1 24 226 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/3621d9e71fa69171fd6f6bd7d4f5547e.pdf 194a59cc8f5ab27ebe89949664c04315 PDF Text Text Tomorrow morning at dawn. These words were spoken by the German Colonel Hans Oster to Major Sas the Netherlands ambassador to Germany . on May 9th 1940. From November 1939 to May 1940 there had been other warnings, all of whom proved to be false or pre~ature. Now there were reports coming in about troop movements and about increased raio communications from the border area's with Germany and high alert messages went out to the army, navy and airforce. At 3:55 A.M. May 10th 1940 German infatery and armored trains crossed the border, airfields were being bombed, and for the first time in military history the vertical factor entered into the picture: paaatroopers descended right on the bridgeheads of all major river crossings, and around The Hague, where the Queen's residence, the Cabinet and the Congress were situated. They landed on 3 small airports around The Hague and got support from German panes which landed .. . . troops with light armor • The city was heavily defended by anti-aircraft guns, but besides that had only depot troops present who had been in military service only 6 weeks. Some of their barracks were bombed. Many casulaties resulted and this rude introduction to actaal warfare dented the morale at first •./ Yet these troops, attacked on the soil of their country, being ably led, ~surrounded the three airports with flanting movements, and within 24 hours had retaken theseAairports and _~,pt~ed 1200 of the 2100 para I s who had jumped • I ' - ' ~ {tn ~ ~ The 1200 captured ~,were immediately ioaded in ships and sent to ' Eng land • /7t1/la '..J ~,,//;Iv. ~o-,,,-~f~ Many of the German heavy transport planes were lost because the soft ~ ~ - - - ~ " ' ~ soil could not carry them • They got s t u c k ~ and became ~~:f;:'~ ..,J.,1/,.)/o/ ...... easy targets for the :a attacking infantry J. Together with the heavy ~ casualties which the anti-airt raft guns inflicted, the German losses i1( of paanes_~d approximately 2,000 para's dead, wounded or captured in 5 days of 11f,ing proved a substantial factor in the postponement 1 of the attack on England .d"vll'rJ~ .S£PT£/1'113£1?/ 1111.P &tvt;t.lfrh'.s t>u=t,tJE;rjtfiAJ.;,p Jtno,/1 11111~. ' • ptu/'11 '''it, The paratroopers attack on the bridgeheads across the great rivers ,w were alas su'oessf31l • oft. '£ c.cul'R 111:s-r o;; llot-1.//,.,1> /4v1 "the planned timelimit~ 24 hours y e erman High Command as badly miscalculated. The northern attack towards de large enclosing dike which gave access r 'l>hr/lc#1G+!J vvr,,tzs to the entire western part of the country , was stopped in its tracks. The attack in the south avross 'the Maas river with an armo11red train :; A-uJ the train destroyed , but massive crossings in rubber boats regardless of heavy losses succ&:ied and after 3 days their match up with the para's at the captured bridges in the west was accomplished. French troops and artillery had to withdraw as their own frontline in the east and the center was being rolled up by massive tank attack:ts • On the 14th of May came the capitulation; after this became effective and presumably out of spite I Rotterdam was Jnombed and its center put to the torch. r �**** r Had there be indications before the war { Yes Hitler had predicted all in his book "Mein Kampf" rmy struggle 11 , in 1923 • But who believed this maniac, in those turbulent times? In 1938 the so called Kristall Nacht occur'ed in Germany. Jewiwsll businesses were vandalized anddestroyed. After the war it became known that before the war Hitler had ordered to be put to death 70,000 German folk, who were elderly and debilled:.ated and were of no use to the fatherland. A train from Berlin to Amsterdam stopped at customs at the Dutch border ~rL/1., JiAa/L:L :r town of Oldenzaal •. One. compartme:1t contained a small bapy r. It had been ~'- - - - -~s~en~t_b~a~c~k~ : regulation is reg~lation: no passport. , - - _____ · -.:..!_ !!m:1~!:;r~~~de~ crossing a young Jewish couple with their child hadA wellkno ou passport~• Frotp The Hague came the order: sent them back th wn newspaperman Piet Bakker happened to be present and advised • e young couple to throw a brick th h · d arrested which would give him time t~o~ ; wint ow ' so that they could 13£ But the young man answered • .• W . 11 ry O ~e as¥Y"lum for them • haven mich doch anstll.ndig "~c~l nein , die Holl!lncb:iche BehSrdem people have treated us well II e no, the Dutch pass control Th • an~ ~=r~p:p~r~ :!;e~h;h:i~~;~~o~ :eg~~ngpar!~e~i 1 on tl_le phone, publish your refusal 11 th • P II\Yvin poison and moment I do n,-. "'et a:rl~v:~r t~ countryl, and wreck your career ' i.f'this · -J ese peop e " • He got it • Th~fall of 1940, within 6 months of the beginning of the occupation brought the first measures against the Jews: they were dismissed from federal, provincial and local government agencies. beh!~:;; .~ , / ~oi *** H1~ ~t / C'fJ./D In the sunnner the first illegal press release "Vrij Nederland" "FRee Netherlands" appeared , printed clandestinely as freedom of the press r ~ ~"'"" n,..o had been canceled immediately after the capitulation • r ~ ;/,.;AM"~ ~J,L,..t In the fall another__;O.ye•r appeared called the Geuzen • This name goes back f ~ di,,;,~ into Dutch histof°"y"wffen Dutch nobility , marched into Brussels and handed the Spanish governess a request to allow full freedom of relition. This group included all Calvinists, Catholics, Lutheran's and Baptists. The governess overwhelmed by their presence, trembled visibly and ger advisor Barlaymont assured her in French that these people were no more than Gueux , beggars • When the Resistance against the Spanish inquisition sprang up in that year, it took this name on as an honored name. The group was led by Bernard IJzerdraat , , Mil!: ,_,.~. That fall all werdarrested, 43 of them. Whipped by the S.S. with metal tipped whips, ~eaten with sticks, kicked, forced to stand up for 24 hours, and locked in\9,, small chests folded up for a day • It did not help • Every time theV'tfrought before the judges, they were silent. When the guilty conviction was announced, one of the accusations read that they represented half a million armed men. Did the Germans believe this themselves ? . . f.sighteen drew the death sentence • During this period an order was issued by Seyss Inquart that J e~ from now on had to wear the yellww star of Divid on theim clothing .• A spontaneous revoJ.t-, a general strike occurred, initiated and sp~urred on by the dockworkers of Amsterdam • Today a statue of one of these men stands in Amsterdam • During the 5 ;wears that Europe was under Hitler's heel this was the only spontaneous uprising in any country. Only in 1944 was it followed~ by the Jewish defense le~4ue uprising in the Warsaw ghetto. so vividly related by Leon Uris in the book II Mile 18" • I -i · The sentence was carried out outside The Hague on the Waalsdorper plane. The date was March 13, 1941. The Nazi controlled Press reported it on March 14. In amsterdam Jan pert , a senior at the University of Amsterdam Medical College, read it and inspired wrote this poem. The eighteen dead. It was reprod~ced on a large sca1e. It proved to be for him also a premonition: active in the Resistance he paid with his own life for our freedom. 7 --~- �.tn.rtnctays in the .l:{oyal 1·am1.1y were always celebrated by flying the flag with the orange lineyard; and on the Queen's birthday it had been the custom to have a register of congratulations at the entrance of the Royal Palace which many came to sign. On June 29th, 1940 the first Royal birthday was commemorated, this time of the Prince-Consort Bernhard. Flags were raised everywhere, people wore the orange buttons, flowers were placed at the nation's national monuments, and at the Palace the register of congratulations drew untold people to sign. There were cro'Wds ever3{Where and the demonstration of loyalty involved the entire country. The occupation forces and especially the appointed Nazi governor Seyss . Inquart were completely taken by surprise and furious. After that day instrmttions were issued with the power of law taat all and any demonstrations of loyalty to the House of G,-ange were henceforth forbidden for all times. The National Youth organisation of which Jean and I had been members since 1932 had organized the demonstration, and received the high honor of becoming the first organization to be outlawed. Two members of our National Board were arrested as was the Chief Staff of the Netherlands' armed forces General Winkelman, who also had come to sign the Pegtster and was cheered by the crowd • I had my teacher's degree, but our graduating class had been met by the new rule that the number of pupils per classroom was raised from 25 to 45. The deepening ecomic crisis had -dev_J.stating results. My dad was in military service , so I ~Af~ack~f thing , but having these good people pay for my education, my books, and then not being \~~t,(I, able to earn anything , brought me half a year later to accept a modest tro~wr]JZt<ol'Poflrl.J'!'POSition with the city in evaluating the un-employed(and paying them ',-e-r their unemployment compensation weekly • As an illustration: for 44 hours per week I was paid 25 bucks per month. In 1941 this local service bureau was federalized. ~y would become clear in the next year • In the spring of 1942 the order came down that the district directors, (a rank I had meanwhile attained), had to select unemployed men and issue them over our own signature a travel order to go and work in the German war industry , to free German men for the draft • The German attack on Russia in June 19¼1 had not gone well and their encounter with what the Russians call "General Winter" had brought enormous losses. I wrote our Department Head in The Hag-,,e as follows read letter and comment. We were stupefied to receive the following answer: read arrswer. This was the naked evil of the Nazi system .No to conscience. I received several offers, one very attractive to buy into an existing accounting practice by a long term friend. I told him that I did not have money. Just sign a note I was told, and on my signature I became a partner. That spring also, the small number of Jews in our hometown of Alkmaar, about 50 had been ordered to move to Amsterdam, where all Dutch jews were concentrated. The Resistance di"d not trust these measures and began to offer hiding places. This lead into another difficulty. Since 1941 every one had to carry on his person a passbook with picture and fingerprints. For jews who chose a hiding place, we had to provide these false passbooks which also were the base for obtaining ration cards for the scarcer and scarcer food supply. We obtained pass books from the deceased, reported pass books lost in order to obtain new ones, but as the need increased, we tried falsified copies and later on had to initiate raids on the c:i:tv bureaus that issued them. New pass pictures had to be taken and rubber stamps made to authenticate the falsifications. The war had intensified: British Bomber Cormnand flew over every night. Germany and Italy declared war on the u.s. in December 1941, but it was not until January 1943 that American Air Forces took over the daylight bombing of Germany • Crippled allied planes came down almost daily and then it became a race between the Germans and us to get to those airmen who had been able to parachute safely from their aircraft. They too had to be furnished with a passbook and ration cards, after destroying their own • , , 7T{G. cJ/l?iTifoJ,11tf,J -rf//5 .J/-'te.1µ'<:; f'f(.t!IT6.J) AAI li--r Ce.i./..1-AIT lf/JJ1,v, / /) 1:,,1r/P yi,v R TuTA1.. or oo o /I /,ec- flll FT /"/tt.D"'1 /'JoT'I./ ~ i ()I! S · 7 1, Tl/,e j)V7c,,/ /lll{,/!o~c1;, �. ,.(/To ·II, _, 1t-1'if.JlfL _ , / Our area took in many jews and in a homogenous population, we had behind every Resistance man or woman dozens of families willing to take them in. Even though after the war it became evident that we had only been able to save~ 15,000 out of pre-war number of 150,000. The penalties for hiding a jew or an Allied flier were severe; loss of one's house and contents, and deportation to a Nazi Concentration camp. To a certain extent this made our task harder, as some families shjed away because of the risks. There was no blame to be attached to their decision, the risks were great, and the enemy ruthless. Our operational area so comfortably familiar to all of us, all below sea level, had 2 canals for navigation, one from Amsterdam to Den Helder the Navy base, and one from Alkmaar straight east to the city of Hoorn. Besides that it is intersected by drainage canals of different width with a soft muddy bottom. History's lessons about the eighty war against Spain paid off again, and this terrain proved often elusive to the enemy, especially at night. Up to 1944 shallow draft boats, moved usually by punting-pole and ~ h~ by oars, could move freely through the wide countryside for the first 4 years of the war. In 1944 when the threat of invasion with the use of paratroopers became imminent, the German Command ordered the water levels to be set at 2 to 3 feet higher, which made it far more difficult in daylight to operate freely, and increased night time operations. It also flooded the lowest lying area's and the roads that cut through them. In the fall of 1943 the deportation of Jews had reached a peak. Before 1943 they had been concentrated in Amsterdam, which city for the first time in its history suffered the indignity of having a ghetto • urJ,-ff,',./ its borders, closed in by barbed wire. The jewG'$jJ;.e moved by train to Westerbork, a village in the northeast province of Drente, which camp was still reasonably run compared by what we later learned about the camps in Poland, Austria and southern Germany. It had for instance a camp orcll!stre where the jewish members of the Dutch symphony played for their fellow jews and which were attended by the German campstaff. From there they were put on trains to be resettled for work elsewhere taey were told. On a crisp sunny Mondaymorning I was walking to my office, and in passing the manse, our minister Ds.Koolhaas called me in and told me that he had received a phone call from his colleague in Rumpt, a village just south of the Rhine river, where he had preached before coming here. The call was urgent : 3 stars • A small monastery which was hiding jews had been spotted by the Gestapo through treason. Some of the jews had managed to escape, and 2 of them were hidden in the house of the school princiJ:d{.. , but could not stay there because the Gestapo combed the entire area. I notified the office staff that I would not be in that day and walked over to Jacob Balder the carpenter , ,.a:K4, one of our commando's • We discussed the situation~ crossing the Rhine river without a pass was a severe risk, as the entire area south of it had been completely closed off to contact from north of the river. This area lay as a proteetive girdle in front of The Germ4n Ruhr , the hub of its war industry • Trains still crossed the Rhine, but were patrolled, as were the depots south of the Rhine. We decided to take the train, buy 2 round trip tickets to 1 s-Hert~genbosch and try to get off at Geldermalsen, south of the Rhine, which is only 8 miles from the village of Rumpt where the 2 were hidden. We had to change trains in Alkmaar and Amsterdam , and had bought 2 German language newspapers as a cover. The train patrols did not bother us. �c11v9 1{rt/P1V111/vs. When we crossed the Rhine river our tension inc:#a.sed • Rlt/1-,'f"l{f-SS ilr A-Pt.llY\, Immediately south of the river was the tiny depot of Culemborg , at which the train stopped only momentarily. The next depot would be Geldermalsen, also with a tiny depot. When the train slowed down we opensd the window and looked ahead. Before the small building only one sentry was walking up and down the platform. To us he seemed bored stiff; his head was lowered as if he were counting his steps. When the train stopped, his back was turned to us, and we slipped out and hid behind the building. The train proceeded and a little while later we noticed the sentry entering the building. This gave us the oppatunity to reach the narrow road west in the direction of Rumpt. After walking a little while a wagon drawn by two horses and loaded with sacks of flourt. We asked for a ride and got to Rumpt easily • We rang the bell at the schoolprinci~' s house , and gave the name of our minister as introduction. The man was astonished that we had been able to cross the Rhine at all • In a room in the back of the house he introduced us to a young German jewish couple, engaged to be married, visibly fearful of being caught. We discussed the situation with the schoolprincip1.- and one of his colleagues and decided that they would provide us with borrowed bicycles and that we would leave in the dark for Geldermalsen P£~oT. They fed us and gave us a bag of apples to take home. The 2 teachers provided 4 bicycles, and were going with us to buy 2 one-way tickets for the jewish couple and after that bring the bicycles back. We arrived in the dark and told the couple to f: llow us closely. We entered the almost empty train and found a compartment for 6. At the window was seated in full uniform a member of the Dutah Nazi Youth organization. We put the couple next to him and seated ourselves opposite this fellow. If a patrol walked past us 1 he looked like a nice cover to us . helped by the £act that the trains in wartime had only small bluish bulbs which created an eerie shadowy atmosphere • If trouble ensued, we were two against one. Fortunately, this fellow 1 hand under his chin kept staring out of the window until we reached Amsterdam. We left the train there for the transfer and placed ourselves between the couple and the Nazi. Before we could enter the train for Alkmaar and Heerhugowaard, we were stopped and had to show that the bag we carried contained only apples. They let us go • The rest was uneventful after the tension south ~f the Rhine, and when we arrived in Heerhugowaard, other commando's were waiting and guided the couple to a safe house. They survived the war. *** *** • That winter we had an 15 year old jewish boy staying with us. He was a very gifted young man. In the early spring we had a great scare , as German troops were searching for houses to take over for quarters. As I wasn't home , :rey wife will tell that story • *** On May 8, 1944, ~ weeks before the Allied landings inNormandy, the Gestapo's bloody hand fell on me, and the effects on our family were deeply adverse and longlasting. e:ad • �/ *** On December 11, 1944 I was staying with my parents within the city of Alkmaar when the alarm was spread among the underground that on the 13th a razzia would take place. This meant that men and boys between the ages of 16 and 60 would be indiscrimantely arrested, marched off to the railway station and transported to Germany, to work. So on the next morning I started out to try to get out of the city. Alkmaar is built on a ridge of sand slightly elevated from the surrounding meadows, maybe a few feet high, but surrounded by waterland, a place for mttlement. The roads of access to the city are built on this sandy ridge. The German military command had built 6 feet high walls, guarded by a platoon of regular army troops. I chose the eastside exit where the canal to Hoorn has a bridge beyond which an old millhouse was standing along the canal with the wall just beyond that. This wall then stretched from canal to canal with a small stepping stone on either side, just above waterlevel, to allow people to pass. Walking le~S'UJ."elytowards the bridge I could see the mill house, the wall and two sentries walking in front of i t . There were squadrons of airplanes flying east towards Germany. Beyond the wall stretched my beloved West Frieslarut with on the right side the canal with its six windmills, and the road which stretched beyond the wall for a mile before turning at a crossroads with some farms surrounded by trees • I walked up to the wall; the two sentries faced me, crossed their rifles in front of me, bayonets up. 11 Wllhin gehst du ? 11 Where are you going ? 11 Nach hause , Ich habe meinen Eltern besucht 11 11 11 Home , I have visited my parents In silence they looked me over, and one soldier put his rifle down and said : 11 Nah , geh 11 11 Well , go 11 While I climbed down to the waterlevel and negotiated the narrow step around the wall, I realized keenly that for the next mile I would be visible, water on either side of the road and flat meadows across the water. I forced myself to continue walking at the same leasurely pace until I could turn off behind the farms and their trees. It was my longest mile. The next day, German soldiers poured into the city of Alkmaar, closed off streets, searched houses, and marched men and boys towards the waiting trains , without being able to say good-bye or taking anything with them. *** In march we moved 700 commando troops into the city of Alkmaar, in small * be groups, helped by darkness, knowledge of the narrow streets and occupied a few strategic houses. It would*6 weeks yet until VE-Day, but German morale was sharply reduced and their wish for survival in what was already a lost war, and being among a hostile population must have depressed them. Our armaments were pitifully weak • All had a stengun and further we had only 2 bren guns ( small machine gun)/ Our commander had serious doubt a sustained attack upon the small German garrison, which had heavy machine guns, bazookas and handgrenades a plenty, and were experienced soldiers. *** 2 days before VE day the Germans emptier the jails of political prisoners loaded them in a ship, which they then had torpedoed just off the coast. � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Adriana B. and Peter N. Termaat collection Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Termaat, Adriana B. (Schuurman) Termaat, Peter N. Description An account of the resource Collection contains genealogical, personal, and family papers and photographs documenting the lives and interests of Adriana and Peter Termaat. The bulk of the materials are related to family history and genealogical research carried out by the Termaats, including research notes and materials about places in the Netherlands that were significant to the Termaat and Schuurman families, such as the city of Alkmaar. Other materials in the collection are related to the Termaats' experiences on the eve of and during the Second World War, especially the German occupation of the Netherlands and the Termaats' participation in organized resistance to the Nazis. Also included are materials that document the family's post-war life in the United States, including their public efforts to recognize, commemorate, and honor people and events significant to World War II. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1869 - 2012 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/719">Adriana B. and Peter N. Termaat collection, RHC-144</a> Subject The topic of the resource Netherlands Netherlands--History--German occupation, 1940-1945 World War, 1939-1945 World War, 1939-1945 -- Underground movements -- Netherlands Dutch Dutch Americans Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-144 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource Text Image Type The nature or genre of the resource application/pdf image/jpeg Language A language of the resource eng nl Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-144_Termaat_WRI_PNT-War-strategy-stories-296 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Termaat, Pieter Title A name given to the resource War strategy stories Description An account of the resource Notes by Pieter N. Termaat on military strategies during World War II. Subject The topic of the resource Netherlands Germany World War, 1939-1945 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/719">Adriana B. and Peter N. Termaat collection (RHC-144)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/1643713b5cf367f925dccbb537961c91.pdf d08a3191edfdaa7e48ae5ba7a49f68cd PDF Text Text On March 31st ' 1986 ' the Connl.General of State ot Israel placed the neva of our recognition by Yad Vash• on the Tela:. Thereupon the Gram Rapids Pres• wrote an article about ua , which was written soberly and thovghttully • On April 10, 1986 the st01"7 reached oar Church. bulletin , attar Holy WMk and Easter • . The pr~ous Sllr.dq, ow Senior Pastor Dr.Shoup had. aslced. ua after the eervioe te join hill 1n front of the Chwchoongregation and introduced us. We joined in the singing of the hym 361: " Once to f!IVer'Y man and nation " • After that I spoke of the early commitment ot OUI" Re.farmed Chwch f'ollowing the Nan occupation of The Netherlards. Our Synod had a message read,. :f'rom all pulpits , warning us of' the diff'icult years to come, exbrted us to stand on principle and reminded us of' the words of the prophet Isaiah as printed in this Nevaletter • I emphasized that these vellkncnm words, took on a immediate meaning stood out , came alive ,neshed out and took on a lif'e all its own. It became our guidance , nll nigh a mar'~ order dUl"ing the 5 years to come or persecution, bloodshed, discrimination, cruelty, treason and tears • It was the stre1gth or 01:11" faith that carried us: a solid rock. Many martyrs tell in our mostly unarmed struggle • s This too , next to the Grard Rapids Press article becomes part o:f' yow heritage • Mq all of you be spared tor the calamities, our generation worldwide had to face , with 57 mill.irm soldiers and civilians dead • But when difficul.ties or adversities do come , turn to God's Word • It is a sure foundation. Attached: h1Jlll 361 award cer•o117 church nevaletter •\. �NEWSCENTRAL E E N T R lA L 1986 I w s C April 10, CONGREGATIONAL MEETING The annual Congregational meeting for the election of Elders and Deacons will be held in the Sanctuary imnediately following the worship service this Sunday, April 13. 