them to Westerbork. After some were released because they did not belong to the Roma minority, the remaining 247 were deported to the “ Zigeunerlager” of Auschwitz-Birkenau on May 19, 1944. This was located directly next to the gas chambers. So when it was their turn at the beginning of August, they knew exactly what was in store for them and they tried in vain to defend themselves. Only 32 of these deportees survived the war. [4.1]
Read more about the Porajmos in Limburg, as this forgotten Holocaust is called in Romani, on this website. [4.2]

After the war, Dutch collaborators were imprisoned in the former concentration camp for a while. Especially in the first period of the internment camp, dozens of prisoners died of epidemics, systematic malnutrition and maltreatment. [5]
In 1950, after Indonesia’s independence, “Indian” Dutch nationals were temporarily housed there, some of whom had never been to the Netherlands. A year later, it became a housing facility for demobilized South Moluccan soldiers and their families who had served in the KNIL colonial army. [6]
Due to its remote location, the WSRT (Westerbork Synthesis Radio Telescope) was put into operation in 1970 for astronomical observations. Part of the former camp was demolished for this purpose. [7]
Later, almost all the remains of the camp were demolished, perhaps because many did not want to be reminded of this terrible time. On April 12, 1983, a museum called Herinneringscentrum Kamp Westerbork [8] was opened.
Read also In dépôt, diary from Westerbork by journalist Philip Mechanicus, who was also murdered by the Nazis. [9]

1. Kamp Westerbork, Wikipedia • Nederlands • Deutsch • English • Français • Português
2. Wannseekonferenz, Wikipedia • Nederlands • Deutsch • English • Français • Português
3. Alle 102.000 namen (pdf)
4. 1. kampwesterbork.nl, Sinti & Roma • Nederlands • Deutsch • English
   2. Porajmos in Limburg
5. H. Eefting (2007) De bijzondere rechtspleging. Rampzalige gevolgen enz., p.316, ⇒ [1]
6. wikipedia NL Woonoord Schattenberg
7. Westerbork Synthese Radio Telescoop, Wikipedia • Nederlands • Deutsch • English • Français
8. 1. Herinneringscentrum Kamp Westerbork, Oosthalen 8, NL-9414TG Hooghalen
   2 OpenStreetMap
   3. Wikipedia NL
9. Philip Mechanicus, In dépôt, Dagboek uit Westerbork. Met een inleiding van dr. J. Presser. (Van Gennep, Amsterdam 1964. Download dbnl)