'Ihe people nominated are as follow: ELDER: Barbara Davidson Bernard Kool Elin Moerland Helena Riekse Kenneth VanderKolk DEACON: James Galer Arthur Hasse Timothy Hillegonds Sally Tapley Scott Usadel 'I. J" CEN1RAL MEMBERS IN TIIB NEWS In recent years, PETER and ADRIANA (JEAN) TERMAAT have received recognition for their roles in World War II as part of the Dutch resistance movement. Most recently they were honored by the Yad Vashem with a medallion which reads: To Peter and Adriana Termaat - The Jewish people reaognize that ''whosoever saves one Life saves the entire universe." The BaaL Shem Tov. Their service is expressed well by the words of the Prophet, Isaiah, " ••• Shelter the homeless, do not betray the fugitive." (Isaiah 16:3 NEB) Peter and Jean were further recognized by our congregation at the close of worship Sunday. �Once to Every Man and Nation 361 8, 7. 8. 7. D. Tho. . . Jolu, Williama. 1890 IIUNIIZD (TON•T•IIO'rU): Jamu Ruuell Lowell, 1815: ale, ~ .,9--,.-~ I. Once to 2. Then to J. Though the na - tion C.Omes the no - ble, When we ev - ery man and side with truth is cause of e - vii 'tis •\. l -6- ., 1 Some great cause, some new de - ci - sion, Of . - fering each the bloom or blight, Then it is the brave man chaos-es While the cow-ard stands a - side, Yet · that scaf-fold sways the fu - tun:, And, be • - hind the dim un - known, I I And the choice goes by for - ev - er 'Twixt that dark-ness and that light. Till the mu! - ti - tude make vir - tue Of the faith they had de-nied. Stand-eth God with - in the shad-ow Keep-ing watch a - bove His own. ..(2..-19-_J;-l'II Mo,lc copyrlgbt by Gwenlya Eva11s. Ltd. ,..-;--- A-MEN. 1I Used by ,.ermlulo11. [ 307 ] LIPE IN CHRIST: TRIAL AND CONFLICT � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Adriana B. and Peter N. Termaat collection Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Termaat, Adriana B. (Schuurman) Termaat, Peter N. Description An account of the resource Collection contains genealogical, personal, and family papers and photographs documenting the lives and interests of Adriana and Peter Termaat. The bulk of the materials are related to family history and genealogical research carried out by the Termaats, including research notes and materials about places in the Netherlands that were significant to the Termaat and Schuurman families, such as the city of Alkmaar. Other materials in the collection are related to the Termaats' experiences on the eve of and during the Second World War, especially the German occupation of the Netherlands and the Termaats' participation in organized resistance to the Nazis. Also included are materials that document the family's post-war life in the United States, including their public efforts to recognize, commemorate, and honor people and events significant to World War II. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1869 - 2012 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/719">Adriana B. and Peter N. Termaat collection, RHC-144</a> Subject The topic of the resource Netherlands Netherlands--History--German occupation, 1940-1945 World War, 1939-1945 World War, 1939-1945 -- Underground movements -- Netherlands Dutch Dutch Americans Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-144 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource Text Image Type The nature or genre of the resource application/pdf image/jpeg Language A language of the resource eng nl Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-144_Termaat_WRI_PNT-on-Yad-Vashem Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Termaat, Pieter Title A name given to the resource Notes on Yad Vashem Righteous Gentiles Award Description An account of the resource Notes by Pieter N. Termaat on the story of receiving the Righteous Gentiles award from Yad Vashem. Subject The topic of the resource Righteous Gentiles in the Holocaust World War, 1939-1945 -- Jews -- Rescue Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/719">Adriana B. and Peter N. Termaat collection (RHC-144)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/c222c9b3c77dc94f6a246bf16e234f68.pdf eb70d65bfa99d2c53ab09affcbf4d7cd PDF Text Text Liddell Hart, the English military analyst, did interview many German generals after the war, and has writeen a oook about tnat named: ."The other side of the hill" para's Generagl Student had been in command of the German airborne forces, then the first of its kind in the world. Quoting Stment, he told that Germany had in 1940 4,500 experienced paratroopers. Generals Student and Sponeck were called in by Hitler on the second of May, 19~0, and tney were the first ones to learn the date of the attack on western Europe: May 6th. Weather conditions postponed this to May 10th. Hitler's special instructions were to capture Queen Wilhelmina and the members of the Royal House, witnout doing them harm. Queen Wilhelmina was not only nignly popular in Holland, but was respected throughout the lfOrld. Tnis part of the generals instructions was in writing. Hitler told them that he would take Holland with,n ~hours. 5 batallions together 4,000 men strong and the 22nd airlanding regiment 12,000 men strong were to attack. General Student commanded the attack on the bridges in Rotteraam, Dordrecht and the Moerdijk, thus trying to capture the main roads toward the south. The bridges were to be captured before they could be blown up. The surprise attack was completely succesful, with losses on German side of ltlO men dead or wounded. The second ll[attack was directed towards The Hague. The royal palace, mi.litary headquaters, and civilin departments, were the goal of Graf' Sponeck. Small airports round The Hague were used to land German transport planes, as were the beaches .Many transports were lost because of the soft muddy soil conditions, as were the transports which landed on the beach, which 1mmediatrly sank their landing gear into the sof't sand. Withing 2 days Dutch depot troops had recaptured the airfields On the airfield Ypenburg, operational orders from General Student re attack ,tactics and training, were captured by the Dutch and flown to England. and the p.o.w.'s from the German divisions were immediately shipped. to Eng lana • On the 5th day of the attack Hitler ordered tne bombardment of Rotterdam , furious that that his time ll.lllit van tl hours had not been met, and even more inceased over the loss of most of paratroapers ., This last Dutch acyion postponed the German on England by about J months. � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Adriana B. and Peter N. Termaat collection Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Termaat, Adriana B. (Schuurman) Termaat, Peter N. Description An account of the resource Collection contains genealogical, personal, and family papers and photographs documenting the lives and interests of Adriana and Peter Termaat. The bulk of the materials are related to family history and genealogical research carried out by the Termaats, including research notes and materials about places in the Netherlands that were significant to the Termaat and Schuurman families, such as the city of Alkmaar. Other materials in the collection are related to the Termaats' experiences on the eve of and during the Second World War, especially the German occupation of the Netherlands and the Termaats' participation in organized resistance to the Nazis. Also included are materials that document the family's post-war life in the United States, including their public efforts to recognize, commemorate, and honor people and events significant to World War II. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1869 - 2012 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/719">Adriana B. and Peter N. Termaat collection, RHC-144</a> Subject The topic of the resource Netherlands Netherlands--History--German occupation, 1940-1945 World War, 1939-1945 World War, 1939-1945 -- Underground movements -- Netherlands Dutch Dutch Americans Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-144 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource Text Image Type The nature or genre of the resource application/pdf image/jpeg Language A language of the resource eng nl Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-144_Termaat_WRI_PNT-nazi-strategies-318 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Termaat, Pieter Title A name given to the resource Notes on German aggression against the Netherlands Description An account of the resource Notes by Pieter N. Termaat on Germany's military agression and strategy in the Netherlands during World War II. Subject The topic of the resource Netherlands Germany World War, 1939-1945 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/719">Adriana B. and Peter N. Termaat collection (RHC-144)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/36d7863face2a703933314b89b2c8aee.pdf 05b6bae1cce7c5456894b42d06c5c150 PDF Text Text Wilhelm PrU.1.ler, drafted into tne German Army, not a Nazi, nas published abooklet : "Diary of a German soldier 11 Re fought wi.tn nis unit on the Russian front • He writes : "We reached. our first target Nish Dolgoe, or rather the place wnere it used to stand up till a few hours ago. The few wooden huts were blown tQ smithereens by our rocket mortars. Tony remains - a few strong wooden beams and bits of household equipment are all that's left. Frightened covilians crwa.ling out 01· tne cellars , the !'ear of death in their eyes , weeping children , grown-ups shaking with fear , the apathy of the very old ones • '!'hat was Nish Dolgoe • Dear God, we thank thee that this war must not be fougnt on German soil • 11 Peter Sichrovslg has written about the children and r.andchildren of Nazi families. He writes aoout 15 of the , a mixture of important personages and simple fellow travelers. It was the vast mass of loya decent oureaucrats, officers, policemen, mayors, railroad employees, teachers and so on, that greased the wheels of the Nazi dictatorship. Says one:, For you gentiles and jews who s~:vived, the suffering ended with Hitler's death. But for us the children oft.he Nazi's, it didn't end. When their world collapsed 1n ruins and ashes, the heroes of the Thir eich staked another battle ground - the family." Says another: 11 Once, one single t1me, my father was drunk enough to talk about i t , how terrible 1t na been, that time they had to shoot children one by one with a nandgun because these idiot soldiers had aimed their automatic weapons too nigh above the heads of the children • 11 I Jean and I can tell you of our particular experiences, but we must f it them to the purpose of the whole, with proper attriDution to the many of our small band who did not live to see the day of liberation. We survivors are fast dwindling in numbers; we have the fee l ing that we are still too close to it to write the definitive history about i f . The names of them who passed away, mean little to the generation of today. A few have been commemorated on monuments or in street J[l'lames. In many cases history has been falsified: in the period between Sept ember 17, 1944 t o ~ May 1945 , 9 of the 11 provinces of The Netherlanss remained occupied , and unrepre.s ented in t he government . In the f reed provinces of Brabant and Limburg a strong minority existed of dubious loyalty, which has managed that cleansing the country of Nazi's, collaborators etc. was frustrated . �The German war industry put Hitler in power in 1933 and 193~ . Bernt Engelmann came out of an intelligent, liberal minded German family , and happened to survive Dachau when the A.m erican armies overran that concentration camp. In his book : "In Hitler's Germany" he explains , wonderfully clearly ( and by the way in excelllent translation) how a small minority of thugs could take over a great power. What strikes our imagination is the speed with which these thugs played on the field of geo-politics to set the stage for the final blow against the Allies. - - - - - - --- J Jan 26, 193~ German-Polish friendship and non-aggression pact. Feb 7 , 1934 German Defense council orders the economic prepara: ·t ion for war • Jun 3u - July 2, 1934 Leadership of the s.A. killed off. their "leader" R8hm inclu:led • Aug 2, 1934 German President Hindenburg dies. The office:;of Reichspresident and Re~chscharmlor united in the hands of Hitler as: "Fuhrer and Reichschancelor" On the initiatmve of General Blomberg-Reichenau the armed. forces take the oatn of loyalty to Hitier personally. July 25, 1934 Austria's democrat ,ically elected chancelor tloll fusz murdered. Sept 9, 1934 USSR joins the League of Nations. T.ne thugs who took over Germany, the Nazi's, never amounted to more than 10% of the adult popupiQ;tion. In the other totalitarian country Russia, 7% of the adult population had membership in the comm.must party. It does not iake much to destroy freedom. What followed 193~ what a systematized destruction of useless elderly people ( 70, uoo Germans were annihilated ), Jews , in Germany since old times the most nationalistic group, gypsies etc., Now we cannot face death without blinking; but to face not only one's own !'ate , but also that of parents -grandparents, children, grandchildren, familymembers, friends and acqaintenances simultaneously, is still another dimension. Evil again proved more powerful than good. It seems a distinct entity like a devo31ring flame, like a hcllocaust, like a mighty storm, like a huge tidal wave. The slmk to human dignaty A,~l)personal dignity was numbing • "you are nothing , your country is all" the never ending drumbeat of propaganda droned on: to hate became the goal, and it _ _ _ _ _____ was carefully taiaght day in day out. � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Adriana B. and Peter N. Termaat collection Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Termaat, Adriana B. (Schuurman) Termaat, Peter N. Description An account of the resource Collection contains genealogical, personal, and family papers and photographs documenting the lives and interests of Adriana and Peter Termaat. The bulk of the materials are related to family history and genealogical research carried out by the Termaats, including research notes and materials about places in the Netherlands that were significant to the Termaat and Schuurman families, such as the city of Alkmaar. Other materials in the collection are related to the Termaats' experiences on the eve of and during the Second World War, especially the German occupation of the Netherlands and the Termaats' participation in organized resistance to the Nazis. Also included are materials that document the family's post-war life in the United States, including their public efforts to recognize, commemorate, and honor people and events significant to World War II. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1869 - 2012 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/719">Adriana B. and Peter N. Termaat collection, RHC-144</a> Subject The topic of the resource Netherlands Netherlands--History--German occupation, 1940-1945 World War, 1939-1945 World War, 1939-1945 -- Underground movements -- Netherlands Dutch Dutch Americans Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-144 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource Text Image Type The nature or genre of the resource application/pdf image/jpeg Language A language of the resource eng nl Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-144_Termaat_WRI_PNT-Nazi-brutality Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Termaat, Pieter Title A name given to the resource Notes on Germany Description An account of the resource Notes by Pieter N. Termaat on Germans and Germany before and after World War II. Subject The topic of the resource Germany -- Social conditions Social conditions Germany World War, 1939-1945 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/719">Adriana B. and Peter N. Termaat collection (RHC-144)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/cf02f2893726da938ffacceb095b80e2.pdf 08ab7ea570003899c52b5869022e233b PDF Text Text Anti-Semitism existed in Germany and other European countries for many hundreds of years. The racist doctrines which made their initial appaerance in the 19th century added momentum to the hatrsd of tne Jews. In many countries, racist anti-semitism was used as an instrument of political propaganda to gain the support of the masses. However it was only in e 1930's with the growth of the National Socialist Party and Hitler's rise to power in Germany that anti-Semitism was adopted as a policy by a major political party. Racisme added new and substantial dimensions to t.radi tio ·inal antisemitism. In the past. hatred of jaws had had specific grounds and vertain lines of development. The hatred nurtured by ancient Christian .concepts regarded the jews as the people of Israel and the people of the Messiah, but also as the people who had re3ected its redeemer Jesus, and thus had condemned itself to ostracism and the eternal enmity of the Christian world. The jews had to be kept in a state of servitude, misery and degradation. Moreover , their eternal wandering among the nations forever at the mercy of Christians, seemed. to coni"irm the veracity of Christian teachings. Later aniti-semitism was reinforced by a greatre stress on economic social and pol..J.tical factors. According to Nazi theorists the danger ca.me only from their tainted J ew1.sh blood • The German people constituted. in their opinion the highest stratum of the Nordic -Aryan race. All others especially jews were sub-humans. Manifest destiny demanded of the Germans that they wage an uncompromising struggle for their heritage, primacy and power. According to Nazi theory, humanity is not a homogenous unit, and the human race has no common denominatot. On the eve of WWII in January 1939 Hitler said: 11 Today I w111 once more be a propnet • If the 1ntinmational financiers inside and outside Europe should again succeed in pl~ng the nations into a world war , the result will not be bolsnevisation of ~he ear'th and thus the victory of jewry , but the annihilations of the jewish. race tnrougneut Europe • " Thus jewry ca.me to be regarded as enemy number one, and the murder or jews became one of the aims for which the war was being waged. In 1Y2J the NSDAP attempted a political coup in MUnich. In 1924 the Nazi's received only J %of tne votes cast and had 14 representatives in the Reiohstag. In 192~ they received only 2.6% of the vore and had 12 Jllll"epresentatives in the Reichstag • However 1Y29 saw the commencement of a worldwide economic crises, with the accompnaying social ferment and political unrest. Thus in 1930 the elections gave the Nazi 1 s lb.J %of the vote and 107 seats in the Reichstag • In 1932 howver they lost 34 or their seats in the elections. They never gained an absolute majority in a free election, not, even in the election or March 1933, when they were already in power. It was Field Marshall Paul von Hindenburg who appointea Hitler Chancelor on the advice of Krupp. � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Adriana B. and Peter N. Termaat collection Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Termaat, Adriana B. (Schuurman) Termaat, Peter N. Description An account of the resource Collection contains genealogical, personal, and family papers and photographs documenting the lives and interests of Adriana and Peter Termaat. The bulk of the materials are related to family history and genealogical research carried out by the Termaats, including research notes and materials about places in the Netherlands that were significant to the Termaat and Schuurman families, such as the city of Alkmaar. Other materials in the collection are related to the Termaats' experiences on the eve of and during the Second World War, especially the German occupation of the Netherlands and the Termaats' participation in organized resistance to the Nazis. Also included are materials that document the family's post-war life in the United States, including their public efforts to recognize, commemorate, and honor people and events significant to World War II. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1869 - 2012 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/719">Adriana B. and Peter N. Termaat collection, RHC-144</a> Subject The topic of the resource Netherlands Netherlands--History--German occupation, 1940-1945 World War, 1939-1945 World War, 1939-1945 -- Underground movements -- Netherlands Dutch Dutch Americans Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-144 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource Text Image Type The nature or genre of the resource application/pdf image/jpeg Language A language of the resource eng nl Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-144_Termaat_WRI_PNT-Anti-semitism-319 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Termaat, Pieter Title A name given to the resource Notes on anti-semitism Description An account of the resource Notes by Pieter N. Termaat on the nature of anti-semitism in Europe and Germany. Subject The topic of the resource Antisemitism Germany -- Social conditions Social conditions Germany Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/719">Adriana B. and Peter N. Termaat collection (RHC-144)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/c5efce4865a634e611e6bb1ccf0fc8a3.pdf 31dd295a4cb74d40ee79c842ec9d99a3 PDF Text Text Nicolaas Pieter Jan Schuurman was the son of Klaas Schuurman and Adriana Barbara Schuurman-Hennipman • When he was 6 years old his father died (1896) and his mother was left with 8 children and 2 farms to keep going. Something had to give and the result was the loss of the farms, and very little for the children. The Hennipman family was well to do • Lijsje Hennipman married Nicolaas Pieter Jan Schuurman, and towards the end of the 1920ties she inherited some 10,000 guilders (that represented at that time about 5 middle class houses) and she inherited also 3 houses in the city of Hillegom. Nicolaas P. J. was manager with van der Schuit , a firm that ran a shipping business. I n 1928 with the 10,000 from his wife he bought a 50% interest in a freightcompany , the "Stad Alkmaar" , while 3 partners : Grondsma , Wolzak and Jonker put in together also 10,000 guilders. Voting rights were limited to 3 per person regardless of the input of capital. So Nicolaas P.J. had only 3 votes. He passed away in 1943 and his 5 children properly inherited each 2 shares, originally worth 2,000 guilders. The voting rights changed dramatically. From Nicolaas' 3 votes against 9 from the other partners, the change brought about was now: 10 votes for the family and 9 for the partners • .•.n the first bo!lrd meetinP- aft13r the 0<1ssin,,.. <1w.qv of mv ~-ith~r . i"'l l'lw ~ proposed that tne corpor11t1on P!lV 11 oension to ~v mothrir in-l"IW. who also nad a 9 year old daucrhter to C'lr"3 for. I ,iraurid th"lt si.n~e the investmen~ of 10,000 guilders came entirely from her inherit,nce, and iay fatner-in-law had for lL ye4rs be13n a~ activP p~13sident of the comp'lny it was tne only decent thiner to do J.ne proposal passed with JRaP dissentinl?' • He aro-ued th11t it was the responsibility of the 4 adult children to take care of their mother. Despite the fact that the children each held 104 of the shares, Jaap did state that he "did not work for his sisters '' • Jaap did pay the pension until his mother ' s death ; Until Jaao's death , we were not aw!lre of what tr nspired among the family members in Holland • v, e visited Gees in 1976 a ~ear after his passim7 away ,md from then on we learned about many thinP-s that had pone wrong . The remaining trucks of the comoany had been requisitioned by the Germ ns and the payments for these assets was not recorded on the books. Jaap did buy out the sh!lres from the non-family partners , after openinpthe books to their account.qnts. Jaap wanted to move to Berp-en, and found somebody who wanted to sell a perm.it to settle there, of course for a price. At that moment Jaap persuaded YrfY mother-in-law to sell the 3 houses in Hille~om, and used that money to buy the permit . The payment to the non-family partners is also suspect . Shocked by these revelations, we h"ld all these alle~ tions investiP-ated and they proved to be true. On ~arch 15, 1978 we decided to put the qffair behind us, and 4Uthorized our sister Leida to settle mother Schuurman inherit nee. From Gees came only the ~r~tuitous remark th4t her in-l~ws h4d alw ys hated her, but that she h~d proved to be the only sm rt one. �,Ucolaas Piet er J.