Gedeporteerd uit Valkenburg-Houthem

1942-08-31 Grete (Margaretha) Abraham † Auschwitz (Oświęcim)
1942-08-31 Frits Cohen † Auschwitz (Oświęcim)
1942-08-31 Rosel Cohen † Auschwitz (Oświęcim)
1942-08-31 Hesselina (Liena) Drielsma † Auschwitz (Oświęcim)
1942-08-31 Jozef Günsberg † Auschwitz (Oświęcim)
1942-08-31 Isaak de Jong † Auschwitz (Oświęcim)
1942-09-07 Johanna Baum † Auschwitz (Oświęcim)
1942-09-10 Eva Cok-De Wilde † Auschwitz (Oświęcim)
1942-10-01 Bertha Golstein † Auschwitz (Oświęcim)
1942-10-01 Jacques Samuel † Auschwitz (Oświęcim)
1942-10-22 Leib (Mojzesz Leib) Eisenberg † Auschwitz (Oświęcim)
1942-11-09 Ester Weinreb † Auschwitz (Oświęcim)
1942-11-19 Bertha Cahn † Auschwitz (Oświęcim)
1942-11-19 Levie Sajet † Auschwitz (Oświęcim)
1942-11-19 Grietje Weiniger † Auschwitz (Oświęcim)
1942-12-31 Rudolf Benedik † Spytkowice
1942-12-31 Jacob Jacobs † Spytkowice
1943-01-15 Robert Benedik † Spytkowice
1943-01-15 Salomon Jacobs † Spytkowice
1943-02-28 Machiel Cok † Auschwitz (Oświęcim)
1943-04-23 Emma Horn † Vught
1943-05-14 Josef Benedik † Sobibor
1943-05-14 Liza Benedik † Sobibor
1943-05-14 Daniel Cahn † Sobibor
1943-05-14 Elise Cahn † Sobibor
1943-05-14 Karel Cahn † Sobibor
1943-05-14 Louis Cahn † Sobibor
1943-05-14 Bertha Heijser † Sobibor
1943-05-14 Mathilde Heijser † Sobibor
1943-05-26 Servaas Soesman † Maastricht/Aachen?
1943-06-11 Mozes Friesem † Sobibor
1943-06-11 Setta Lambert † Sobibor
1943-07-02 Walter Benedik † Sobibor
1943-07-23 Frieda Kopf † Sobibor
1943-08-12 Albert Cahn † Neukich
1943-08-23 Curt/Kurt Hirschberg † Blechhammer (Auschwitz)
1944-02-11 Maria Goldberg † Auschwitz (Oświęcim)
1944-03-31 Georges Cahn † Midden-Europa
1944-03-31 Ferdinand Gottschalk † Midden-Europa
1944-03-31 Rudi Gottschalk † Midden-Europa
1944-03-31 Benediktus Hirschel Sajet † Midden-Europa
1944-09-06 Rosa Cahn † Auschwitz (Oświęcim)
1945-01-21 Alice Gebhardt-Rosenwald † Auschwitz (Oświęcim)
hr

Limburgse monumenten vertellen 1940-1945
83

Digital name memorial Oranjehotel
It is one of the most frequently asked questions: who was imprisoned in the Orange Hotel? Unfortunately, there is no complete list of all prisoners. Much of the prison records were destroyed by the German occupiers shortly before the liberation.
See also Oranjehotel & Waalsdorpervlakte82

Jan van Lieshout, Het Hannibalspiel
A sinister game during World War II of the counterintelligence service of the Kriegsmarine (Marineabwehr), which led to the downfall of three Dutch-Belgian resistance groups, ISBN 10: 9026945744 ISBN 13: 978902694574880

Loenen Field of Honour
Over 3,900 war victims are buried at Loenen Field of Honour and include those who lost their lives in different places around the world due to various circumstances. There are military personnel, members of the resistance, people who escaped the Netherlands and went to England during the first years of the WWII to join the Allies (‘Engelandvaarders’), victims of reprisal and forced labour and …79

Markante feiten in Limburg tijdens de Tweede Wereldoorlog
Remarkable facts in (Belgian) Limburg during the Second World War
Anyone who thinks that hardly any resistance took place in the Dutch-speaking part of Belgium should definitely read this document. The emphasis is on the armed resistance. Author: Mathieu Rutten.78

Stichting Struikelstenen Valkenburg
Also 45 Jews deported from Valkenburg did not return. The Stichting Struikelstenen Valkenburg (“Foundation Stumbling Stones Valkenburg”) was established to place so-called stumbling stones in the sidewalk in front of the house from which they were deported, in memory of the murdered Jews from Valkenburg. With a complete list.
See also Stolperstein on Wikipedia.77

Roermond Front City
Series of stories by Eric Munnicks about the last months of the war.
See also the other War Stories of the Roermond Municipal Archives. Unfortunately no translation available. 76

Limburg 75 jaar vrij
75

Belgium WWII
A virtual platform on Belgium and its inhabitants during the Second World War74

Former concentration camp Natzweiler-Struthof, Alsace
European Centre of Deported Resistance Members. Camp and museum73

The Jewish Victims of National Socialism in Cologne | A–Z
72

Documentation Center on the National-Socialism in Cologne
Virtual visit of the museum and the memorial in 8 languages, amongst them Hebrew and Spanish71

Camp Vught National Memorial
The Camp Vught National Memorial (Nationaal Monument Kamp Vught) is located on a part of the former SS camp Konzentrationslager Herzogenbusch, also known as Camp Vught (January 1943 – September 1944).70

The Margraten Boys - About the US War Cemetery
Harrowing and redeeming, this is the history of a unique ‘adoption’ system. For generations, local families, grateful for the sacrifice of their liberators from Nazi occupation, have cared for not only the graves, but the memories, of over 10,000 US soldiers in the cemetery of Margraten in the Netherlands.
Free e-book by Peter Schrijvers. More e-books on WWII, in English and Dutch, by this author: https://www.google.de/search?hl=de&tbo=p&tbm=bks&q=inauthor:%22Peter+Schrijvers%2268

The Jewish Monument
Every victim of the Holocaust who was murdered is memorialised on the Joods Monument with a personal profile. The Jewish Monument is not only suitable for searching and commemorating. You can supplement the monument with photos, documents and stories, by making family connections and adding members of families. To place a call and get in touch with other users. You can also add information about stumbling stones and important other external links.67

When the miners go on strike against the German occupiers
The mine strike in Limburg started on April 29th, 1943. The workload was rising and rising. The first Dutch men were forced to work in Germany. The immediate reason was General Christiansen’s order to arrest all released prisoners of war from the Dutch army again and to transport them to Germany. The strike is broken up by means of executions.66

Persecuted in Limburg
Jews and Sinti in Dutch Limburg during the Second World War
ISBN 978-90-8704-353-7
Dissertation by Herman van Rens on 03/22/2013, University of Amsterdam, slightly edited
© 2013 Hilversum65

Ons verblijf in het dorp Mergel (dagboek) (Meerssen 1989)
Our stay in the village of Mergel (diary, Meerssen 1989
Joop Geijsen from Meerssen tells how he and two other boys went into hiding for a year in the limestone caves just outside Meerssen, which was later called the diver’s inn.
As far as we know, sold out and only available in Dutch libraries.64

Yad Vashem
The World Holocaust Remembrance Center63

Beelden van verzet
This book shows, how every Dutch generation deals differently with the past of resistance.
If you can read Dutch, you can find the download link for this essay by Sander Bastiaan Kromhout
Published by the Nationaal Comité 4 en 5 May, 2018
Print edition ISBN 9077294244.62

Regional Historic Center Limburg
Limburg has numerous specialized archive institutions that preserve relevant historical sources concerning World War II. However, it is not always clear to the public for which information they can go where. Archives have overlapping work areas, organizations and people have been active in the past in different areas and in different fields. So it often takes a long time to find the right place to find information.
Here you can search, but also share your documents with other interested parties. This can be done by donating them to existing archives or museums, or by making digital copies of the available documents or images.61

War deads in Nijmegen 1940 - 1945
With search function60

Foundation Dutch Resistance Monument
Names of resistance fighters in the Netherlands and colonies during the Second World War59

La résistance durant la guerre 1940-1945
It is mainly about the network “Clarence” whose founder was Walther Dewez; evoked are also the names of various agents of Visé and the Fourons that were part of this movement.58

Fallen resistance people Maastricht
A brief description and a long gallery of portraits57

Stichting Herinnering LO-LKP
The foundation remembrance of LO-LKP wants to raise awareness of the history of the resistance by the organisations LO and LKP. To this end, she makes the contents of his memorial book and many original documents available to the interested reader in digital form.56

The Forgotten Genocide – The Fate of the Sinti and Roma
Also known as Gipsies.55

1944-2019 ⇒ South Limburg 75 years free! ⇐
An overview of the activities in South Limburg around this memorable anniversary in september. It is celebrated in every municipality.54

Short historic American film about the Divers Inn
A silent film, shot by a USAmerican team after the liberation of Valkenburg. The first part has been re-enacted, with the help of the Valkenburg resistance. It shows how people going into hiding (divers) were taken to the divers inn. The man in the hat is always Pierre Schunck. The film starts at his home in Plenkertstraat, Valkenburg. The role of the policeman on the bike at the start is not entirely clear. According to the accompanying text, this is a courier.53