<J.n Schuurman was the son of Klaas Schuurman and Adr iana. Bar bara Schuurma.n-Hennipman • \.,hen he was 6 yeqrs old his f11ther died (1896) and his mother was left with 8 children ~nd 2 farms to keep going . Something had to ~ive and the result w s the loss of the farms , and very little for the children. The Hennipman family was well to do . Lijsje Hennipman married Nicolaas Pieter Jan Schuurman, and towards the end of the 1920ties she inherited some 10,000 ~uilders (that represented at that time a.bout 5 middle class houses) and she inherited also J houses in the city of Hille~om . Ni cola.as } . J . was manager with van der Schuit , a firm that ran a shippin~ business . In 1928 with the 10,000 from his wife he bowht a 50~ interest in a freightcompa.rw , the "Stad fllkm,qar" , while '3 partners : Grondsma , wol zak and Jonker put in to~ether also 10,000 ~uilders. Voting rights were limited to J per person regardless of the innut of capital . So Nicola.as P.J. had only J votes . He passed away in 19i3 and his 5 children properly inherited each 2 shares , originally wor th 2,000 guilders. fhe vot in~ rights chan~ed dramatic lly . From Nicol as' J votes against 9 from the other partners, the change brought about was now: 10 votes for the family and 9 for the partners. In the first board meeting after the passing away of my father-in-law I proposed that the corporation pay a pension to my mother-in-law, who also had a 9 year old daughter to care for. I argued that since the investment of 10,000 guilders came entirely from her inheritance, and my father-in-law had for 14 years been an active president of the company it was the only decent thing to do. The proposal passed with Jaap dissenting. He argued that it was the responsibility of the 4 adult children to take care of their mother. Despite the fact that the children each held 10% of the shares, Jaap did state that he "did not work for his sisters" • Jaap did pay the pension until his mother's death; Until Jaap's death, we were not aware of what transpired among the family members in Holland. We visited Gees in 1976 a ¥ear after his passing away and from then on we learned about many things that had gone wrong • The remaining trucks of the company had been requisitioned by the Germlns and the payments for these assets was not recorded on the books. Jaap did buy out the shares from the non-family partners, after opening the books to their accountants. Jaap wanted to move to Bergen, and found somebody who wanted to sell a permit to settle there, of course for a price. At that moment Jaap persuaded my mother-in-law to sell the J houses in Hillegom, and used that money to buy the permit. The payment to the non-family partners is also suspect. Shocked by these revelations, we had all these allegations investigated and they proved to be true. On March 15 , 1978 we decided to put the affair behind us , and authorized our sister Leida to settle mother Schuurman inheritance. From Gees came only the gratuitous remark that her in-laws had always hated her, but that she had proved to be the only smart one. � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Adriana B. and Peter N. Termaat collection Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Termaat, Adriana B. (Schuurman) Termaat, Peter N. Description An account of the resource Collection contains genealogical, personal, and family papers and photographs documenting the lives and interests of Adriana and Peter Termaat. The bulk of the materials are related to family history and genealogical research carried out by the Termaats, including research notes and materials about places in the Netherlands that were significant to the Termaat and Schuurman families, such as the city of Alkmaar. Other materials in the collection are related to the Termaats' experiences on the eve of and during the Second World War, especially the German occupation of the Netherlands and the Termaats' participation in organized resistance to the Nazis. Also included are materials that document the family's post-war life in the United States, including their public efforts to recognize, commemorate, and honor people and events significant to World War II. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1869 - 2012 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/719">Adriana B. and Peter N. Termaat collection, RHC-144</a> Subject The topic of the resource Netherlands Netherlands--History--German occupation, 1940-1945 World War, 1939-1945 World War, 1939-1945 -- Underground movements -- Netherlands Dutch Dutch Americans Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-144 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource Text Image Type The nature or genre of the resource application/pdf image/jpeg Language A language of the resource eng nl Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-144_Termaat_WRI_PNT-1978-History-of-Stad-Alkmaar-drama-426 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Termaat, Pieter Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1978 Title A name given to the resource Schuurman Family Estate Description An account of the resource Story of the Schuurman-Hennipman family estate, by Pieter N. Termaat. Subject The topic of the resource Dutch Estate planning Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/719">Adriana B. and Peter N. Termaat collection (RHC-144)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/8df59f6c2cec8221615af0e1b565c7d6.pdf a89b247933bb03d05887d38f4964ce1e PDF Text Text One Week in MtJ© by Pieter and Adriana Termaat as told to Keith Term:i.at Spring norimlly canes early in the Netherlands, and this spring of 1944 is no exception. The Gulf Stream flowing from the Ol.ribbean to Hollandts shores, brings tropical waters to lowlands that would otherwise be frozen in arctic ice. Warm April winds tease buds, blossans and leaves into feathery foliage. The famous tulips are normally in riotous bloan by Miy. Sadly there are few tulips this May. The bulbs have long ago been ground up, mixed with potato and wheat flour and baked into bread to feed a population systenntically deprived of the means of survival by the G:?rzmn Occupation. Diffodils are seen, their poison keeps them from being eaten. The area around the town of Alkrmar, located in the Northwest peninsula of Holland, consists of drained lakes known as polders. It is normally a vast vegetable growing areaJ but not in the form of large fields. Instead hundreds of srrn.11 islands, each no more than ten meters by thirty and barely above water are laboriously tilled by hand. Here, though diminished by the GerMn Occupation, there is enough food for the local population. Potatoes, cabbage, car rots and even milk and cheese provide meager sustenance, but assured survival. It is for survival that Pieter Tenmat and his wife Jannie moved with their two toddler sons fran Alkrmar to nearby Broek-op-La.ngedijk, comoonly known as Broek (brooke), in the middle of a polder. From here, Pieter runs his accountancy practice which also serves as a cover for his clandestine activities in the Netherlands' Resistance Movement. Sunday in Broek is very quiet. The sounds of water, birds and the ever present wind are undisturbed by hmmn traffic. The conservative farmers leave hane only to attend the 100rning and evening church services. The village is isolated, there being only one access road fran Alkmaar on a dike flanked by water on both sides. Pieter and his family live in a rented parsonage on this access road which doubles as the ma.in street for Broek. It is nearly five otclock as Pieter prepares himself for church. Jannie attended the morning service while her husband cared for the youngsters. She will babysit tonight. Their familiar routine is interrupted by the doorbell. It is their friend Evert Brink. rrwe don't have time for explanations, you must leave imrediately. They're coming for you this evening. n Q.ii ckly, a trustworthy neighbor is cal led to bring a crate in his punt, a flat ~Jttaned, pointed wooden boat typical of the region. The entire house is grimly purged of all evi de nee pointing to the Resistance. Weapons, newspapers, counterfeit ration cards and ID's are packed and taken by boat to be buried on one of the farrrer's island plots. The crate ~ill not be found. The islands are virtually identical and there is more water than land. ©February 1986 �-2"Now go," says Evert. "Toke the bicycle path behind the white church in St. Pancras to Koedi jk. If the pontoon bridge over the North Holland canal is unguarded , cane directly to our house. I will take the dike road through St. Pancras and Oudorp and link up with you at hane." Pieter hastily bids Jannie farewell and reviews again the business trip alibi for his absence. The purported business trip is backed up by financial docunents kept in readiness for rapid flight. The documents describe the sale of stock options in a venture to build cold storage warehouses for export imrediately after the war. Pieter leaves quietly so as not to arouse suspicion, taking his toothbrush and pajamas but no luggage . Worrisanely, Jannie watches him go. and the boys The town of Alkrmar lies off the track of rmjor World War II battles, this is as quiet a day as has occurred since the invasion four years ago. There is just a srmll Genmn garrison here. Toe Nazi authorities in hnsterdarn have learned to rely on an effective network of Nether lander spies to rrai ntai n control. A D..ltch front is kept on that control by the local police department in Alkrm.ar which patrols traffic and roonitors ordinary personal conduct • On this Sunday, 7 May 1944, the police station is manned only by officer Jacob van Di jk, a relative newcaner to this traditional town. Jacob v.tl.S born and raised in Kampen, about 150 kilometers to the Southeast. It is midday and his mind wanders to the swat teams recently organized by the Netherland's Resistance Movement. The local team, of mich he is a part, is armed and assigned to violently harass Nazi operations and installations. His day-dream is inte~rupted by an attractive young wanan. nMay I rmke a long distance call to ..Amsterdam?" Her ID shows her to be a C£stapo agent so Jacob has no recourse but to allow the call. Mrs. Fransje de Munk rings Gestapo headquarters which is located on the Euterpestraat in hnsterdam. Jacob busies himself with paperwork as she informs the Gerrmn authorities that she was provided false identity papers by one Pieter Terrraat, a resident of the nearby village of Broek. Jacob does not react as she req1.Jests authority to arrest his cousin Pieter inmediately. Jacob's shift will be over in a few hours, at three o'clock. He is anxious to get hcxne but plans to alert the Resistance. On his way home he stops by a trusted nanber of the Resistance, Evert Brink, and tells him of the afternoon 1 s happening. "You must warn Pieter now," he urgently advises. "He has to go into hiding.n . Without hesitation Evert jmnps on his bicycle, his only transportation, and begins the eight kilometer trip to Broek. Jannie can 1 t sleep Sunday night. Her two little boys sleep soundly in cribs in the rrester bedro001. The shutters are closed and the doors are locked as she lays in bed wai ting and listening to night sounds, fearing the sound of footsteps . They don't come. Toe following rmrning, she takes the boys to Alkroo.ar on her bicyc le, one in a seat up front and the other on the luggage rack, and drops them of f at her rother 1 s . �-3- She manages to reach Evert Brink's house undetected to tell Pieter that there had been no sign of the Gerimns at the parsonage. It is decided he will stay away another day to be sure. "Has our swat team been warned?" he asks. "Yes." Jannie reassures, and leaves to pick up the children and go hane, pretending all is well. The day drags on. That same day a list of Resistance fighters and other citizens targeted for being taken hostage is left exposed in the office of Mayor Stoutjesdijk of Broek, a Nazi sympathizer. The oldest daughter of neighbor Jacob Balder, who works in the office, sees the list and alerts everyone. Pieter and Jannie Termaat are not listed, a ruse suggesting that the exposure was deliberate. Warned, their neighbors do not sleep Tuesday night and see the cars pull up to the parsonage in the preda~~ darkness. And they see the soldiers surround the house and invade it. Jannie lay lightly sleeping until jerked awake by the noise of a gunbutt slamning into the front door. She runs to the door wearing only her nightgown, fearing they will break in by force. The soldiers rush in as Jannie runs back to the bedroan to cover herself with the first thing she sees, a grey sunrner coat with thirteen buttons. She checks on her babies. The soldiers follow and feel both sides of the bed for warmth as evidence that two people had lain sleeping. The surrounded house is thoroughly searched in a matter of minutes as Jannie steadfastly sticks to the business trip story. The S.S. officer coomrnding the ten men wears an overpowering perfume, unmanly in that era. Mlyor Stoutjesdijk of Broek is also there. The soldiers search under the bed and in the closets, everyv.here! All the V¥tlile the S.S. cornmnder keeps Jannie under close surveillance. He asks a question and imrediately beams a bright flashlight in her face. Then he drops the hand holding the light to his side until the next question. In her presence, he personally searches the house, including books to look for hidden docmients. Jannie sees armed men outside the kitchen window. It is the same in other roans. Nien the officer climbs the rickety ladder to an attic storage roan, she mockingly tells him 1 "Be careful! Saneone else fell frCIIl there." He irrrrediately jumps down not knowing mether to take her seriously. Soon after, they leave and Jannie steps outside to see how oony zren are uniformed and how IIll.ny are civilian collaborators. She wants this information to warn the Resistance but is roughly ordered inside before she can see them all. Later that morning she sends the word out, "They have been here." What a relief! They found nothing. ...... After the G?stapo search, the perft.nred officer is identified as the feared Friedrich Cllristia.n Viehbahn S.S., Aide-de--Qunp to S.S. Stunnbannfuhrer Willy La.ges frcm headquarters in .Amsterdam. This level of attention hightens the danger All sv.-rat team rrembers are warned to stay away. Only Jacob Balder stays home, his wife is seven months pregnant with their sixth child, Despite Jannie's repeated warnings, he cannot bring himself to go. Arrested on June 23 bv S.S. Viebahn and Ruhl, aided by the traitor Kuiper, he is shot on July 16 in the sand-dunes near Overveen along with fourteen other Resistance fighters. On this spot, between Haarlem and Z9.ndvoort, rest the remains of 371 figh ters in ~nat is now the Nationa l Resistance Cementery. C �-4Officer van Dijk alerts Dr. Nico Louis of the Alkmaar swat team about Pieter's predicament. Later on Tuesday, the Doctor's Rena.ult is seen leaving the Brink's house driving in the direction of the Heilo woods. Unobserved, Pieter hunkers down on the floor behind Nico, heart pounding in his throat. In Uitgeest they leave the car and wait for the train to take Pieter to Koog-aan-de-z.aan, near .Amsterdam and then to a safe house in .Amersfoor t. Quietly Pieter and the Doctor discuss actions ramining to control further daroo.ge to the regional Resistance. Pieter also asks him to shelter Fransje de Munk \\hose Resistance group had been arrested. Dr. Nico pranises to take care of these matters. "Here is your train my friend, see you after our liberation." Wednesday, Dr. Louis has Fransje de Munk cane to his office during normal business hours and she explains the plight of her arrested husband and his Resistance group. Syrll)athetically, Nico asks, "Do you have any pressing needs?" "Yes," she says, "I badly need identification papers." Nico freezes as he remembers that officer van Dijk overheard a phone call from a young ~ n to the <£s tapo, asking for the arrest of Pieter Termaat. This had happened just last Sunday. Dr. Louis also recalled Pieter's conversation on the train platform. He had explained Fransje's situation. Her Resistance group from Waterland was betrayed and captured, including her husband. She needed a roof over her head and was willing to work for roan and board. Pieter had already provided her false identity papers. This was the key to the betrayal! On Doctor Louis invites Fransje to come by Friday evening to pick up the ID. She is captured by the Alkrmar swat team as she enters Dr. Louis' house and confesses. It seems her husband was having an affair with her sister. Out of revenge, she had informed the G:!stapo of his Resistance activities. The Gestapo gave her a choice, work for them or be condemned to a concentration camp. She is sentenced to die by National Resistance Headquarters. There is no other way . It is either her life or those of loyal Dutclinen, too many have already died as a result of her betrayal. Burial is in the dike near Rus tenburg • Several weeks pass. Allied air attacks on road traffic cause the Germans to dig fox holes along road shoulders using forced Dutch labor. One man happens upon Fransje's body. After the conrrotion settles, the Gestapo advertises a reward for inforimtion leading to the arrest of those res?onsible. The Alkimar swat team scatters, but they are not betrayed. June 6 in .Amersfoort, Pieter walks fran the safe house to a nearby barber shop for a much needed haircut. On the way he pauses to read a newspaper displayed on a bulletin board. A nearby chalk board carries the latest headlines. With a shock he reads of the Allied invasion in Nor1IB.ndy. After returning to the house, he is paid a surprise visit by Evert Brink. "What in the hell are you doing here?" says Pieter. "Is that any way to greet a friend who brings you clean underwear and letters fran hane?" replies Evert. Pieter announces the Allied invasion. " You're crazy," says Evert, so Pieter walks him to the bulletin board. "You can't stay here with all this uncertainty," continues Evert, "cane hane with me." They take leave of Pieter's hosts and catch the train, hiding behind Gerrmn language newspapers and not speaking. �-5- On her frequent trips to Allamar, Jannie always take her little boys to see their Dad. Little Nico doesn't recognize him, but Kees {Keith) does. On one of her visits she becanes pregnant, a dangerous condition with her husband gone and one not easily explained. One day, after a visit to her hairdresser, she was fol lowed. She entered the V and D department store through the rm.in entrance on the Ridder Straat and shopped long enough to know she had not been followed into the store. She then exited out the back door on the La.at Straat and quickly Nilked to her nnther's, just a block away. "ffllen he hears it, Pieter is desperately worried. She has to take extraordinary care to visit him. He cannot return hane. It is l\'la.y 1945. The C£rnllns have been fleeir,g for nnnths, sensing imninent defeat. The Netherland's Resistance has been gaining strength and numbers for the same reason. The unit in Allamar, now 700 men, controls key points within the city, at least at night. The lightly armed men must stay in hiding 1rost of the da.y. The Csnadian First Army is sighted on May 8 and three officers of the Resistance assemble at city hall to await the First's triumphant entry into the city. Doctor Nico Louis walks up and greets the officers, whan he has not seen in a year. nlt is finally over." The year in hiding after Fransje de Munk ms captured at his office has taken its toll • .An orderly approaches, "Are you Dr. Louis?" "Yes." "Fransje de Munk's father is in the city, armed and looking for you." Nico quickly leaves knowing that he is the cause of her death. captain Vels Heyn and the two other officers run into city hall. After a short discussion with Captain Muris, Vels Heyn orders a five man patrol to disarm the distraught father and bring him in. Lieutenant Cblonel Gcmlag receives him, explains the circumstances leading to his daughter's death and convinces him of her guilt. Her father is crushed. "I won't trouble you again,IT he says, and leaves the city. The third officer, Lieutenant Pieter Terma.at, contemplates how the lives of two men frcxn Kampen crossed in Alkrmar. The marriage of policeman Jacob van Di jk 's uncle to Pieter's aunt was the link that allowed Jacob, by chance, to become his cousin's rescuer. kbt/escapel 2/ 07/ 86 � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Adriana B. and Peter N. Termaat collection Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Termaat, Adriana B. (Schuurman) Termaat, Peter N. Description An account of the resource Collection contains genealogical, personal, and family papers and photographs documenting the lives and interests of Adriana and Peter Termaat. The bulk of the materials are related to family history and genealogical research carried out by the Termaats, including research notes and materials about places in the Netherlands that were significant to the Termaat and Schuurman families, such as the city of Alkmaar. Other materials in the collection are related to the Termaats' experiences on the eve of and during the Second World War, especially the German occupation of the Netherlands and the Termaats' participation in organized resistance to the Nazis. Also included are materials that document the family's post-war life in the United States, including their public efforts to recognize, commemorate, and honor people and events significant to World War II. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1869 - 2012 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/719">Adriana B. and Peter N. Termaat collection, RHC-144</a> Subject The topic of the resource Netherlands Netherlands--History--German occupation, 1940-1945 World War, 1939-1945 World War, 1939-1945 -- Underground movements -- Netherlands Dutch Dutch Americans Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-144 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource Text Image Type The nature or genre of the resource application/pdf image/jpeg Language A language of the resource eng nl Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-144_Termaat_WRI_One-Week-in-May Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Termaat, Pieter Termaat, Adriana B. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1986-02 Title A name given to the resource One Week in May Description An account of the resource Memoir by Pieter and Adriana Termaat about the Dutch Resistance movement and the night their house was raided by the Gestapo while Pieter, who was wanted for arrest, escaped to a nearby farm. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Termaat, Keith B. Subject The topic of the resource Dutch World War, 1939-1945 -- Netherlands World War, 1939-1945--Occupied territories Netherlands--History--German occupation, 1940-1945 World War, 1939-1945 -- Underground movements -- Netherlands Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/719">Adriana B. and Peter N. Termaat collection (RHC-144)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/a75ad276650f11b876b56e946e94ace0.pdf 211bc6703d7fd2c698b273368cf50f14 PDF Text Text 1 THE RELIGI ON OF N.Z:tZIS!Vl The religious qua lity in man is o n e of the things -r:.hctt distinguishes him from an ima l s . ,-:es h.im maJ There is something in man that seek for some Great Power, Perfect Being , or Autho r ity as an object of worship and a source of inspirdtion . Nazism was ab l e to satisf y these religious needs by establish in g the " racial sou l" as a higher power and by inspirin g the German people t o strive toward the atta.inme nt of purity and p e rf e ction . The appeal of t he Nazi religion is r ooted in the ego of ma n. Nazism is self-g l or i fy i ng . of a god . Man can rai se himself to the p o sition The attainment of perfection is within his reach . When beginning a study of the Nazi religion , it is important to real ize that, unl i ke oth e r rel i gions , Nazism did not hold to be liefs that transcended beyond th is world to some heavenly region . In fact, Nazism made no attempts to ide ntif y a re a li ty outside the bounderies of political power and social order. It was a se cul ar iz ed re lig i on. Nazism, however , like any religion, d i d have its own gods , but the god of the Na ~i religion was not some supernatural being . It was rather the natural (the German race) raised to a supernatural level. This transformation of the natural into the superna tural is exemplified by the deification of Nazi l e aders , the establishment of the will of the people , as it was expressed by the Fuhrer, as the divi~e wi ll, �2 and the Nazi belief that supreme truth and perfection would be reveale d by the purification and domination of the Arya n r ac e . In short, Nazism turned the human into the divine . Vol k becarne the object of worship. had become their own gods. The people or In a sense, the German p e ople The personal God that is revered by othe r relig ions as an all-powerful, supernatural b e ing is openly denied by Naz ism and regarded as a myth. Althou gh the seculari zed religion denies t he existance of the all-p owerful, supernatural being that other religions reve r e as God, Nazism.does contain many religious e l ements . We will n ow begin our ana lysis of the Nazi reli g ion by identifying s e vera l elements of Nazism that are comparable to those f ound i n other more familiar reli g ions. To beg in with, Nazism, like all other r e ligions, had its own ceremon i es , rituals, and sacre d meetings . The public ralli e s and mass-mee ting s were a time of inspiratio n and were ce l ebrat ed as sacred actions by the enthusiastic f o ll owers of thi s nationalistic religion. be minimized. The influence of these me e ti ngs must n o t They were instrumental in uniting the people to join in the p ursuit of a common goal. However, it mus t be emphasized that it was not the content of the spoken mes sa ge s at these me etings that was the critical factor; rath e r, i t was the way the messages were presented that caused the population t o take up the battle cry and r a l ly under ·c.he cornmon banner of a .... deified national soul. The atmos phere of the meeting s had almost mystical power t o inspire, excite, and uplift the spirits of the pe op le. �3 The Nazi religion also had its own "creed". Nazi f ol lowers placed their faith in themselves and in the power o f t h e i r ra ce In order to re ach to raise the world to a state of perfection. this ideal state, they had to overcome the opposing evil fo r ce which was the Jew. This conflict between the goodne ss , perf e ctio n, and purity of the German race and the e v il, d ecadent, a nd defiled Jewish p e ople was the basis around which all o the r Nazi beliefs revolved. Nazi doctrine exhorted the German s t o maintain racial purity and promote cultural rebirth. The followin g three fundamental Nazi beliefs, as presented b y Geoffrey Fie ld, adequately summarize the Nazi creed: An obsession with racial "purity," the conviction that the modern era was characterized by a worl d struggle b e tween Aryan and J·ew, and the belief t hat other nations had become miscegenated and decadent , l e aving Germany as the standard-beare r of Aryanism. ' 1'he principal element of any reli g ion, however, i s its go d. The god o f Na zism, which was identified a nd briefly discu ssed earlier in this paper, is now considered in greater detail as we examine how the German "racial soul 1 ' was spiritualized, the result o f this spiritualization, and the unwavering d e v o tio n of Nazi disciples. Volkisch nationalism and the conce p t o f the "racia l so ul" were necessary ingredients in the building o f the Nazi r e li g i o n. In a sens e they we re the glue or mo rter that he l d the who le structure together. Without nationalistic and racial pri d e the " Geoffrey G. Fie l d , Eva ng e list o f Race . Press, 1981), p. ~ 5 1. ( Ne w Yo rk: Columbi a Un iv e r sity �German peop le would never have been able to raise themselves up to a level of superiority and sovereignty. If nationalism was the mart.er of this religion, however, popular sovereignty was the foundati on . During the eighteenth century, the ideas of popular soverei g nty and the genera l will of the people began t o emerge and develop. This movement established the people as the essence of the nation. The rulers of the nation were not their masters but their s e rve nts. The power of the nation was no lon g er perceived as residing solely in one great prince or royal dynasty. Instead, the power of the nation was the po ssess i o n of the people. This power, however, could only be realized through unity. This is where nationalism played a key role. As common citizens and blood brothers the people were able to draw to ge ther and express a general will. It was the power of this will, the will of the pe o ple, that they believed would lift the world o ut of degradation into a new and glorious future. The development of the idea of popular sovereignty had led to the perception that the people were the source of go o dness, gre atness, powe r and glory . control. Their will was divine; it was they who would determine the future. 11 The nation's destiny was in their Here we see a transiti on from the monarch's claim of divine right" to the people's claim of divinity. However, this i dea of popular sovereignty alone co uld not build an activ e reli g ion. .... With all it's religious qualities, there wa s s till something missing. The idea of popular sovereignty prov ided the religi ou s ideolog y but not the a b ility to put that ideology into practice. The "power ", afte r all, �5 could not be realized by the individual. It was only wher.. individuals were acting together in unity that their power became functional. factor. Volkisch nationali sm , then, became the uniting Blood and race united the people so that they were no long er primarily seen as individuals but as members of some greater entity, namely their race. It was not personal identity but nati o nal identity that became the all important factor. Nationalism was us ed by the Nazis to modify the people's object of worship. "The worship of the people thus became the worship of the nation."· The destiny of the German nation and race, then, became the cheif conc e rn of the Nazi reli g ion. The perpetuation, purification, and progression of the German race was the "higher goal" tha t became the driving force of all Nazi actions. This "higher goal" became the supreme law which determined the Nazi plan of act ion. The role of this s upreme law for the Nazis i s perhaps comparable to the role that the law of love played in the French village of Le Chambon. ' ' All actions and response s were guided by one great principle. Alex Inkeles, who uses the term mystique to describe the idea of this "higher goal" and guiding principle, describes for us the effect that this Nazi principle had on the people's interpretation of what we today see as t he questionable morality of their leader. 'George L. Mosse, The Nationalization of the Ma s ses. :J;,ertig, Inc., 1975), p. 2. (New York: Howard ' 'The story of Le Charnbon i s recorded in Hallie, Philip, Le st Innocent Blood Be Shed . (New York: Harper & Row Publishers, 1979). �6 The mystique dictates their morality, indeed it stands above ordinary human morality and places its adherent outside the demands normally to be made of a man and leader. Hence the totalitarian may be cyn ical about and manipulate II law, 11 "truth," "honesty , 11 and so on. For as long as he manipu l2,t.es these in the service of the mystique, his action is beyond question--it is law, truth, honesty, loyalty, unto its elf. '· When dealing with Nazism, it is important to re alize that this religion had an altogether different idea of what is good , right, and true than our predominately Judea-Christian so c iety. Nazism had its own set of commandments which superceded all other "truths" and principles. Nazism determined the value of all other principles by evaluating the service they contributed toward the acheivement of the "hi gher goal ". For the zeal ous Nazi, achievement of this "higher goal" was the very purpose of life. The r e was no other moral principle great enough to justify any action that worked contrary to the attainment of this purpos e . Again Alex I~celes' words appropr iately describe such Nazi devoti o n: 'rheir consecration is not t o man, but to the myst.ical law which they seek to fulfill. If they be moved b y the hopes, the fears, and especially the pains of their fellow men, or be slowed in the execution of duty by the hatred of those fellow men , then they lack the qualities essential in a disciple of the leader. The sufferings o f ordinary human beings a re but temptations designed to deflect the elect fr om the pursuit of the true goal.···' The Nazi religion demanded the complete submission of its followers. Nazi goals were to be g iven top p riority over all i carl J. Friedrich , To talitarianism. 92 . :·· rbid., p. 96. (New York: Grosset & Dunlap, 196~), p . �7 other goals and desires. An all - consuming , passionate l ove f o r rac e and nati o n we re expected to take first place in th e l ives of every good Nazi. 'I'his claim to preeminence and unqualified authority i s not unlike the claims made by other reli gions . Reve r e nce for and s u bmis s i on to a higher p ower are indeed a com."Tlon element among al l religions. In fac t , Leon Poliako v has identified this submission as one of the three necessary characteristics of a religion. Let us simply state that the three necessary c haracte ristics of a reli g i on--the perceptio n of a higher power, the submission to that . power, and the establisb.ment of relations with i t --were indi s putably a part of Naz ism. ' This s ubmission t o a "higher power 1 '' however' was n o t expressed through submission to the abstract ideas of blood and ra ce but through subm ission to the absolute power of the Third Reich. How d id Hitler and his totalitarian re g ime obtain t his almighty power? The answer to this question is f ound in the process of the deification of t he Nazi leaders . Since the Nazi movement was perceived as be ing the expression of the true will of the people, the established Nazi state was seen as an instrument us ed by the people to acheive the ir ends. power of the state was their own power (i. e . power). He n ce , the the people's This conception makes opposition to the state a bso lute ly ridiculous because the state is no l o nger some oppressing power. Rather, the state is merely the tool used to carry out the will of the people. Hitler was also able to obtain unque stionable • Leon Poliako v, Harv est o f Hate . (New York: Ho locaust Library, 1979), p . 5 . �8 authority. As Fuhrer, he was seen as their spiritual leader that brought them into fuller communion with the "Power" that was within them. Poliakov ·writes: "he alone was the high priest who knew how to express the divine will. 11 This adoration for the ' spiritual l eadership of the Fuhrer gave him virtually unlimite d power. "As the Nazi jurist, E.R. Huber, put it: the Fuhrer is the will of the people. The wil l of tt ; , The greatest threat to the absolute authority of the state was the presence of other human associations . Unlimited power could only be achieved through the subordination of all other organizations and institutions that may demand the loyalty of the individual. The presence of existing religious institutions, of Alfred Rosenberg , Hitler' s course, was a primary concern. philosopher, expressed his hope of transforming Christian bodies into "chapels of one racial church." The role of o ld religion was to be replaced by totalitarian ideology. religious groups would lose their independent identity but maintain an external existence. Freedom of religious confessions would remain as long as they did not imperil the stability of the state or "offend a gainst the eth i cal and moral senses of the German race. tt ::, This subjugation of the Christian church gave rise to what was known as "positive Christianity." The churches of "positive Christianity" obeyed the commands that :L .... Ibid. , p. 5 . ~' Carl J· . Friedrich, Totalitarianism, 120. '·'Ibid., p. 111. (New York: Grosset & Dunlap, 19 64) , p. �9 were dictated by the state and accepted the state's ide ol ogy . These churches became instruments of Nazi propaganda. There was some resistance to this compromise, but all in all, the churche s of Germany, whose influence over the people and existing spiritual condition were already very weak, gave in to the demands of the Party and the State. They "were willin g t o f i ll the void created by their own disbelief with political enthusiasms. 11 i This subjugation of the Church alon g with "the subordination of the traditional human associations, the organizations and institutions, of which the individual is a member becan1e the chief tool for its [the totalitarian regime's] ultimate subordination of the individual to the state." · Individual loyalty was to be, first of all, for the nation (volk), and the value of all other associations were t o b e measured according to the service they rendered unto the all-embracing national power of the state. Once all other organizations and institutions had been subordinated, the totalitarian regime had the absolute obedience of the individual and the power to control and direct everything. The following passage from Alex Inkeles' essay paints a vivid picture of the devotion, loyalty, and complete submission that was demanded of the individual, I would like to pre s e nt this passage from Alex Inkeles' essay: No one is wholly, fully, one with the party and its cause until he in fact or in reasonable facsimile has '· Ibid., p. 111. ,::Ibid., p. 90. �10 smashed aga inst a wall the h ead of a baby of r acially in fe rior stock or denounced a close comrade to the secret police. Such unho ly acts of consecration are th e most important rites of p as s a ge into full status in the totalitarian movement. ' Inke les goes o n to show that once a totalitarian regime , like the one under Hit ler, i s in p ower, there is n o turning back . The regime has unchecked and unlimited power, and it will do anything to maintain that power and perpetuate the percep tion that it i s unassailable, almighty, omnipotent, and omnipresent. The use of terror to guarantee continued loyalty proved to be very effective for the Nazis. Immediately followin g the passage cited above, Inkeles writes these words: One wonders, futher, whether or not this demand o f the mystique does not figure prominently as an element in the logic of the purges, for so ofte n their victims seem to be sacrificed not so much for what they have done as for what they have not done. They are cast out not for bashing in the wrong head s , but for not bashing in enough heads. They are tried not s o much for acting incorrectly, but for inac ti on which is taken as a sign of waning d e votion and dou bt in the mystique. The terror i s most merciless with those o f its agents who have blanched at the execution of the mystical imperative. ; · The terror o f failing to meet the expectations that are set forth by this higher law (mystique), which is enf orced by the all-powerful state, forces men to conform and obey out o f fear and anxiety. The regime seeks to create in e very man the naggin g f e ar that he may have done something wrong , that he may have left s omething undone , that he may have s a id some impermissible thing .... The non-victim thus becomes the prisoner of a va gue uncertainty which ., Ibid., p. 97. c rbid., p. 97. �11 nags him. It is this nagging uncertainty in the non-victim which the terror se eks to create. For it is a powerful force in making every man doubly watch his every step. ,. In an analysis of the Nazi religion, Hitler's role can not be ignored. It was Hitler who became the central focus of this new religion. He, like Jesus and Muhammad, was attributed god-man characteristics and hailed as a divine instrument sent to rescue and restore his people. Hitler was the high priest, mediator, and savior of the Nazi religion. He, like Jesu s , was seen as a Messianic figure, especially by the f o llower s of the Houston Stewart Chamberlain, nationalistic cults like Wagnerism. who was perceived a,_s a and 11 spiritual father" of the Nazi movement a "prophet of Germanism" writes this concerning Hitler: This man has worked like a divine blessing cheering hearts , opening men's eyes to clearly se e n goals, enlivening their spirits , kindling their capacity fo r love and f or indignation, harde ning t heir courage and resoluteness. Yet we still need him badly. May God who sent him to us pre serve him for many years as a "blessing for the Ge rman fatherland. 11 ' ' Hitler became the idol of the German people. He was the object of hero-worship and adoration. The people were fully convinced that it was he who would save the world by leading them to victory and world domination. Hitler himself believed that he was a divine agent. He believed that he had been placed on earth to enlighten the people, make them conscious of their destructive foe, and lead ,... '· Ibid., pp. 106-107. •~Geoffrey G. Field, Evangelist of Race. Press, 1981), p. ~~2. (New York: Columbia University �12 them t o a b e t ter and more glorious future. His lif e was consecreted t o the f ulfillme nt of this task. "Thus Hitler i s , from this point of view, seen as re garding himself as destined by fate to secure the fulfillment of the histor i c destiny of th -2, German race. 11 ·' La stly , l e t us consider the eschatol ogy of Nazism . kind of h ope did Nazism offer for the future? ques ti on is rather s imple. What The a nswer t o this The Nazi promise was the s ame promise of fered by other religions, name ly, perfection. Nazi s m p r omised that the futur.e would be f ree fr om all the troubl es o f toda y . Beauty and order would replace corruption and chaos . c iviliz at ion would reach perfection. Huma n Thi s perfecti on , accord ing to Nazism, would be re a lized through the establishment of an Aryan dominated society . Nazi f o ll owe rs e nthusi ast i ca lly received this message believing that the end result would be a glorious one-thousand-year reign for the Third Reich. Knowing the promises of Nazi eschatology, one c an easily understand the appeal that this religion had t o a humilated people who were experiencing hard times . Unf ortunatel y, t he people were willing to overlook the imperf ections and sacrifices of the present for the sake of the promised future. They let the end justify the means. The claims for the future order ser ved as a justification f or the power abuse and absolute domination of .,,.. the Nazi regime. 'Carl Friedrich , Totalitarianism. 96. (New York: Grosset & Dunlap , 19 6 4), p . �13 In addition to the Nazi promise of a glor i ous futur e , there were also other factors of the Nazi religion that appe a led to the German people during the early decades of this century. These factors which enhanced the appeal of Nazism all seem to revolve around one central theme, namely, self-aggrandi zement . In short Naz i sm was self-exalti ng . It satisfied the e go o f ma n. This self-exaltation of Naz ism i s evident in the secular nature o f this religion. Naz ism, as a s e c ul a r religion, replaced God with nation. blood, became the ob ject of worship. Mankind, united through When seeki ng pro sperity, happ i ness , or vict?rY over unpleasant circumstances, Nazi followers d i d not need to seek the favor or assi s tanc e of s ome supreme being. within them . They only needed to mobilize the power that wa s By nature this power was theirs and by right victory , prosperity , and happiness belonged to them . The Na~i rel i g i on did not require its disciples to bow before a god; inste ad , it required others to bow before them and acknowledge their supremecy. The blamelessness and innocence that Nazism off e red the people was perhaps even more appeal ing. Nazism be lieved in a people that were good and pure by nature--not evil and d e prav ed. This l ed them to conclude that the difficulties, corruption, and degeneration that plagued their troub l ed world was not their fault. The sour ce of this evil was the work of a des tructive foe (the Jew) that had s ubtly attacked the unsuspecting people and pulled them down so that they could no longer experience the g l ory and success of the p as t generations . Furthe rmor e , in the �ll. Nazi religion one did not have to acknowledge their sins and imperfections to a holy God. required. Confession and penance were not The only things necessary to restore Germany to its former glory were the enlightenment of the people and the completion of a sanctifying and purifying process, and "[ t]he only virtues or sins recognized were those of social significance.";. Thus, the people were not accountable to anyone but themselves. A third characteristic of the Nazi religion that promoted self-aggrandizement is their "plan of salavation." Nazism, like other religions, did require that the German people acknowledge their need for deliverance. The method of their deliverance, however, differs from all other religions. The German people did not need to rely on divine favor because although they had allowed evil forces to taint and corrupt their society, they were not hopelessly degraded and helpless. Therefore, since the German people did not have to rely on divine favor, they neither had to humble themselves before the gracious God that offered them salvation nor earn the right to salvation by performing good deeds and expressing religious fervor. The source of deliverance, according to the Nazi religion, was the will of the people expressed through the Nazi movement. The Nazi movement, which had brought enlightenment to the German peop l e, had opened their eyes and made them aware of the subtle, destructive influence of their foe. By conquering and destroying this foe, J. L. Talman, The Origins of Totalitarian Democracy. A. Praeger, Inc., Publishers, 1960), p. 23. 1 (New York: Frederick �15 the German people would have successfully eliminated all evil and restored perfection and order. Thus , the destruction o f the Jew became their mission in order that they might not only lift their nation out o f degradation but also save the entire world. Thu s, Nazism e stablished the German people as their own s a viors. Nazism also appealed to the pride of the Germa n peop l e . It set up the Aryan race as superior to all other rac e s. Aryanism became the expression of perfection and divinity. t-Jhat a boost this must have been for the demoralized German people who still acutely felt the shame and disgrace of their l o ss in Wor ld War I. The world, blaming them for the war, had treated the m with scorn and derision. Their power had b een d estroye d, and their country had been stripped of its glory. This humiliati o n and disgrace was still fresh in the minds of the people. morale was at an all time low. Public This was the atmosphere in Germany when Nazism appeared on the scene. Nazism replaced the shame and disgrace of the Ge rman people with renewed national pride. It promised to remove the stain of humiliation, avenge Germany, and restore her former glory and power. To the humilated people of Germany, the prospect of glory and superiority was just too good to pass up. The people were ripe for Nazism. They were ready to do anything to attain the self-glorification that was at the heart of the Nazi religion. The loss of World War I was not the sole factor that contributed to the German environment in the 1930's in which the seeds of Nazism germinated. The economic, social, and p o litical �16 conditions of the day were perhaps even more important factors. During the early 1920 1 s, Germany experienced catastrophic inflation. The financial collapse of the Reich wiped out German savings and produced unprecedented chaos. Large-scale strike movements broke out, prices and unemployment rose, and increasing dissatisfaction with the government resulted in the rise of anti-republican coups. be forgotten. These crisis years were not to Even though the people experienced a brief period of economic recovery and relative political stability after 1923, they would never again restore their confidence in their government. Their government had failed them. It had folded in a time of crisis giving rein to chaos, disorder, and instability. It is not surprising then that the German people placed their hopes in Nazism when in the 1930's they were again faced with economic crisis (the Great Depression) and the political failures of the Weimar government. In addition to the economic and political conditions of the day, the German people also felt the "menace of modernity." They found themselves in 11 a society where old and new overlapped in an almost random fashion, a society where no one could quite be sure who he was, where he was, or where he stood in relation to those around him. of insecurity. 11 1 : This contributed to a general atmo s phere In this rapidly changing society, the people of Germany often felt as if they were helpless victims without any control over the future and their fate. ' Dennis Showalter, Little Man, What Now? p. 16. They were anxious, (Conneticut: Archon Books, 1982), �17 uncertain, and overwhelmed by feelings of powerlessness and insecurity. This feeling of powerlessness, more than any o the r, explains the enormous appeal of Nazism. Existential angst is produce d when the individual f e el s that he or she can no long er master vital facets of life. In this state of powerlessnes s the person feels trapped and the survival is threatened .... Existential angst motivates the se a rch for an orientation that will promise a more secure, predictable, and satisfying future. 1 Nazi promises of a healthy and happy world provided this sense o f a secure future as well as a feeling of permanence in the midst of a rapidly changing world. back in control. In addition, Nazism put the p e ople It replaced their feelings of frustration and anxiety with power. 11 Hitler offered power and rec og nition t o the disappointed who felt powerless, and ari s tocratic s tatus t o underdogs, who now became Nordic Aryans. 11 ' ·' The power that Nazism offered is probably the chief appeal of this religio n. Roles in the SS and the Nazi bureaucracy g ave individuals the opportunity to obtain power and prestige . These power roles offered to individuals were o ne of the important factors that motivated the perpetrators o f the Holocaust. Eicrunann is a prime example of this. greed and fear were also powerful motivators. In addition, The subject of individual motivation is an important consideration in the study of Nazism. However, a detailed discussion of that subject is beyond the scope of this paper . Instead, we shall look at the .,,.. ' Joel E. Dimsdale, Survivors. Victims and Perpetrato rs. Hemisphere Publishing Company, 1980), p. ~18. (Washing t o n: �18 p ower el e ment as one o f the attract ions of the Nazi reli g i on . The appeal of Nazi s m was its ability to eliminate the f ee l i n gs of powerl ess ness, isolation, and inadequacy o f the p e o ple by restori ng t h e ir co nf i d ence in their contro l over the f utur e . Nazi doctrines restored the peopl e 's confidenc e in the i r own p ower and c o ntrol by setting forth o n e simp le s olution f or a l l the troubles and anxieties of Germany. Nazisrn's one so lution to all the concerns, conflicts, and unpleasant circumstance s that faced the German people was Aryan domination and sub jugat i o n of that one inherently evil element o f society, namely th e J e ws. The J e ws were identified as the source of all t he evil that had b ef a ll e n Germany. By making the J e ws the sca pego a t , the people were able to avenge themselves of the wron g s t hey had suffered. They were able to v e nt their frustration s , anger, a nd bitterness at some definate object. They had turned their battle a g ainst evil into something t a n g ibl e . Opposing some abstract e vil forc e was impossible, but battling the J e w wa s something within their control. Whe n the Jews became the scapegoat, the evil foe became conquerable. Once the J e ws were conquered, beauty and order would be reestablished. The p e opl e who had been overwhelmed by their defeat in World War I, the followin g economic upheaval, political failures, and s oc ial c h aos would again be in control. By gaining absolute authority and control over the Jew, the German people could regain contro l over their fate. In summary then, the three factors that made Nazism attractive to the German people were self-glorification, pride, �and power. 