Database persoonsbewijzen uit de Tweede Wereldoorlog
About Dutch identity cards in the Second World War as well as images of identity cards in combination with other documents and genealogical and personal data including life stories.49

Memorial stone for the resistance people Coenen and Francotte
In front of the Provincial Resistance Monument in Valkenburg. Here the underground fighters Sjeng (John) Coenen and Joep (Joe) Francotte were murdered on 5 September 1944, just before the liberation of Valkenburg48

Resistance Memorial of the dutch province of Limburg
Every year on May 4, the commemoration ceremony for the fallen of this province takes place here. Meanwhile, also the veterans are no longer among us anymore.47

Call to everyone, but especially to the residents of Valkenburg
On September 17, 2019 it will be 75 years ago that the town and all villages of the current municipality of Valkenburg aan de Geul were liberated.
To commemorate the liberation and to display the wartime as accurately as possible, the Museum Land van Valkenburg is looking for personal stories, eye witnesses and tangible memories.
Of all these lifelike stories, materials, photos, footage and equipment, we are organizing a unique and as complete as possible overview exhibition under the name “We Do Remember”46

Roll of honor of the fallen, 1940 - 1945
A website commissioned by the dutch Second Chamber (~ House of Representatives). The Honor Roll of Fallen 1940-1945 includes those who fell as a result of resistance or as a soldier.45

Grenzeloos verzet
Borderless resistance – On Spying Monks, escape lines and the “Hannibal Game”, 1940-1943
ISBN 9789056220723
Paul de Jongh describes in detail an escape line from the Netherlands to Belgium. Unique case study on the resistance in World War II on both sides of the Belgian-Dutch border. Focus is on the Belgian side. Extends the book by Cammaert, especially where it concerns the group Erkens in Maastricht.44

The hidden front
History of the organized resistance in the Dutch province of Limburg during World War II
PhD thesis 1994, by CAMMAERT, Alfred Paul Marie.
The complete book in Dutch, with English summary, on the website of the University of Groningen.
Core literature!43

Forgotten History – Pierre Schunck, Resistance Fighter
42

World War II in South Limburg
Very many pictures ordered by municipality. For Valkenburg: many pictures from the Nazi boarding school for boys Reichsschule der SS (former Jesuit convent) and from the days of liberation, by Frans Hoffman.40

Sources Network on World War II (NOB)
Search in 9 million documents, movies and pictures about and from World War II in the Netherlands.39

Institute for Studies on War, Holocaust and Genocide
Institute for Studies on War, Holocaust and Genocide
Issues related to war violence generate a lot of interest from society and demand independent academic research. NIOD conducts and stimulates such research and its collections are open to all those who are interested.38

Limburg gaf joden WOII meeste kans
Dutch Jews had the best chance of going into hiding and surviving the Holocaust in the province of Limburg. This is apparent from the dissertation on the persecution of Jews and Sinti in Limburg during the Second World War by the historian from Beek, Herman van Rens at the University of Amsterdam.
More info in Dutch36

Tweede Wereldoorlog en bijzondere rechtspleging
About the trials of Dutchmen who collaborated with the occupiers: The so-called special administration of justice. This page shows you the way. Here you will find photos, the most used keywords, references to interesting archives, indexes, websites, personal stories and guides for research.35

Nederlands Auschwitz Comité
34

Secret Army Zone II/Limburg
About the failed attempt to set up a complete guerrilla army in Belgian Limburg. Use the built-in translator20

resistance in Enschede
19

30th Infantry Division Old Hickory
Liberators of South-Limburg17

Bond van Oud-Stoottroepers en Stoottroepers
16

The Dutch Underground and the Stoottroepers
Stoottroepen (Stormtroopers) consisted of the ancient resistant fighters who entered in the Dutch army after the liberation of Limburg, to participate in the war against the fascism.15