19 At a time when the people felt that they had reached rock bottom, Nazism not only gave them hope for the futur e --an element which is also present in other religions--but it also made them feel better about themselves. The only probl e m is that when man allows his life to be motivated by selfish egotism, justice and compassion are neglected. All efforts become motivated by self-aggrandizement without any consideration for the sufferings and sacrifices of others. As this paper concludes, the following questions remain: Why is it important to realize that Nazism is a religion? What significance does it have on our understanding of the Holocaust? What role did religion play in the destruction of millions of lives? The appeal of Nazism is understandable. Considering the economic, social, political, and religious conditions of the day, it seemed reasonable that Nazism would attract quite a following. One is disturbed, however, by the fact that Nazism was able to lead the German people further and further down a road that would ultimately lead to mass killings while the people blindly followed them. leadership. There was little or no resistance to Nazi Why didn't the people raise their voices in protest? Didn't they see that things had just gone too far and that Nazism was requiring them to participate in actions that were obviously wrong? When answering these troubling questions, the significance of the fact that Nazism is a religion becomes clear. Since the Nazi movement and its leaders were deified, a �20 true follower would never question the "goodness" of the leader's Even when the actions and commands of their leaders actions . seemed questionable, the people never doubted the goodness of their guidance. They believed that their enlightened leader s were ab l e to see the needs of the nation more clearly than they could. Whatever conduct was required must be n e cessary, and in the long run, it would all work out for the good of the people. Were all the people such ardent followers of the Nazi religion? followers? What about those who weren't such dedicated Why didn't they speak up? Well, some did, but it didn't d o any good because criticism was viewed as heresy; who was going to liste~ to a heretic? Since Nazism was a religio n, i t allowed one party, one loyalty, and believed that here was only one "truth". To tolerate any expressions of criticism, would be to sanction blasphemy. Just as a Muslim or Hindu community will not tolerate the presence of a Christian, Nazism would not tolerate any oppossing views. If someone were to question or criticize the Nazi state, i t is certain that the entire community would have turned on him. His freedom and perhaps even his life would have been in danger. Religions become so fervent in the perpetuation and defense of their beliefs that one dares not propose a contrary view. was such a religion. Nazism Thus, the religious qualties of Nazism, which were instrumental in exciting and motivating the German people, also help account for the continued control that Nazi s m was able to maintain over these people. As a religion, Nazism was able to 1) raise up fervently �21 dedicate d followers consecrated to Nazi goals, 2) take o n infallible and omnipotent characte ristics in the eyes o f the p e ople, and 3) establi s h virtually unlimited and unque s t io n ed power. Furthe rmore, since Nazism invoked a reli g i ous r e s p o nse , it was able to establish its own moral code. Nazism so alte r ed the Germa n p e rcepti o n of the Jews that the y were able t o c o nvin c e thems elves that they were battling the devil, not destroying human lives. They were not doing evil. were destoying evil. On the con trary, t hey In the Nazi religion the people were not only not guilty of wrongdoing, they were commended f or t h e ir acts ' of "righteousness" which fulfilled the commandments of their go d. If Nazi s m had not h a d these reli g ious qualitie s, the r ever sa l o f German value s , a necessary ingredie nt of the Holoca ust, could no t have taken place. Re ligion seems to be the o nly s o cia l f or ce that has the influence to change lives by completely alte ring one's perception of the world, one's moral judgement, and o ne's response to his fellowmen and the various circumstances he fac e s . ... ,·, · , �" BIBu:x;RAPHY Dimsdale, Joel. SUrvivors, Victims aruf Perpetrators - Essays on the Holocaust. Washington: Hemisphere Publishing Compnay, 1980. Field, Geoffrey. Evangelist of Race - The Gennanic Vision of Houston Stewart Chamberlain. New York: Columbia University Press, 1981. Friedrich, Carl. Totalitarianism. New York: Grosset rvbsse, George. The Nationalization of the Masses. Inc., 1975.--- - Poliakov, I.eon. Harvest of Hate. New York: & Dunlap, 1964. New York: Howard Fertig, Holocaust Library, 1979. Showalter, Dennis. Little Man, What Now? - Der Sturmer in the Weimar Republic. Conneticut: Archon Books, 1982.-- - Talmon, J .L. The Origins of Totalitarian Democracy. Praeger, Inc., Publishers, 1960. c· ,,..,,_-,., -- - - '" "", -,.-- ----_---- . - . New York: Frederick A. � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Adriana B. and Peter N. Termaat collection Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Termaat, Adriana B. (Schuurman) Termaat, Peter N. Description An account of the resource Collection contains genealogical, personal, and family papers and photographs documenting the lives and interests of Adriana and Peter Termaat. The bulk of the materials are related to family history and genealogical research carried out by the Termaats, including research notes and materials about places in the Netherlands that were significant to the Termaat and Schuurman families, such as the city of Alkmaar. Other materials in the collection are related to the Termaats' experiences on the eve of and during the Second World War, especially the German occupation of the Netherlands and the Termaats' participation in organized resistance to the Nazis. Also included are materials that document the family's post-war life in the United States, including their public efforts to recognize, commemorate, and honor people and events significant to World War II. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1869 - 2012 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/719">Adriana B. and Peter N. Termaat collection, RHC-144</a> Subject The topic of the resource Netherlands Netherlands--History--German occupation, 1940-1945 World War, 1939-1945 World War, 1939-1945 -- Underground movements -- Netherlands Dutch Dutch Americans Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-144 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource Text Image Type The nature or genre of the resource application/pdf image/jpeg Language A language of the resource eng nl Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-144_Termaat_WRI_Musings-Religion-of-Nazism-by-P-Termaat Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Termaat, Pieter Title A name given to the resource The Religion of Nazism Description An account of the resource Essay by Pieter Termaat about Nazi beliefs and religion. Subject The topic of the resource Fascism Germany -- Social conditions Social conditions Germany Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/719">Adriana B. and Peter N. Termaat collection (RHC-144)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/708bccf47a7d77bccaff36ee75f85024.pdf be5b7270874b9fdceb414356b8d0cf22 PDF Text Text Adm. Thomas Moorer: I think the greatest satisfaction one gets is derived from the opinion that people have about you-people who have been around you your whole life-as to your character and your compassion and your fairness, and the way you deal with people, and the way you do your job and whether you have tried to sacrifice other people for your personal benefit. In the Navy, we call it service reputation, and I think that's the most important thing. -ro!i1.·Mca~)icssman, Th, A.ch;,,,,,,,,,,, Factors W.N.P.BARBEILION 11 The Jom.mal of a disappointed man" 1 returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understandin nor yet favour to men of skill, but •ime and chance happen to them all. For man also knows not his tin!, as the fishes that a.re taken in an evil net, and as the birds that are caught in the snare, so are the sons of men snared in an evil time, when it falls sudenly me them • " upon , 11 Gerda Weissmann Klein: Most people think the Holocaust camps were like snake pits-that people stepped on each other for survival. It wasn't like that at all. There was kindness, support, understanding. I often talk about a childhood friend of mine, Ilse. She once found a raspberry in the camp and carried it in her pocket all day to present to me that night on a leaf. Imagine a world in which your entire possession is one raspberry, and you give it to a friend. Those are the moments I want to remember. People behaved nobly under unspeakable circumstances. -Kristin Hdmorc in Th, Christian Sd,nc, Monitcr "ADEAU IE: U EN VAN WlL EL I I E T z.o. �... ��•I Gerda Weissmann Klein: Most people think the Holocaust camps were like snake pits-that people stepped on each other for survival. It wasn't like that at all. There was kindness, support, understanding. I often talk about a childhood friend of mine, Ilse. She once found a raspberry in the camp and carried it in her pocket all day to present to me that night on a leaf. Imagine a world in which your entire possession is one raspberry, and you give it to a friend. Those are the moments I want to remember. People behaved nobly under unspeakable circumstances. -Kristin Hclmorc in Th, Christion Scin,c, Monitor ----- - Adm. Thomas Moorer: I think the greatest satisfaction one gets is derived from the opinion that people have about you-people who have been around you your whole life-as to your character and your compassion and your fairness, and the way you deal with people, and the way you do your job and whether you have tried to sacrifice other people for your personal benefit. In the Navy, we call it service reputation, and I think that's the most important thing. -B. Eugene Gricssman, Tl,, Achi,-rnt Factors (Dodd, Mead) 11 W.N.P.BARBELLION The Jottynal of a disappointed man" , "I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understandin nor yet favour to men of skill, but ·Ume and chance happen to them all. For man also knows not his time, as the fishes that are taken in an evil net, and as the birds that are caught in the snare, so are the sons of men snared in an evil time, when it falls sudenly BK them • n upon F.F. CHTER CADEAU IDE : -'"1 HE .... ..WU 21 w w I E .:I i 1./ VAN z.o. ��� Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Adriana B. and Peter N. Termaat collection Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Termaat, Adriana B. (Schuurman) Termaat, Peter N. Description An account of the resource Collection contains genealogical, personal, and family papers and photographs documenting the lives and interests of Adriana and Peter Termaat. The bulk of the materials are related to family history and genealogical research carried out by the Termaats, including research notes and materials about places in the Netherlands that were significant to the Termaat and Schuurman families, such as the city of Alkmaar. Other materials in the collection are related to the Termaats' experiences on the eve of and during the Second World War, especially the German occupation of the Netherlands and the Termaats' participation in organized resistance to the Nazis. Also included are materials that document the family's post-war life in the United States, including their public efforts to recognize, commemorate, and honor people and events significant to World War II. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1869 - 2012 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/719">Adriana B. and Peter N. Termaat collection, RHC-144</a> Subject The topic of the resource Netherlands Netherlands--History--German occupation, 1940-1945 World War, 1939-1945 World War, 1939-1945 -- Underground movements -- Netherlands Dutch Dutch Americans Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-144 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource Text Image Type The nature or genre of the resource application/pdf image/jpeg Language A language of the resource eng nl Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-144_Termaat_WRI_Musings-Quotes-humanity-of-WWII-364 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Termaat, Pieter Title A name given to the resource Quotes of humanity on World War II Description An account of the resource Notes and quotations compiled by Pieter N. Termaat about humanity and World War II. Partially handwritten. Subject The topic of the resource World War, 1939-1945 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/719">Adriana B. and Peter N. Termaat collection (RHC-144)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/32cc3b22c03f3b1ad327fa74e97eff54.pdf 48f662491c66fa192208256ab174bcaa PDF Text Text *** Peter N.Termaat - closing remarks. I was sitting in a room where the discussion centered on anti-semitism. One of those present made the following remark 11 I considerthe jews completely as human beings 11 You see, that man is an anti-semite. He doesnt know i t , but he is. His premise is that he presents an absolute truth as something that subject to dispute. He is like a mathematician who is trying to prove the axiom. That kind of remark is not inaccurate, but it makes a subject of discussion that which has been accepted generally as self-evident. *** In formerly occupied countries looms a danger, especially in the ones that were occupied the longest, like Norway and The Netherlands. It is a historical certainty that a people , overpowered by a usurper after its liberation appears to have been somewhat infected by them. Freedom of the press, an absolute before the war, was being curtailed after the occupation ended. There certainly are ateempts by the government to influence the press. 11 Confidentials II to the editor-in-chief , discussions by unnamed sources outside the normal flow of the news, and especially the press spokesmen in the service of government. All these are not directed towards influ_ ence of the press on the government in its duty to critical review, but just to the opposite. *** �Conflict and cooperation. Conflict is the inescapable fact of life at any time. It ie l'le'if a:ne it we:s i'A y:eaPs gone by , i'A y:ol:lP time in y:ow ;paPents time and g;pam.pa:Pwi.ts tiM , Read the newspaper, turn on radio or television, it is there So, why talk about a conflict that is far in the past, in your grandparents time? You and everyone in your age group did not experience i t . You are living now in this time and that time was so different. Or was it? Were the e~ents of humanconflict different tEfu.n? Or was it the sheer magnitude of that conflict? With 57 million military and civilian casualties and many millions more affected to the depth of their being? That conflict is still the darkest period of this centuri:Dy, if not of all times. It raged worldwide, there was no hiding from it. And it is on a grand scale the most immense tale of power, its abuse, violence, injustice and murder. All aatempts were directed to stamp out freedom as we know it and cherish i t . Ye~ did !'let e*pe:11Pie"Aee it. Shollld yoQ thePefeP ehPug it eff? Your life in freedom , your existence have been made possible because then harder than at any other age, close by and far off 'jJeJc.L ~ fought ~ , many battles against the darkness of totalitarianism , and they were won at an unimag'i'S"le cost in lives I hope that you will understand something, ,me mllj"8e more deeply than ever before , why · · ~ try to bring the reality from that time back. There is always hope that your generation, and you as an individual5may yet learn to help prevent it happening again. Is an individual capable of xaccomplishing anything that might have influence on the course of events of so violent and insidious a nature as was common in that conflict 7 Is not the all pervasive p~~nce of enemy forces and behind it the vile tyranny of a morally rotten political system of such a dimension that to lay low and get along is the better part of wisdom? Is it not smarter to live for one's country and its ideals than to die for it? Espeoi:cially when you are young? Or is the agressive and fanatic political system imposed on entire peoplesand even more hrsxhly upon individuals who stand tall , motivation xenough to arrive at a point where honorable men and women say~ enough. Was there a philosophy or a compelling foresight that could prepare men and women for contingencies which could not reasonably have been foreseen in all its consequences? Does history provide guidance? Crucial crossroads to which people came and had to choose to either act righteously or bow to the inevitable? In a storm cannot a strong tree that stands unbending be broken, while rushes that bend with the wind right themselves after the wind dies down ? � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Adriana B. and Peter N. Termaat collection Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Termaat, Adriana B. (Schuurman) Termaat, Peter N. Description An account of the resource Collection contains genealogical, personal, and family papers and photographs documenting the lives and interests of Adriana and Peter Termaat. The bulk of the materials are related to family history and genealogical research carried out by the Termaats, including research notes and materials about places in the Netherlands that were significant to the Termaat and Schuurman families, such as the city of Alkmaar. Other materials in the collection are related to the Termaats' experiences on the eve of and during the Second World War, especially the German occupation of the Netherlands and the Termaats' participation in organized resistance to the Nazis. Also included are materials that document the family's post-war life in the United States, including their public efforts to recognize, commemorate, and honor people and events significant to World War II. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1869 - 2012 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/719">Adriana B. and Peter N. Termaat collection, RHC-144</a> Subject The topic of the resource Netherlands Netherlands--History--German occupation, 1940-1945 World War, 1939-1945 World War, 1939-1945 -- Underground movements -- Netherlands Dutch Dutch Americans Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-144 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource Text Image Type The nature or genre of the resource application/pdf image/jpeg Language A language of the resource eng nl Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-144_Termaat_WRI_Musings-297 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Termaat, Pieter Title A name given to the resource Musings on Anti-semitism, Occupation, and Resistance Description An account of the resource Notes by Pieter N. Termaat about anti-semitism, occupation, resistance, and cooperation. Subject The topic of the resource Dutch World War, 1939-1945 -- Netherlands World War, 1939-1945--Occupied territories Netherlands--History--German occupation, 1940-1945 World War, 1939-1945 -- Underground movements -- Netherlands Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/719">Adriana B. and Peter N. Termaat collection (RHC-144)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/f05df0897b293451c948de242f5bf734.pdf 56df9e1f048ba284e782db41831585e0 PDF Text Text Having spect 5 long years under enemy occupation, the narrow focus on freedom nurtured for endless days and nights on end, in an uneven struggle ended up in an unjust manner. Eighteen hunderd and t,nenty five tinms twentyfour hours there had been an ever 1nL erasing need and desire for freedom, until it finally came about. Victory Europe Day: the enemy gone. But our expectations had been wrong the exhilarating joy of freedom lasted much less than than the lengths of the struggle to obtain i t . And there is what was wrong with us ; the anticipation of continued exhilabion proved to be wrong by the composition of our human nature. No suffering, no privation can be adequately compensated for. We have paid in big bills; but the relief that the adversity has passed away, comes in change only. It appears that the high anticipations of freedom one has nurtured during the privation is part of the joy of its ooming to pass, so that small change must be accepted as adequate compensation. � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Adriana B. and Peter N. Termaat collection Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Termaat, Adriana B. (Schuurman) Termaat, Peter N. Description An account of the resource Collection contains genealogical, personal, and family papers and photographs documenting the lives and interests of Adriana and Peter Termaat. The bulk of the materials are related to family history and genealogical research carried out by the Termaats, including research notes and materials about places in the Netherlands that were significant to the Termaat and Schuurman families, such as the city of Alkmaar. Other materials in the collection are related to the Termaats' experiences on the eve of and during the Second World War, especially the German occupation of the Netherlands and the Termaats' participation in organized resistance to the Nazis. Also included are materials that document the family's post-war life in the United States, including their public efforts to recognize, commemorate, and honor people and events significant to World War II. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1869 - 2012 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/719">Adriana B. and Peter N. Termaat collection, RHC-144</a> Subject The topic of the resource Netherlands Netherlands--History--German occupation, 1940-1945 World War, 1939-1945 World War, 1939-1945 -- Underground movements -- Netherlands Dutch Dutch Americans Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-144 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource Text Image Type The nature or genre of the resource application/pdf image/jpeg Language A language of the resource eng nl Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-144_Termaat_WRI_Musings-295 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Termaat, Pieter Title A name given to the resource Musings on liberation Description An account of the resource Notes by Pieter N. Termaat about the liberation of the Netherlands from Nazi occupation. Subject The topic of the resource Dutch World War, 1939-1945 -- Netherlands World War, 1939-1945--Occupied territories Netherlands--History--German occupation, 1940-1945 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/719">Adriana B. and Peter N. Termaat collection (RHC-144)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/45638bd1432bcb4a87f877b3a1ad1717.pdf e8e4984ff6029ade7b852ee3fc1df795 PDF Text Text Pieter Terma.a. t r:a.rch 7, 19ll.J :3o:r:n Pass In Revue : 1914-1935 The Formative Years �To Honor My Father /\.nd Mother �-1- I was born in the kingdom of The Netherlands in the small town of Kampen near the delta of the IJssel River, northern most branch of the river Rhine. About 1920 this city had approximately 20,000 inhabL tants. It is an ancient town, in the early Middle Ages already a member of the Hanseatic League, and its ships traded as far as the Baltic Sea. Centuries later the river sanded up and the town's merchants' ships were idled, leaving regional freighters of shallow draft and fishing vessels which plied their trade on the Zuiderzee. After the middle of the nineteenth century a military garrison was established and barracks built and expanded to a sizeable complex later named the Van Heutsz Kazerne after a well-known general. The Termaat family was well established in the seventeenth century in the province of Noord-Holland in the northern most area known as West Friesland ~n the village of Schermerhorn where they were dairy farmers. The oldest record so far is that of the church grave of Jan Barendsz in 1640. In the year 1664 J. Termaat is recorded. as Dike Reeve, a term denoting president of the regional council charged with the upkeep of the dikes against the onslaught of the sea. Schermerhorn is situated on bogland, a narrow strip of land between what were the Schermer and Beemster Lakes, drained in 1635 and 1611, respectively, and turned into luscious meadowland. At that time, except for dairy farming, fishing was important as the two lakes had access to the sea. These intrepid fishermen fished as far north as Spitsbergen and the Barents Sea (Dutch names both) and at some present day farms there are still whale bones to be seen, standing upright in the meadows for the cattle · to chafe their hides on. The province of NoordHolland contained 43 lakes in the Middle Ages, many interconnected and with access to the sea. In the year 1801, Cornelis Termaat moved from Schermerhorn to the outskirts of the city of i\.lkmaar where he built a brick dairy farm with stables and haylofts and bought four parcels of grazing land in the Overdie polder. The family continued its farming until late in the nineteenth century when they sold their farm and land because of the expanding city. They then continued selling dairy products until rrry Grandfather Pieter Termaat's death in 1901. Part of the barn was still standing in 1980 (see pictures). In 1876, Alkmaar had 12,000 inhabitants. It was then the seat of a federal district court and a provincial court. There was a raiL road passenger depot, a federal telegraph office and a mint mark office for gold and silver. The city was a center for the cheese and cattle trade. In one year, five million pounds of cheese were sold and 100,000 head of cattle traded. Grain and seed trade amounted to nine million pounds per annum. The city was a key district for the election of members to the Second House of representatives and for members of the �-3- In Kampen there ~also two officers' candidate schools, one named the Cursus on the corner of the Vloeddijk and the ~lverhekkenweg, and the Hoofdcursus situated on the Korenmarkt next to the Bovenkerk. After graduating from the Cursus one could enter the Hoofdcursus for further studies for field officer. Da.d was named intendant of the buildings of the Cursus and the fami}y moved in 1916 into the apartment of the main building. Both my brothers_ Jan in 1916, and Cornelis Barend in 1918 _ were born there. We grew up in military surroundings and atmos:phere and the many pictures of that time show me included with many groups of officer- candidates. Da.d was master on foil, sabre, and sword and in bayonet fighting and taught these skills. He was about five feet, nine inches tall, broad-chested, strong armed and liked a good time. The year 1918 delivered hard blows to our fami}y. My little brother Jan died at the age of two of appendicitis within weeks of the death of Jan Harms, my maternal Grandfather, on}y to be followed by the death of Rinske Harms, my maternal Grandmother, within a year. Our Mother never could quite adjust to the death of a child and her parents in such a short timespan and her nervous makeup received another jolt at the onset of menopause. All Mother's symptoms point to Hypoglycemia. Letters from the physician who attended my brother Jan, and upon his death, from my Uncle Pieter, will be added at the end of this history. My memories of these events are weak and fleeting. I do, however, remember vividly the birth of my brother, Cornelis Ba.rend, on January 2, 1918. Dad brought me into the bedroom to see my new brother and my mother. The window was part}y open and I was told that the stork had brought him. /\.pparent}y I figured that if the stork brought, he could also take away so I kept as far as I could from that window. The death of my brother Jan two months later I do not remember nor do I remember anything about him even though my parents told me later that for weeks and months I kept searching the house for him and calling his name. I remember that my maternal Grandfather had a long beard and walked somewhat stooped over with a cane. Once he took me to the park (the plantsoen at the end of the Kalverhekkenweg along the Third Ebbingestraat). ~ duck bit me in the finger while being fed and Grandfather chased him off with his cane. This must ha~ occurred in 1917. My Mother told me later that he had been bad}y injured in 1911 while installing a vault door in Zwolle. He was never able to work again and his family went through hard times. Besides their own house they also owned two more houses that were rented. These had to be sold to supplement the meager income the sons and dau~hters earned as apprentice carpenters and seamstresses, This entire family was very dextrous and hard-working. When my Hother told me about these very difficult years she sometimes had tears in her eyes and would say, "But we never accepted help from any_ body • 11 �/\bout my maternal Grandmother I remember a few more incidents. Cne is that she let us play in a wooden bathtub with a toy boat in her house; another that she brought me up from the cellar when I apparently had climbed down and could not get up a.gain, The most vivid memory I have of her is that of walking next to her while her long skirts gently swayed as she walked. She carried a f: reen (enameled?) pail filled with buttermilk in which a. ?olden lump of butter bobbed up and dovm. I remember this as somethin~ beautiful. i\t her confession of faith at a~e 18 in 1878 her parents gave her the beautiful shawl which I inherited. From friends she acquired the wooden tub with brass bands for the family use of butter churned on the fa.rm. This I also inherited as well as the daffodil decorated milk pitcher. I remember Christmas Day in the Noorderkerk with my pa.rents and Grandmother present where I was one of the children to recite a. Biblical verse. The- one I had to recite I still remember: Isaiah 9:6, "For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder. i\.nd his name shall be called ·wonderful, Counsellor, The I•!ighty God, the Everlasting ~a.th.er, 'I'he Prince of Peace." Was it Christmas, 1917, or 1918? Most likely the latter. my After I attained the age of five I had only one grandparent left - my paternal Grandmother, who, after beil"..g widowed in 1901, had remarried. Her second husband I s name was Willem /\arts and he fully deserved the name of Grandfather which I a.ddressoo him by. He was very gentle and industrious and often took me with him to the land behind his green grocer's store where he raised a variety of ve~etables. He taught me their names and showed me how to remove weeds and of the danger of coming too close to his four wells. They were deep and used for a dry spell to bring up water by means of pail and chain. On his land and where the store was now stands a. great school, the Linden.. school on the Lindenla.an. 11y Grandmother was as tall as m.Y father and wore the West Frisian costumes which differed on weekdays from those worn on Sundays. Then she would wear a 1.:;olden skullcap with white lace over it with embroidery spreading out and a jeweled pin on each side of her forehead, She was a very strong woman who walked with us tirelessly. Her inheri_ ta.nee from her first husband Pieter Termaat, was substantial, Grandfather Pieter Terma.a.t used our copperpot, tinned on the inside, to cream milk which floated on top after standing overnight, On advice of her banker, "de Lange & de Horaa.z, 11 she, like so many others, invested in stock (she for 60,000 guilders) whose issue was to build the Transsiberian Railroad to Wladiwostok on the Pacific. In 1917, Lenin took over from the Czar and all of this stock became worthless, The Russians had the railroad but invalidated all foreign debts. Even after that loss, which can be measured by the price of an average middle-class home which was 2,000 guilders at the time, she and Grandfather /\ arts were well off as he continued his workinrr life until the mid-nineteen-twenties. When our family were f!Uests during our StL"!J.mer va... cation she used to rent an open landau with a coachman and we would ride from ~lkmaar to 3ergen and then south to ~gmond alon~ the foot of the dunes and from there back to 1\lkmaar. We stopped for lunch at a. place �-5- where there were playgrounds with swings and teeter-totters, etc. In the nineteen-twenties trains still ran as public transportation between i'\.lkmaar and Schoorl, i'\.lkmaar and Bergen, and Alkrnaar and Egmond. My parents took us in the summertime bJ train to Schoorl where there was a. restaurant at the foot of the dunes and behind it a high dune where we, w.i.th effort, climbed up and slid or rolled down. Grandma, who then was in her mid-seventies, went up with us and came down the way we did. She had something indomitable a.bout her, a character trait which runs strongly in West Friesland and of which our family has its share. Once, in her old age Yrhen her eyesight was failing, she missed her footing while walking and fell into a. small canal. She managed to get out by herself and walk back home on her own. As the traffic pattern changed from the horse and buggy days to motorcars she could not or would not adjust and kept on crossing the road anywhere she pleased to the great discomfort of my parents and my u.11.cle. "They will not kill an old woman," she used to say. Some logic! Both she and Grandpa A.arts passed a.wa..y in 1932 1-Jhen I was 18. During vacations we alternated between them and my uncle and aunt's house at Kerkplein 8 next to the Groote Kerk, the Reformed Cathedral. It is now the second house from Police Headquarters. Uncle Pieter was my Dad's only brother. Two other brothers had died within a month after their births. My aunt was the former Trien van Herwerden from the village of Nieuwe Niedorp. They were a cordial couple and had one son also named Pieter, born in 1909. My Aunt contracted tuberculosis which paralyzed her legs. In the morning my Uncle would. carry her down from the upstairs bedroom to the daybed in the living room where she stayed all day until bedti::ne when he carried her upstairs a.gain. I do not remember having ever seen her walk. She died in 1926 a.nd my cousin Pieter, their only son, could not have children and died at the age of Lt2 in June, 1950. Hy Uncle Pieter died at the a.~e of 57 in 1942. Up to the mid-nineteen-twenties, there was a quiet quality of life in all the smaller cities. Radio and television were unknown. Horse drawn tilburies and la.ndaus were Renerally the local means of transportation second only to walkinp; and cycling . The doctor, for example, made his house calls in a small horse dra1-m coach. :1ercha.ndise was moved. by boat and small canal freieshters between 50 and 100 tons did a thriving business. Locally the merchandise was moved by horse dra1-m wae-ons, be_ tween shipboard or mill and destination. I saw my first airplane about the mid-twenties when a small sea plane landed in the IJssel River. And so the skies were quiet as well. Autos were far from coIT!!Tlon. The streets were paved with bricks and most houses were also built from brick. The brick was baked from clay dug from the numerous rivers and so provided cheap building material. :•:any side streets, how_ �ever, were made from cobble stones of granite, centuries old, and the ironclad wheels of the wagons would i:; enera.te a loud noise in passim; . In those narrow streets you learned to jump out of the wa,y fast if a horse did the inevitable. I n tha.t quiet small town atmosphere my brother and I grew up. When it was dark early , kerosene lamps still lif hted many a home and for street lighting ~as was in general use. Towards dusk, city workmen with long sticks to which a copper hook was attached, pulled a cha.in on the lamp at day break and sunset. We did have gaslight when I was 7 or 8 years old and in our hall burnoo a small copper oil lamp made by my maternal gra_rid.father, which I was so fortunate to inherit. Cooking was still often done on kerosene heaters of different sizes. ~mong the games we played were several different ones at marbles, the season for which started when it became colder but before the snow came. Cold fingers impaired accuracy often. Boys had hoops, sometimes made of wood and kept going by hitting it with a stick; and sometimes ma.de of iron which had a stick attached to it with a wide ring so that it could be maneuvered. :5'1ying kites was the springtime entertainment and if you had a good one you could send up messaGes written on pa.per which was then folded around the rope; if all went well the wind would blow the message right up to the kite. Walking stilts and jumping narrow, water-filled ditches were always fun. 1:<'rom strips of willow bark we braided a. doughnut sha.pe called 11 toessebolte 11 with a string also made of willow bark attached to it. Twirling it fa.st, you let go and whoever threw farthest won. If you cut your hand there -was always a member of the plantain famiJ.y. We chewed a leaf of it and applied that to the cut arrl the bleed.in~ would stop. Playing as a group, we would have access to many !llaterials and mutual help. Every boy worth his salt had a ? Ood pocketknife. T,,Je cut a fork from a tree branch and shaped it to form a V with a handle. From an old innertube we cut strips which we attached to the fork. ~ thin piece of leather at the end served as a good hold and we got pro_ jectiles from a metal factory where they punched holes into iron sheets. I cannot say that these primitive slin~shots were always put to legal use. When we had snow and ice - not alway s an assured happening every winter - we skated and our family had a large bo:x-type sled that seated my brother arrl I. At home we often played with a steam machine which in turn powered smaller toy implements. He played a lot with a good-sized wooden drawbridge, a source of fancy fantasies when we com,_ bined it with the many building blocks we had. In the wintertime our house was coey and warm. r-:other would sit in her cha.ir sewing- or darning by the light of an oil la.mp with a warm yellow shade. This lamp I also inherited, as well as the five antique oriental blue porcelain pieces and a multicolored, oriental design bowl made in ~'faastricht. �-7- In Harch, the lapwing returned from its winter quarters in Egypt and the search for their eggs was permitted but were they ever hard to find! The lapwing is a master of deceit in leading you away from the nest in the grass even going so far as to act crippled. In that time, Mother would often sing for my brother and I to teach us songs and the scene is still joyfully vivid in my mind. Mom had fine manual dexterity and sewed, knitted, and darned a great deal of our clothes. She was an excellent money manager and often surprised my Dad with money she had saved up for a trip or a special outing. Dad was very much the outdoors and sports type. f.rom J\pril to September the three of us would get up at six a.m., jump on our bikes and ride to the swimming pool, a fifteen minute ride. Then women and girls had separate hours for the use of the pool. This pool was situatoo in the river just outside the Boven.. haven. The city had two harbors, both rather small. In the southern pa.rt the Boven (unstrea.m) harbor and in the northwest downstream the Bui ten (outer) harbor. The former was also used to store the swim.Tiling pool in the winter and as a sailboat anchorage. The latter was used by commercial fishermen. The swimming pool was large, made from cement caissons with individual cabins built all a.round and contained three pools. One was for small children, ver'J shallow and maybe two feet deep. The second was larger and about three feet deep, outfitted with the swimming instruction gear. This consisted of a wooden pole with a sturdy rope at the end of which a broad adjustable belt was attached to fit the pupil around the waist. Instruction was given by the bathmasters. The third pool took up almost two-thirds of the complex, had no bottom but the riverboo and had a one meter divim~ board. In the middle a small platform was built over four barrels which floated and were kept in place by steel cables. Additional cables were strung at two more places about two feet above the water so that one could hang to take a rest. The river then was still unpolluted and a mouthful did not hurt you. Your certifL cate was issued after a test which included swimming three times around the large pool at breaststroke, once at backstroke and one jump from the diving boa.rd. Carpeted steps were at every corner of the three pools. As soon as we arrived and had changed into our bathing suits, we jumped in - descending the stairs was considered kid-stuff according to Dad. We swam for half an hour, jumped, dove, and played ball as an exercise for waterpolo. The swimming was in the full current of the river as it ca.me a.round the bend just above the pool. Swimming against that current in July and i\ugust was ha.rd because the stream had swollen from melting snow and ice in the mountains. Then we bicycled back home where Hom had prepared the usual breakfast: thick oatmeal with brown sugar and a glass of milk. J\.fter that we walked to school a.lorn~ the Vlooodijk (literally the flood-dike which in old times protected the city against high water before the walls were built two blocks farther out) to the Luttekes school so named after the headmaster. This parti_ �cular great school was a 9reparatory school for further study. Both my parents were voracious readers and visits to the local library were a regular occurence. The library was located on the Oudestra.a.t near the Town Hall and called the "Gothic House." It dated back to the t-1iddle Ages and is a magnificant example of the craftmanship of the guild.masters. This may be said equally of the To1-m Hall and its interior. In this librarJ I became acquainted for the first time with the fascinating National Geographic, and I remember very well that it was my wish that as a grownup I would be able to subscribe to it. A family by the name of Hond.ius retired after raising their children and moved avray and my Dad bought their family library and so my brother and I received a great mnnber of children I s books, travel adventures from Jules Verne, Worishoffer, Karl May, Johan Kievit, etc., as well as many history books about the 80 years war of Liberation against S~ain, the Boer War iin South Africa, etc. The high point of Kampen's life was the Queen's Birthday on August 31st. The streets were adorned with spruce and fir boughs. Flags were everywhere, many with the oranfse pennant. Bands marched, f!a..l'!les were played, parades held and. the day ended with a fireworks display across the river with cro'Wcl.s watching on the city's quays. In the year 1923, both officers' candidate schools were trans_ ferred to the city of Breda in the southern part of the count~J called Noord-Braba.nt and. were established as the Koninklijke f,~li tairy Academie (Royal "Military A.cademy). Dad was transferred to the Arnhem garrison in Janua~J, 1924. After the first world war, in which The Netherlands remained neutral, there was for several years a shorta~e of housing and our house on the Dr. Kuiperstraat was not quite ready when we arrived. We stayed for several weeks in the Hotel r.feeberg near the Willemsplein. In the morning a cavalry regiment would pass_ on occasion in bright dress uniform. From the hotel to the river Rhine was only a short brisk walk. When we moved into our house, the moving company from Kampen had diffi_ culty reaching us as the street was still in the process of being paved. Little could anyone imagine that twenty years later one of the bloodiest blunders of the second world war would take :.=,lace right here. Hy brother entered the first grade and I continued in the fourth grade in a school on the same street where we lived. Later I was transferred to a prep school do1-mtown to which I commuted by tramway. As soon as the weather improved we took to our bikes and made trips all around Arnhem a..Yid to surrounding villages. The Open /\.ir ?•Iuseu.l'!l had been opened to the public a few years before. On Sunday evenin~s there were concerts at Sonsbeek in a park setting , vrhi.ch had a restaurant, playgrounds and a small waterfall under which there was a. :!)assaf!' eway. �-9- SWimming in the Rhine River was even more of a challen~e than in the IJssel River in Kampen. The PJrl.ne is broader and flows faster. ~fter entering The Netherlands at Lobith, the river splits into river_ beds - the Waal River which flows past Nijmegen and takes half of the flow and the rest continues as the Rhine River. Just before Arnhem, the IJssel River splits off and flows north while the PJrl.ne turns west. We visited Oosterbeek and Velp and the castle am. grounds of Roosendaa.1. The latter had two main attractions for us: a chain brid~e over a small brook (chains were hanf ing over the brook and narrow slats had been fastened to them providing a safe but wobbly passage) and the other was "de bedrie1?ert_ jes" (the feelers), a flat, dr'IJ basin in a nice setting. When walking over it, at stagg ered times, water faucets were turned on and all aroun:i you from small openin~s a fine spray would shoot up which y ou could not escape from. 11ie often passed Bronbeek, a veteran's home for the men retired from the Roy al Netherlands East Indies Army, in their black uniforms. Dad always spoke with great respect about them. Going north we visited the Tafelberg , a hill overlooking the city, where a stone table showed the na..~es and directions of other cities and villages and landmarks. On the Veluwe I remember the mighty trees of the Westerbouwing which were com.. plete}y destroyed twenty years later. A.this request, Dad was transferred in August of 1924 and attached as instructor to the garrison at t,mersfoort. 1:Je lived there in an apartment opposite the cavalry barracks - a li_fely neighborhood. He could watch the training of the horses and could swim in the small :r-iver Eem behind the barracks. Amersfoort is one of few cities that has a water bastion left, a bulwark through which a waterway flows into the city, the Koppelpoort. In medieval ti.~es a heavy iron grate could be lowered from within the bastion to below water level in order to prohibit entry in wartime. In the fall of 1924, our fifth ~rade teacher led his class out into the schoolyard to see the first test fli ght to the Netherlands Ea.st Indies, piloted by van der Hoop, f}y over. Amersfoort became for us the third base point in the trian~le Kampen-Arnhem-Amersfoort which providoo us as a family the rich and varied joys of the Veluwe, that jewel in The Netherlands he11rtland which provides so :na.ny varieties of plants, trees, and birds, and which, with its many- bikepath~was bordered in the south by the Rhine River, in the east by the I Jssel River and in the north by what was then the Zuiderzee. Covered by fir, spruce and beech, tracked since times immemorial from east to west by Hessenwegen (trade roads) which carried trade from Central Europe and the Middle East to the sea and vice versa. From !(ampen to the Veluwe the road led, at one stretch, over a long strai~ht brick paved road, common}y called "The Endless Prayer" by the soldiers who marched on it. 1\11 were happy to see the tall pigeon house in Hezep where the landscape was of pleasant variation. Within easy reach were Baarn with the royal palace, Soest with its military airfield, Spakenbure with the typical fishermen's housing and state}y, colorful dress. �I want to mention that close to our house in l\.mersfoort lived a colorful amazon, walking to the stables in ridin~ breeches, black jacket and a black hat, a ridin2' crop in her hand, someti~es smoking a cigar and always accompanied by a hu~e, pitcl1-black shepherd do~ named "Satan." Women's liberation never saw the likes of her. In June, 1925, Dad was transferred back to the Instruction Battalion in Kampen and we moved into an apartment on the second floor of the Van Heutsz barracks with all the rooms on the side of the Oudestraat and a beautiful view on the IJssel River from the sittin2' room next to the entrance gate. Just there, right in front of us, the river branched out again into the Ganza',4d.iep (i:;eeseflow) and we could see the small ferry going back and forth from Grafhorst to the Karnpereiland. It was a pleasure to be back in Kampen because during the seven months in f,rnhem and the eleven months in i\.mersf oort we had not ha.cl time to establish roots there. In Kampen we were again in well known surrounding s and amongst the closeness and ord.erli~ess of military life. At that time this life was slow]y but steadily cha_-r1gin2' . ·world War I, with its horrible carnaq;e lasting for four years alone; a front line which changed hardly at all, had produced over all of Europe a sense of 11 never again. 11 The United States' participation in this war to end all wars strengthened that feeling and d efense bud~ets were cut every_ where. Troop strens th was reduced, officers and subalterns dismissed, training and maneuvers cut down in size, service tL~e for recruits reduced until it reached 5½ months at the time Hitler ca.~e into power in 1933. lforale, so high in 191 Li-, with a well led and well trained army at the bor_ der - such that the German High Command under General Von Eoltke decided to limit their attack to Prance and 3elgium _ began to erode. The social fabric of Europe broke up. Speeding up this process, the Bolshevik Revolution spread to Poland and Germany. Comm1.L"11ist and socialist parties in western Europe, stren~thened and spurred on by spreading economic discontent and poverty, added to their strength in parliament, agitated in their newspapers. They often took to the streets to demonstate. Labor Day on Nay 1st saw large crow:ls ma.rchin!! under a sea. of red :lags. 1\. s a boy I remember walking next to my Dad and often heari:ng catcalls of "murderer." Proud of his uniform, he simpl y took my hand and did not hasten his stride. Poverty, though, was a terrible pla~ue and re_ lief of the unemployed, the injured a."l"ld sick and the elderly were in their infancy and inadequate. /\. s the gap between the welL to-d o and the very poor increased, class antagonism increased also and sou2:ht vent in the building of a more concerned party system with its own newspapers, propa.~anda and rallies and a. strident journalism which had access to the new mass communication of the radio. 2trernism never took root in The Netherlands. �-11- Before we moved to Arnhem I had a few experiences which eXpressed the social tensions of the times. A boy named Jan, a few years older than I and poorly dressed, daily came out to the barracks' ld.tchen and the chef-cook Gerritsen invited him into the ld.tchen and gave him a warm meal. Jan always seemed to cough a lot but was !)leasant and cheerful and often participated in the ga..mes other children played. One day he did not come do~m as usual and my mother told me that he had thrown up a lot of blood crossing the bridge in front of the barracks anc1. was very ill. I venturoo to the brid~e arrl saw the spot with the dark, drying blood. A few days later I was told that Jan had died. The chef-cook had some male assistants and some women helpers who peeled potatoes by the bucket. They, too, had their meal there and one day a dispute arose because one of the women ate meat on Friday to the ire of another woman. Red in the face, she retorted in a loud voice that she did not have the money to buy meat or for that matter fish and that she was convinced that she did not sin in accepting a meal with meat as long as her priest could afford choice cuts of fish. I thought a lot about that at the time but do not remember talking about it. Otherwise our daily life was pleasant. Between classes the cadets would have coffee in the garden. One of them - Le Clerq by name - painted. flowers in his spare time anc1. I often sat quietly watching him; how beautifully he copied the colors and the shapes. In the winter of 1918-19, I later learned, a flu epidemic struck. Through the wirrlow which provided a look into the broad hallway on the second floor, I saw many of the carrlidate officers carried away on stretchers. I knew them. Some did come back. Others didn't. After school, Dad often allowed me to go with him to fencing classes, as long as I sat quietly along the side. He would don the steel mesh mask with the leather shield protecting his throat and wore a heavily padded jacket. The cadets were instructed to repeatedly attack and to aim at the heart and the head. Dad would stand there, sabre drawn, deflecting their strikes until they managed to hit him; meanwhile, he would call out instructions. Sometimes there was competitive fencing with Dad often acting as referee. Foil fencing was the most ele~ant. Sabre, sword, and especially bayonet fightinR were tough battles for participants arrl for onlookers alike. They were not real bayonets, of course, but spring-actuated steel shafts with a heavy leather knob. Once, during a sabre contest, Dad was wourrled when struck over the head, the sabre bending, cutting the back of his head. His adversary, a good friend of ours, came to our home afterwards to see if he was all riEsht and the two men jokoo about it. Mom did not think it funny. The regiment's doctor, by the name of Jacob~ and his pharmacist assistant, Lorist, were a nice team and the few times I had to see them they always had a good word for me. Lorist's standard joke was that if there was something wrong inside the body you used aspirin anc1. if it was on the outside, iodine was the cure-all. �-12- While living in i\mersfoort, at age eleven, I got my first pair of glasses, one of my eyes being near-sighted and the other far-sighted. It seems to have been unusual a.nd wa.s blamed (why not?) on the measles. On my eighth birthday I was r;iven a bike. It was slightly too large for me so Dad fixed the pedals to be double in size. Two soldiers, ea~er to earn some extra money on a Saturday afternoon, spent what seemed to me a long time in demonstrating the fine art of bicyclin~. J\.fter several misses on my part, one of them proposed that if on the next try I did not manage to stay on for ten meters, they'd throw me in the canal. I managed a.nd the three of us came back sweaty but in high spirits. Eve~Jthin!?:' was all right when Mom had chocolate milk and cookies waitin~ for us. After three different great schools within 1½ yea.rs in Arnhem and Amersfoort, I had some difficulty fitting into the hi~her pace at my old Kampen prep school. My pa.rents arra.ri.ged for private lessons for a while and, after going smoothly through the sixth grade, I passed the entrance examination for Al.mere College. i\.t that time in The Netherla.n:ls there were five types of high school all with a directed curriculum and no electives. Lateral changes between these schools were possible in the lower grades. The Gymnasium stressed Latin, Greek, and Hebrew with the lesser emphasis on modern languages - French, German, and ~nglish _ and little emphasis on ma.th. In 1926, with a total population of 9 million, this type of school attracted 6,670 pupils. A.1.mere Coller-; e did not carry La.tin, Greek, or Hebrew. Its ma.in thrust was on modern languages, math, history and geography. In 1926, this type of school attracted 20,2~9 pupils of which 4,836 were girls. The Handelsschool had the emphasis on modern lanf_'.;uages and accounting . The E.U.L. O. and U.L.O. types of schools expanded on the great school curriculum and followed a less strin~ent set of courses at a slower pace, were more ~enera.lized a.nd usually lasted three years as compared with five yea.rs for the first two types mentioned. ~inally there were the Skills centers which trained mechanics, carpenters, smiths, painters, and electricians and also taught Dutch and mechanical drawing. In all the schools, great emphasis was placed on your native language. After a few years of livin~ with our 11 Honcl.ius 11 and the other libraries, Al.mere Colle~e proved to be a pleasant challenge. 1926 saw a jump nationwide in this type of school a.nd the first form opened with 34 pupils. We were split into two groups of 17 to allow for individuallty and quality of teaching. Upon entering the third form the pupil total had shrunk so that we all were in one class room a.f ain. We had a demanding schedule with a heavy load of homework. Va.cations were scheduled for only one week between Christmas and New Year's, a few days at Easter and Pentecost and a sj_~ weeks' vacation in the summer. �-13- In the first form Dutch, 7rench, and GeMnan ~rammer an:i idiom were taught. In the secorrl form the latter two ha.cl f!radual~y taken over spoken Dutch in those classes. English was added in the secon:i form a.nd had to be spoken in class in the third form. The emphasis on modern languages must be seen in European con.. text. Hastery of your oi-m language opened study opportunities which broadened and trained the mind. The closeness of the European countries made it imperative to know a. few other languages thoroughly for study, trade and tra~1el. ?or The Netherlands these were German, "5' rench, and English. As the years passed the capacity to read foreign books, papers and magazines ma.de for golden hours. A characteristic custom was for one to become a member of an exchange portfolio, in which magazines in four languages were included. These portfolios passed to the next member in line after a week. Everyone paid a fee and a secretary bo~ht the Ma?a... zines, filled the portfolios and pre-determined the routing . Four of our teachers had Doctor's Degrees (ea.med) a._11d the others had Masters Degrees so a lot of indivirlua.l attentioJ1 was given to pupils to further achievement. Intra..--nura.l sports consisted of Swedish gym_na.stics with full class participation. There were rings, wa.llracks, tra.mpoline, high and low bars, parallel bars a.nd vaulting horse. Summer athletics included relay running , javelin throw, shotput and discus, hand and basketball. Swi.'1'!l'lri.ng was not provided for by the school but the city swi...TT1...ining pools were open to the entire population between m.d- 11.pril and mid-September. Water temperature of 55 degrees ? a.hrenheit was the usual cut..off for opening and closing. Indoor swimming pools were unknown. Kampen was ideally situated on a river, at the beginning of a delta and only ten kilometers a.way from the Veluwe where the ground was, since time immemorial, well above the waterline. In the 1920 1 s the city walls no longer existed except for three city gates an:i a small remnant in the northwestern pa.rt of the city. Prom the riverside the city was protected by a broad 1~1arf alonv, its entire len~th over which, next to the sidewalk, a street provided for traffic. At low tide the wharf was five to six feet above water level and, a.s a whole, gently sloped up to the houses another couple of feet. ~11 a.round the city, where earlier the walls had their begin.ning , an earthen d~~ provided protection against high water. This wa.11 sloped down to a canal called the Singel and was la.ndsca.:::,ed with a variety of trees, shrubbery, a.nd flowerbeds. ti. few miles a.way, over the whole width of the delta, the meadows ended at the Zuiderzee where a low dike_ purposely built that way_ provided for the Zuiderzee to overflow the meadows once a year for fertilization. Every fall, when heavy rains an:i northwestern storms were annual occurences, the city would be warned to be on the alert for high water by the hoisting of a large black canvas ball on a ta.11 stake placed on the �farms closest to the sea.. The three city gates were then closed front and back by strong pla~<s which fitted into built..in slots until these barriers were a.bout three feet high. Between the front and back planking, sandbags a.nd manure were piled up and after the brackish Zuiderzee waters had reached the city there was only one road open out of the city - the bridge a.cross the river to the hi gher ground on t.~e other side. For us youths it was a. great time, playing on the water's edge, watching a lost pig swim toward shore, seeing rowboats land in unusual places to and from farms on their elevations, called a terp. The "terps" were man-made hills and were high enough to protect the farmhouses and their dwellings. Ships at 'Wilarfside were tightly moored against the increased flow of the river and had long planks runnirus from t.'1-ieir d eeks to the highest point of the wharf. The annual floodings benefited the farmers two ways: the mea... dows would again be lush in the spring for cattle, artificial fertilizers being only in their beginning, and a.t the end of the su.m..rner an excellent quality hay could be harvested. The waters usually receded before the frost set in. The shallow canals would then freeze over and provide for skating and sledding and a. sport called "buur-;loopen." t,,_ row of boys, arms around ea.ch other's shoulders, would run from one canalba.nk to the other a.'Yld then back until the ice started to give. Inevitably some would g et wet feet or even wet pants. One of us was the son of a baker and when wet we could always sneak in the back door while the baker rested from his early morning chores and put our shoes and/or pants in the still warm oven. Only once, in the winter of 1928-29, have I seen the river and Zuiderzee frozen solidly over so that horse and wagons could use them and the islands of Urk and Schokland could be reached on skates while their harbors served Darked cars. That winter the temperature fell to minus 25 degrees Celsius- (15 degrees below zero Fahrenheit). This lasted for a couple of months and our biology teacher, Dr. Ten Kate, later rector of Almere College, orga.nize::l. volunteer squads to a.id hungry and injured waterfowl. We housed them in unused chicken coops. That winter I saw for the first time the European bittern - five of them frozen to death. A.mon~ all the rich bird life in the delta. and the meadows, one could hear their un.. mistakable call in spring and summer but their ca.pa.city to hide was superb. That winter the demand on charitable organizations and churches for food and coal was heavy. My brother and a few of his friends collected some and brought it to needy families. In March, the ice began to melt_ on my birthday a.s a matter of fact - and in the riverbends above the town ice would pile up, threatening the dikes behind which the farms lay on a lower 1evel than the river waters. The military ,-rould dynamite the ice dams and the IJ ssel Bridge was manned with men shoulder to shoulder with lonis, iron-tipped poles, who would do their utmost to keen the iceflows from <lama.gin~ the brid ~e nillars or from forming new jams - ~ gi ~antic struizgle, Th~ first brid ~e w~s built in 1liii.J 8, �-15- ? rom heresa.y I know that in 1915 the water level was so hi~h that waves drenched the brid <:_: e I s d eek, the railroad south of the city was destroyed, and the city barely escaped being _flooded. The people in that time still lived close to the benefits and adversities of nature. A quiet civility a..vid an unobtrusive nei,;:h.. borliness permeated all of life. Births and d eaths and lin~erinr; ilL ness brought out the best in hu.man relations. Children we:re bo:rn at home with a midwife and neighbor's wives assistin12: . Peo:!)le died at home with the body washed and dressed for burial ae;ain by f amly and neighbors. Food and household help were freely off ered when illness occurred. In the city a burial coach was used, inscribed in Latin for eve~Jone to see. 11 Eodie Eihi, eras tibi" - "To1ay I, tomorrow you." In the surrounding countryside neirrhbors l)rovided the best wa.,ron available for relatives and neirshbors to sit all a.round the coffin. h e boys regularly play ed soccer on a larp; e exercise field close to the cemetary. Hhen a burial party uassed on the ros,c't next to the exercise field, play was stopped matter of fa.ct1~,r until the last coach had passed. I do not remember our beinf told to co this, ~lay was not resumed. until the burial party had passed. Across the bridge was de "Bui ten Societei t," a clubhouse -c,rl. th a restaurant, a.n outdoor terrace, a read.int? roon 1-,,-:ith magazines and newspapers in Dutch, French, German, and ~nglish, meetinF" roo!'ls and lare.- e gardens with a music hall. During the su!ll!l1er, Sund ay evenin'! concerts were given by the Kam:::,er Band Corps under the direction of Christia.an Hengeveld. The majority of the me~bers had come from the military band of the officers I candidate school's regiment whose band had been discon.. tinued. In the su."!lYrler months, this corns also ~ave concerts on the Nieuwe Markt bandstand at night between 8 and on Thurs:lay , ~ lar~e public attended these attentively. Loo~~in,~ back over the d ecades, there was a.mong the people of Kampen a quiet simplicity and dii:nity which in turn nutured spiritual and mental development. io It was in the rea.dinr- room of the 3uiten Societeit that I read the fascinating sto~J of the discovery of the tomb of '{' ut_1\nkh.. A.JT1on in the magazine "De Prins." When one would look up in the rea.dime: room there was a panorama. of the city a.cross the river and of the water's flow towards the sea., guided by the basalt jetties in the outer curves to nrotect the a.d joining meadows a.g-a.inst erosion, ~:here the jetties ended there were lanterns to guide shin:,')in~ at ni~ht. The river is a.hra,y s a.live, now flowin2: calmly ,,r.i th the sun irradiating the s::na.llest waves, then wild and roilin::: on dark day s, threa.tenin€ its borders. The changing of the sea.sons reflected itself in the river. 1;.Jhen, in the months of July a.nd ,'\ uzust, far a.way in the ~.lps, snow and ice melted, the speed a.nd the depth of the river increased. In :November, when the rains came and the vr.ild cloud- shot sk'y spewed north.. western storms against the river and its d elta. the water rose a.2'a.in because �nature's powers slowed the run-off and every year it overflowed its natural and artificial bou.ndaries. Could it ever be harnessed_ the wind, water and clouds? Just to the south of the Buiten Societeit was the train depot from which the local connection with Zwolle departed. From Zwolle one could then transfer to the north to Groningen, to the south in the direction of 1\rnhem and to the west to !\.mersfoort and t\msterdam. We visited our paternal gra.n:lparents a.nd uncle and aunt twice a year - once in the surmner and once in the winter. I n the winter it was a comfortable train ride with transfers in Zwolle and 1\msterdam. The trainstops we passed were as many confirmations of what we had learned in our geography lessons. In the summer, we went bJ passenger steamer which left at midnight and arrived in Amsterdam at 6 a.m. Passing through the Oranjesluizen (locks) before arriving at quayside in ~msterdam was an exciting event for us boys. He had our bikes with us and after breakfast we bicycled for about three hours to Alkmaar at leisure, That was always a. trip filled with the joy of discovery. The first leg guided us through the western part of i\.msterdam to the ferry a.cross the North Sea canal. Amsterdam Harbor, called the IJ, stretches from the Oranjelocks to the bee;inning of the Forth Sea Canal. The ferry connnutes to Zaandam and runs parallel to a very his h railroad brid~e. Its height was calculated so that only the middle part would need to be opened for the largest ships. It was an extra event when we would see the mighty middle span slowly turn to let the oceanliners !)ulled by tu.e:boa.ts through. It was explained to us that these giants were not allowed to proceed under their own power as this could seriously dama~e the high canal dikes. The water level in the canal is high above the surrounding countryside and like the canals of i\.msterda.m are a.bout 13' above Schiphol !\irport. The first enterprise we saw in Zaandam were the larp-e timber harbors where forei gn ships unloaded the tree trunks which were then guided into secure basins to a.wait their turn for the saw mills. We learned to identify the flags flown on the ships. Come to think of it, how many of these flags would still be in use today? -S tate boundaries on earth have never been the most stable commodity. Through the old main street, through Za.a.ndam, Koog a.an de Zaa.n, Zaandijk and Krom..menie, we saw, left and right, factory after factory_ ea.ch with its own distinct odor_ vegetable oil, mustard, paint and saw mill. Cf f main street we visited different points of interest. In Za.andam there is the Czar Peter house built from wood but protected by a larger brick buildin£" bui1t around it. It dates back to a.bout 1700 when the reformist czar lived here to work in and study the shipbuildin~ trade. :<rom Zaa.ndijk to Krommenie excavations have shown proof of hu..-rna.n habitation as far back as the berrin.~ing of the Christian era. The "Zaansche Schans" was f-ra.dua.11,y built into an open air museU.."Tl �-17- where old, typical houses, "ma and pa" stores an:i windmills could be ad.i"'Tlired, all painted in the characteristic Zaan colors of green and white and with typical wood carvings adorning !Tlany a house. In Zaandijk one can see the garden with the statues. Only after we passed Wormerveer and Krommenie did we leave the heavily industrialized Zaan area behind us and then we could see the lush meadows on the former lake bottoms again. At that time, I seem to remember, in Krommenie, there was still a tollgate where a shingle told how much one had to pay. Horse and buggies, cattle, pedestrians and cyclists all paid a different tariff. The countryside remained wide open until we reached Alkmaarder Meer (lake) and on its northern end the village of Akersloot where we crossed the i'Joord Hollandsch kanaal by rowboat. Sometimes we would cross over to Heiloo and then follow the old brick road to 1\1..1<:maar. The view from Akersloot to the east shows the Schermerpolder where the Termaats already lived in the 17th centurJ. Looking northward, one saw the city of J\.lkmaar, its mighty Reformed cathedral and the Waagtoren dominatine; the city. West towarcl.s Heiloo, tall trees_ beech, oak and linden - stood as a protective shield around the homes and a large park named Ter Coulster invited one for a quiet walk. Followinp: the road to Alkmaar we entered the "Hout, 11 a wooded park. Thro~h it we boys would race ahead towards our grandparents' house on the Lindenlaan. Grandmother and Aunt Earie (the unmarried only daughter of Hillem A.arts by his first marriage) took turns in coming over to Kampen for a visit but Uncle Pieter and Aunt Trien never came due to our Aunt's crippling disease. Cousin Pieter came often during the summer. Kampen, surrounded by large prosperous dairy farms, had many close ties with the farming commu."1ity. For example, Monday was market day. In the 1920's, farmers and their wives, still in traditional costume, came to town in their tilburies which they parl<ed, thills turned up, in the middle of the main street - the Oudestraat. The horses were tethered with stablekeepers. Retail stores were busy. On Mondays, our grocer O?ened up the room behind the grocery store so that his wife could serve lunch to the farmer-customers. The farmers' wives brought large baskets •-'-r:i..th e~gs to the Plantage, a roofed over area next to the main street, and the housewives would bargain for size and price. By ancient law, some farms were allowed within the former city walls. Eanure for fertilizing the meadows was carried off in shallow draft vessels. Encouraged by our J\.lmere Colle:?,e biology teacher we would re.. connoiter the delta for bird and plant life. It was and still is a major nesting and resting area. Geese, ducks, storks, herons, swans, gulls, and terns and many songbirds would pause here on their twice annual trek between Scandinavia a.nd Horth /\ frica. Some nestin~ birds were the lapwing, coot, god.wit (snipe fa.lllily), reed warblers, swan, .1r nose, P-a"n.ecock, kite, stork, heron, garden warbler, blackbird and bittern. f or the identifica- �tion of plants we used the "Heukels," a dictionary-sized p:uide through several steps to the correct name and description. The ~eneral characteristic of a delta is its many-fold fresh water channels and the fact that the closer you come to the sea, the wetter the grasslands get until, in many ?laces, they become marshy. On our treks the a.dvanta.qe was that the average annual rainfall in this area was the lowest for The Netherlands. /\.s pronunciation and scanning were being absorbed, the study of languages introduced us to world literature _ often by recommended booklists and aided b-'J books with a collection of excerpts. Poet!"IJ was taught in the same ma..1'1Yler but declamation was only gradually mastered. In Dutch literature, writers and poets throu~h the early 20th cent1.1r1J were a..-rialyzed. Classics like Professor Huizene:a. 1 s Waning of the 1-:iddle i\.ges, ReYf'!ard the ~ ox, Valerius Gedenckklank, works by the poets Joost van den Vondel and Jacob Ca.ts, ElckerJ.yc (Eve!"l.,nna.n). Jan van Ruusbroeck, Thomas a Kempis (The Imitation of Christ) were stmied. In r rench literature we read Montesquieu's L'es-orit des Lois, Holiere, Voltaire, and Rousseau's Emile and his Contrat Social. In German literature there were Goethe, Schiller, Heine, Grimm, and f ritz Reuter and in English Litera.. ture: Byron, Shakespeare, Chaucer, F.' ieJ.ding, 1,falter Scott and Jerome K. Jerome. History, sequentially national, European, and world, was taught in a thoroughly interrelaterl. way showin1 cause and effect. In later years we were encouraged to select a period of our choice to study what the affected countries themselves had recorded a.bout it, Hhat a revelation and an insight into the mind of rulers and their historians! Geo~raphy was all encompa.ssin~. I n ~reat school, your o--wn country was explored and taught not only by map knowledge, but in depth. AL-mere College took it from there beginnin~ with Europe from its continental divide and origin and flow of its rivers to the sites of its main cities, its geological structure and its inter:ra.tion as a distinct continent, despite the manifold and often unnatural borders. In math, algebra., with its positive and ne~a.tive nu..mbers and systematized symbols, was taught i-rnaginatively. Euclidian ir eometry, from point to line to plane to solids as conceived and expressed in his Slements, received like attention. Graphic images and their analyses, coordinates, logarithm, goniometric and trigonometric function - it was all there. In su..mmary, A.lmere College provided able and successful teachers with inspirational qualities and abilities to maintain discipline merely through the strength and dignity of their ~ersonalities, Here was the real foundation of scholarship_ that in the past rests the present, in what is now_ that which is to come. The support and encouragement of our parents was invaluable though not fully appreciated at that time. �-19- In 1929, Da.d wa.s a.warded the silver medal for exemplary performance and service. Though we could not foresee it, that fall would brini:,; a. pro_ found shake-up of the entire world. The stockma.rkets crashed. 1930 came. Prognoses failed. Unemployment increased. Businesses failed. Large corporations shrunk to small ones. Homes built on speculation dragged contractors down into bankruptcy. Prices shrunk, but not fast enough to keep pace with the diminished purchasing power. How and if to spend money became a matter of a carefully weighed choice. The stock exchange index in ~msterdam fell from 10~ in 1929 to ~6 in 1931 and to 23 in 1933. The wholesale price index stated at 100 in 1929 fell to 52 in 1932. Textile exports to The l'Ietherlands' East Indies fell from 58 million guilders in 1929 to 6 million guilders in 1933. In the Indies, the wholesale price for sugar fell from 30 cents per ldlogram in 1922 to 17½ cents in 1927 and to 6 cents in 1933. Rubber took a dive from 105 cents per pound in 1929 to 14 cents in 1933. The League of Nations compiled the depression statistics a.nd Indonesia seemed to be where it started first, struck hardest and stayed longest. Dad's rank and position were secure and our family was fortunate. Our parents were hardly affected by the depression. Towards the end of 1930, Dad, at his request, was transferred to the military cl.istrict in the town of his birth - J\.lkmaar - to be effective in June, 1931. ?or several years already, Dad had been the literary contributor on military affairs for the weekly "Ons Belang" for subaltern officers and for the daily "De Nederlander," the party paper for the Christian Historian Union, one of the two mainline Protestant parties. His writings were contributed over the period 1927-38. In Ifarch, 1931, I was sent ahead of the fa...'Tlil,y to attend the Peda<sogic 1\ cade:my- in i\lkmaar and until June, stayed with my- grand!)arents. This school had a fine staff with the exce!)tion of the Psycholo~y Department where the teacher was unqualified. Within a year, however, this changed for the better thro~h the appointment of Dr. I Jzer, a. student of Adler and Jung. Our class numbered about 30 and the academic atmosphere and student life were hig-hly rated. The saJne discipline and lonp: study hours applied as for i\.lmere Collef!e. The outstanding sports team for the school wa.s its soccer team in which I played center half. final examinations ca.me in June, 1933, and I finished in the top seven out of twenty-eight graduates. In 1932, a drama.tic improvement in The 1'-!etherland's fi Fht against the sea. took place. On the 28th da.y of May the 1\fsluitdijk (closing dam) wa.s completed from Noord Holland to f riesland, closing; the Zuiderzee. In 1932, I ha.d joined the "] a.tional Jonp-eren Verbond" (lfa.tion_ al Youth Organization) with membership lir:ri.ts of between the as es of 18 �and 35. :fa.tiona.l historic idea.ls, as embodied over the centuries in the Royal House of The Netherlands: taking a sta.rr.i a.e;a.inst one sided disa.rma..."llent a..nd for a. democratic form of government with uni versa.l suffrage, were its idea.ls. Her Royal Highness the Crown Princess Juliana. consented to become our honorary chairwoman. I was to meet my future wife there and little could we anticipate that only eight years later our principles would be sorely tested as would our spiritual a:nd :physical stamina. In Germany, in 1928, a novel was published. by a. soldier who fought for his country in Horld 1/•fa.r I. This soldier was Erich :·1aria. Remarque. This novel, in its first person description, authenticated the writer's agony over his destruction a.s a human ·being by the barbarism that perpetuated a futile struggle for four years and in which the terrL tory gained by either side was measured in mere yards at a cost in htunan life which was only surpassed. by the events of 1forld War J_J.. The na..me of the novel is L"ll Westen Nichts 'f\Teues - All Quiet Cn The Western Front. I did not read it until 1929 and no matter how immature our minds still ·were it made a lasting scar on the conscience of all who read it. Voices grew soft, eyes moistened as the terrible truth of the destruction of that lost 3: eneration continued. to sink deeper into one's conscience. 1\fter this, it r11ust have been 1930, another book drew -::rry attention. It had been published before ~emarque wrote his first novel and was written by Oswald Spene1;ler - Der Unter~ang des 1\.bendlandes with Gestalt und ".'!irklichkeit a.."1.d Welthistorische Persnektiven (The :!Jecline of the ';·~est, ~ 0!'!11 and "Tetu... ality, and Persnectives of the vfo rld 1s7Hstory.) Tho~h, at that time, few scholars ·were capable of foreseeinz the accuracy or inaccuracy of his predictions and conclusions, the work its elf h~.d a tremenc: ous impact on the mind as co:rnmunism, socialism, fascism, nazis:n, anc. corporatism vied for the souls and rtlnds of man. Cnly the passa.,rn of time has a;iven us the benefits of reflection an:i hindsight needed. for pro1Jer evaluation. To this day the importance of his lifework is still being reco c::nized but on our youJ1g minds these contemporary works had a :Jrofound influence. In 1920, there were still Belgian refugees housed in school buildine;s. During the moneta~J collapse of Germany, German children were taken in everywhere to be clothed. and ±'ed. and housed while their cou...ntry tottered. on the abyss of anarchy. One dollar was then the equivalent of 11 bil 7-i on German marks. The large and stable Gem.an niiddle class was ruined. and the social uoheaval wreaked ha.voe on all the -=3stablished values. This, in turn, along with the danger of a Com'ln.mist (in C, errr..any called. Spartacists) takeover on the other side, made la.rfrn seis:n ents of the :nopulation call for and turn to a stronf"., leader. When the lar<:e corporations, the large lando1,.iners and the mli ta.ry sup'!_'.)orted. the Mazi p.grty their sue_ cess at the ::_;alls in 1932 brou1Zht Hitler to :::,ower and Kru-pp '!_'.)ressured General Hinclenbdrs:, then President of Germany, to appoint Eitler as 1:/.eichs Chancellor in March, 1933! Any hope these diverse interests had of being able to control Hitler soon proved to be false, �-21After ~raduation, ::: started my study for a master's c euree. ~lso in 1933, under the pressure of depression ~enerated bud s et cuts, the nU!llber of pu~ils per class in creat and seconda~J schools, which by law had alway s been fi.,-v;:ed at 25, was in one stroke increased to 45. The results for our ,c raduating class were disastrous. Not one of our 28 graduates could find a position .and ma..11.y existimr positions were eliminated. One studied without much more incentive than a check on an uz1certain future. Later it became apparent how uncertain. Only after 19Li 6 did the demand for teachers increase. !\ s I have said before, my Dad's position was safe. ~om a.F;ain had saved up enough money to take the fami]y on a week's trip to Belgium in 1933 and again _in 1931.j.. But here I was - a dee:ree financ ro by ,,ry parents and no earning prospects. \ fter seven :-:1onths, a. tip from 111;17 Uncle Fieter mad e me file an application for a job with the local govern.. ment 1~rith a job description of trcomputing unemployment benefits and paying t hem. tr This job bro-w.:;ht me the princely su2n of 25 cuilders per ,1onth and the obligation to work unlimited hours. Forrnal workino; hours were 4 L1 per week but because the federal government partially reimbursed the cities for the unemployment compensation paid, we had to work evening s and Sa.turd.ay afternoons on the required paperwork with all its rar.ri.fications. In 1934, a 60 hour week represented normal working hours. 1 /\.lso in 193L1, the Royal House of Cranje suffered two deaths that of Queen 2mma (Queen Fi1helmina. 1 s mother) and Prince Hendrik, the Prince Consort. The latter was buried in a pure white corte~e. That year also brought the start of regular flights between /1.msterdam and Ba.ta.via, the capitol of the Indies. The first plane was called the trUiver. 11 On the other hand, 25 quilders still bought a lot. I lived at home and my gocxi pa.rents never accepted more than two p-uilders per week as contribution to the household. I a...rn still sure that the advantage was mine. 1\ good woolen suit cost 20 1:,uilders, a pair of shoes; 1.1 to 6 guilders; a pack of ci~arettes, 10 to 15 cents; a movie ticket was 25 cents. I remember heated discussions with my fellow graduates about not waiting for a teaching position; but, as the months passed by , one after the other had to follow my example. One took a job as assistant mail.~an, another as clerk with an agricultural co-op, etc. I received an offer at the same office to become accounting assistant with the promise of a salary increase. I switched my studies to accountini:s and economics at the Instituut voor Handelswetenschatmen (Institute for /\. ccountine- and 3:conomic Studies) in Leiden, taught by Univers~ty of Leiden professors. My salary was increased to 67 guilders per month in 1936 and to 120 guilders in 1938. ~ . For a moment I must reminisce about our contacts with the unem... ployed. The overwhel.rning number of them were hard hit financially and eager to ta.1-(e on any work but there was not any . On rfondays and Tuesday s we com.. puted the payrolls which covered 350 to ~00 persons, all non-union members. The unions were paymasters for their members. On Wednesday at 12 o'clock �-22- we received a check drawn on the Nederland.sche Bank N.V. for the exact a.mount of the payroll. The two of us took this check to the bank, cashed it, and received it all in silver: 2t, 1, and½ guilder pieces_ quarters, dimes, nickles, and pennies. We emptied the bags into two metal chests and carried each one on the luggage carrier of our bikes, strapped to it by rubber bands. We bicycled through the city to the outskirts where a.ti old wooden construction barn stood - a one room affair held together with hook and eye latches. By the time we gotthere, there were us~ll,y li-0 or 50 men waiting impatiently. We got off our bikes, pushed them to the door, entered and locked the door. Why, I don I t know; it sure]y did not increase our safety any. We opened the hatch cover and proceeded with the payout upon signature for receipt. When I think back to the poverty of these people and ·the two of us carr'l.,rin~ 4,000 to 5,000 guilders under these circumstances, I cannot but wonder that we never encountered violence or attempts of theft. How would that be today? From my first earned money I bought a plus-four suit, a fervent desire of mine. :-1y working life in this place gave me a different education from the academic one prior. The reports that had to be made out for specific supplemental help; i.e., a blanket, children's shoes, underwear, etc., were experiences that affected me deeply. Many people who still had their pride often were frustrated and sometimes an~ry - not at us but at the "system." I remember one incident of violence where an unemployed man tried to force his way into the director's office. One of my colleagues grabbed the man by arm and shoulder and pushed him toward the door. !\nother, older colleague, the on]y one empowered to carry a nightstick, took coura~e at this sight and delivered a blow on the man's shoulder with the result that he hit my colleague on his thumb which swelled to unnatural proportions. Our director was somethirus else. He had been secretary of the neighborin~ villa~e of Ef'Jllond, was married and had five children. One of his bad habits was to play around ·with a female clerk in his office in off hours. Two police officers were tipped off and watched this v-rith great interest through peepholes in the ceilin~ and the man was fired. Throu~h political connections he got the position of director of Social Services in ~lkmaar. I presu.me that he checked the ceiling carefully before sitting down. He ended his life in a wierd way, 1\fter the Gerr.ian occupation started in May, 19li0, he cozied up to the Nazis and the Germans. They used him to provide workmen for the military airfield in Bergen. The German authorities provided him with a car and gasoline ration books. One day, in June, 1941, when Hitler ordered his troops into Russia, there was a Nazi demonstration in front of our townhall. Someone spoke from the high steps in front of the build.inf! and the Nazis below were wild with enthusiasm, lifting their right hands continuously (maybe to indicate how high the snowfall had been the past winter) and sang their bloody songs. 1\t that moment a car approached in the direction of the townhall and drove right into the Nazi demonstration. They dra~ged the driver out and it appeared to be the 15 year old son of the Director who was out for a. pleasure ride with some friends. Now the fat was in the fire. The verdict: stealing gasoline from the German i\.rmy and obstructing a legal party gatherino-. The Director was transported to a concentration camp where he died. The years from 1932 on were good years for the National Youth Organization. We grew in numbers, had f ood speakers for. our meetin~s, �-23- marched with our flags on Queen ·wilhelrrina' s birthday and on the 8th of October when the whole city co!!h~emorated the day in 1572 when ~lkmaar became the first city to successfully repel the Spanish I nquisition under Don F rederik at the F' risian Gate. It was just dand y to be hated by com.. munists, socialists, a.11d Nazis alike. lfany of the men in our orp- a.nization would fall i n the Resistance from 19LJ0 to 19u5 and, as a matter of fact, we had the singular honor of becomini:i; the first orvanization to be disbanded after the German Occupation bee-an in ],fay , 19Lt0. The first ~esistance F i ghters to be executed before a firin ~ squad were our members. On F ebruary 23, 193 5, I asked 1\driana Barbara Schuurman , my future wife, out for a first d ate. r,re were enf! aP- ed. to be marrieo in June, 1936 and were married on Aoril 18 , 1939 . We thoul! ht this lonP: interim necessary for saving enou~h money to install our house a.s we wished, v-i hen the war started one y ear after we married , we were r- rateful that we had acted the way we d id, F rom 1935 on we will tell our story tog ether. �Thro~~hout my formative years runs a supportive thread which seems to strengthen as the years pass and which I like to call the goL den rein. Both the Termaat and Harms families belonged, as far back as we were able to trace, to the Reformed Church. Just what the Reformation means is well described in Will anrl Ariel Durant's book, The Reformation. What it accomplished is that the distractions of art, music, a..~d le? end were removed from the Church and the Bible as the ~-.;ord of God was placed. where it belonP-" ed: in the hands of any person eager to read that book in his or her own language. In Europe the church situation is simpler than it is in the United States. Over there, in every country, one sees only a few church or~anizations. Over here, every group of immigrants bro1.J.2."ht over the basic tenets of their own church organizations and, especially in their new and difficult beginning, tended to adhere to that orf. anization as a basis of their small community. Naturally , just as in Surope, some ossification took place and often form took precedence over substance. l\ lso over here few mer~ers into one larger body occurred. I will not argue the merits or d emerits of the merger. What unites all Christians is the 1\postolic Creed. :-To one but Christ has impacted deeper and farther into human exists.nee. The Reformation was not a tranquil movement. It developed under persecution in character not unlike the extermination camps in ~ustria, Poland, and Germany during the second world war. But its followers, ra. gardless of which external form they congregate under, are unspoken, simply known by the fruit of their labors, to see for everyone who wants to see. Hen, like Luther, Calvin, Knox, and Zwingli and so many others, were called ·upon in the fullness of time to be the new apostles (witnesses). The empty dispute between creationists and scientists falls far short of the prominent fact: that all mankind descends from one set of parents and so are fully related one to the other. The oldest Gospel is that of :-1ark and as an introduction it has no peer. l\od to that the Ten Commandments, the Lord I s Frayer and the thorough tea.chint?: s of the Heidelber.2' Catechism and in whom awakes a desire to seek, answers will be forthcoming and the calm of an a,.~azing grace will transfi~ure and illuminate one's life. This ~olden rein is of the highest moral code and as we cannot possibly fulfill it to the utmost, we can alway s, in the privacy of one's ovm a.bode, simply confe ss and surely be for ~iven. When we leave this natural life, it will for certain be as small a step as it was when we entered it. �EFTICGU~ • • • ? ram whence, where to? The period between the two world wars for Europe where we grew up showed us the old beloved continent as it lived., laughed, wrestled with its problems. V e have seen it just in time, From F ebruary, 1935, until our marriav.e in 1\.pril, 1939, we had the cost},y gift of g rowing to g ether towards unity which is not achieved without its own cost. For Su.rope, it ended up as a lost world where poverty and riches, unbridg eable and inseparable, lived to '2; ether, The world of 3arth and :-Iann and Kafka, of fa.st changing social consciousness, of Proust and Galsworthy anc. F reud, of ":tosa Luxember!!, and Colijn, of ~bert, Stresema.nn and Firandello - names that have faded a.way. !\. ~urope that talked in coffee houses in Faris and Vienna, in 3e rlin and i\msterda.rn and Buda.pest and Rome. It would collapse in the abyss of 1939. 2:vening: s on the 1\ tla.ntic coast. Loni? d ay s in 3 elC!iu.,'11 and -:;· ranee and ~ermany. Sunny afternoons a.lon~ the ~reat rivers. White ni '!hts hi crh in the Alps. RottinP: slums. I ndescribable social arrears. There were planners and jokesters, idealists and profiteers, thinkers and fools, leaders and followers, artisans and statesmen, people of g oodwill and evildoers, democracy and totalitarianism. It was a Su.rope where we were you..ng and carefree and which is now dead, I t vas never a superb place, but it was already dyin~ when we thoU!!,ht it was still youn'! and alive. It was for many of us a home where we thaw.ht ourselves safe, and where we lived a youth, short enour,-h _ but seemin,,.ly lone- a.nd unend incr, filled with ideas, contrasts _ a laue:h, a tel3.r, I t was very old and ver-J younR; at the same tirne, It lived with R'Usto and was filled with g reat aicd g ooc. plans. It was at the same time a lovi:ng mother, our b eloved, and comrade. ·.-Jhat will happen in the future? Cne can only have patience. Steinbeck wrote in his Grapes of 1.··rath: "You got to have patience, 1:-,i'hy, Tom, us people will [! O Mlivin', ali-them people is g one , rich fellas come up an' they die, an' their kids ain't no good an' they die out. But we keep a' coTl'.in' • " �Ter Maat variants ter Mate, ter Mathe , Termaat, Termate(n) , ter Maath. Heirs ter Maet , 14o5 near Doetichem. ter Maeth, 1438 near Steenwijkerwold. Near Lemselo, 1381/83 ter Maet, 147? ther Maet. The last one is now called Maatman, which heir we also find near Noorddeurningen from the estate which was called Maethues in 1475 and for the estate near Breklenkamp, which was called Mathus in 1328. · The estate Maathuis near Albergen was in 1450 called De Maet, in 1475 Maed and in 1495 Maethues. A "maat" is a hayfield ; the word is related to the word maaien, a verb meaning : to mow. ~ One used the word "dagmaat for the size of a field which could be mowed by oneman in one da.y. A variant is" made" of "mede" for pasture. ( Note : etymology traces these roots to the ancient Anlgosaxon area west and east of The Netherlands-German border, betwe en the North Sea and the Rhine river) ( These words "made n and "mede" are still in use today . ) Composit family names are Maathuis , Maa~man and an estate Maetman, also named Mathemanshuijs, is men~ioned in 1385 near Oldenzaal. Another composite is Mateboer, and also Rouwmaat from the estate "die Rouwermate" in 1656 in Hengelo and especially in Groenlo . Rouwermate means a rough "rnaat" , covered with rough vegetation or thickett. Compare also "Overmaat". (note : here is another Anglo-Saxon root in "rough" coming from "rouw") 11 � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Adriana B. and Peter N. Termaat collection Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Termaat, Adriana B. (Schuurman) Termaat, Peter N. Description An account of the resource Collection contains genealogical, personal, and family papers and photographs documenting the lives and interests of Adriana and Peter Termaat. The bulk of the materials are related to family history and genealogical research carried out by the Termaats, including research notes and materials about places in the Netherlands that were significant to the Termaat and Schuurman families, such as the city of Alkmaar. Other materials in the collection are related to the Termaats' experiences on the eve of and during the Second World War, especially the German occupation of the Netherlands and the Termaats' participation in organized resistance to the Nazis. Also included are materials that document the family's post-war life in the United States, including their public efforts to recognize, commemorate, and honor people and events significant to World War II. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1869 - 2012 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/719">Adriana B. and Peter N. Termaat collection, RHC-144</a> Subject The topic of the resource Netherlands Netherlands--History--German occupation, 1940-1945 World War, 1939-1945 World War, 1939-1945 -- Underground movements -- Netherlands Dutch Dutch Americans Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-144 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource Text Image Type The nature or genre of the resource application/pdf image/jpeg Language A language of the resource eng nl Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-144_Termaat_WRI_Memoir-P-Termaat-The-Formative-Years-1914-1935 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Termaat, Pieter Title A name given to the resource Pass In Revue: 1914-1935, The Formative Years Description An account of the resource Memoir by Pieter N. Termaat on his youth and adolescence in the Netherlands. Subject The topic of the resource Dutch Dutch Americans Netherlands Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/719">Adriana B. and Peter N. Termaat collection (RHC-144)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/9e42f5af5a740c78b9b9238a41e16b0f.pdf 6ecb36735f6544910fb93c29aa0a5100 PDF Text Text Prof. Baum & Prof. deYoung HP 231 Fall, 1990 "Conflict and Cooperation in Society" THE NAZI HOLOCAUST AND THE SOCIAL SCIENCES Books required for the course: Raul Hilberg, The Destruction of the European Jews Eli Wiesel, Night Philip Hallie, Lest Innocent Blood Be Shed Joel Dimsdale, Survivors, Victims and Perpetrators (Syllabus revised by William Baum, August 1990.) Because this course is so unusual, some comments are called for at the beginning. This course came about as a result of work begun several years ago by a committee working to develop a high quality and highly interdisciplinary course in the social sciences. We hereby acknowledge our gratitude to Dean Tony Travis for his moral and financial support of this endeavor. Professor Baum originally assumed the task of organizing the course and continues to do so. In the five years that this course has been offered, he has been helped in many ways by many people. Above all, special gratitude is expressed to Professors Joanisse and deYoung and the guests who serve as witness to the Nazi Holocaust and suffer unbelievable memories and pain in doing so. These guests, colleagues and a growing literature remind us that all social phenomena is lived and interpreted at the 'level of daily life.' The ability to generalize is a hallmark of any science, and it is possible to make some 1 �valid generalizations about human behavior during the Holocaust. However, we must guard against excessive generalization. As the works of Allen, Henry, Levi, Peukert and the many diaries cited below indicate so clearly, every life has its own story to tell and the story is almost always one of the fragility and malleability of most every human and most every human situation. He [man] has the capacity to veer with every wind, or, stubbornly, to insert himself into some fantastically elaborated and irrational social institution only to perish with it. [For man] is a fickle, erratic, dangerous creature [whose] restless mind would try all paths, all horrors, all betrayals ... believe all things and believe nothing ... kill for shadowy ideas more ferociously than other creatures kill for food, then, in a generation or less, forget what bloody dream had so oppressed him. Loren Eiseley The subject matter of this course deserves special comment. The committee established in 1985 to develop a high quality interdisciplinary course in the social sciences needed a good case study in order to hold it together. Inevitably (at least it now seems so), we came to focus on the Holocaust - the systematic murder of European Jews and certain other groups by the Nazis during World War II. As horrible as this catastrophe is to study and contemplate, it does provide an e x cellent opportunity to consider human 2 �behavior i n a wide range of contexts. We are forced to confront the following basic set of questions. How could the people of Germany - the nation of Bach and Kant - become deeply involved in the extermination of some 6 million Jews and Gypsies (and others) whose alleged crime was that they belonged to an "inferior race"? How could Germans beat and kick old women, even young children and babies and then gas them before throwing them into the large ovens of the infamous death camps? How could the "Nazi doctors" deliberately break the bones of little children so that they could "study" the healing process? confront the question: In short, we must how and why could humans do these things to other humans? If you are thinking as you read this that only very sick humans are capable of doing these things and that everyone involved in the killing process was psychopathic, you will confront some shocking evidence in this course. A great deal of evidence in the social sciences points to the fact that many or most of us would have been obedient Nazis if we had been there. One of the goals of the course is for you to learn how the structure and organization of modern bureaucracy and certain other groups can "assist" in the process of human destruction. We will also see the enormous role in this process played by such normal human behavior as denial, repression and "distancing". Another goal of the course is to stimulate an examination of ones' ownself. I think that it is virtually 3 �impossible to go through this course and not ask serious questions a b out who you are and what you are and what your ancestors have passed on to you in the way of religious beliefs - including prejudice and hatred. In case you are wondering, I am not Jewish. Christian. Nor am I (And I don't know enough to be an atheist). I am merely an American, of German-Irish-Scottish ancestry, who is both curious and troubled by what humans can do to other humans. (By the way, Professor deYoung is almost none of the above). Another very important goal of this course may be described as the hope that it may make you a more responsible citizen. What happened in Germany was due, in part, to the fact that not very many Germans did anything to oppose the Nazis. Even though we tend to think of Hitler as a crazed demon, there is much evidence that suggests that Nazi programs would have been abandoned or modified if Hitler had received more public opposition. Indeed, the so-called Euthanasia program - actually mass murder of persons physically or mentally disabled - which began in 1939 was at least officially modified when public reaction reached a high level by 1941. Although we haven't had a Holocaust in this country, we have many unsavory chapters in our history, including the systematic slavery of Blacks, the long standing mistreatment of Native Americans and the widespread prejudice toward Hispanic and Asian Americans (to name but some of the 4 �examples). Most of the examples of human destruction of other humans (herewith defining destruction to include enslaving and the denial of full legal rights) involves a racial component. Social scientists have come to recognize identifiable steps in a process from mere prejudice (I say "mere" because I accept the premise that prejudice cannot be eliminated) to legal discrimination, to segregation, to isolation, to concentration and subsequent destruction. Details will vary, but there is a recognizable process, whether in Nazi Germany or contemporary America. Recent outbreaks of hostility against Blacks and Asians on American campuses should be a clear warning to us all. We must never forget that there is more to education than merely acquiring knowledge. Knowledge by and of itself is not enough. Haim Ginott's challenge states it eloquently: On the first day in the new school year all the teachers in one private school received the following note from the principal: Dear Teachers: I am a survivor of a concentration camp. saw what no man should witness: My eyes Gas chambers built by learned engineers. Children poisoned by educated physicians. Infants killed by trained nurses. Women and babies shot and burned by high school and college graduates. So, I am suspicious of education. My request is that teachers help students become human. Your efforts must never produce learned monsters, skilled psychopaths, educated Eichmanns. Reading, writing, arithmetic are important only if 5 �they serve to make our children more humane. It is trying on us all to have such a grim subject matter. One can only hope that we learn and gain an understanding of the processes involved in human destruction . These processes, furthermore, are not unique to the Nazi Holocaust. It is estimated that in 1914, Turks killed or deported to the desert 2/3 of the estimated 1,800,000 Armenians of the Ottoman Empire. During the early l930's, Stalin embarked on a policy to totally collectivize Soviet peasant holdings. Moving against the peasants as a class which must c ollectivize, become urban workers or be exterminated, it is estimated that 15 to 22 million Russian peasants were killed through intentional mass starvation and other means. (In Marxist literature, belonging to a "wrong" class is tantamount to being a member of an inferior race). Instances of genocide in Asia are also documented. In such a morbid context, any relief is most welcome. The course is titled "conflict and cooperation" and we will deal with genuine instances of compassion and heroism ("cooperation" is hardly adequate here). In October we will consider the case of the French village - Le Chambon sur Lignon - and how goodness happened there. With great courage, the villagers saved as many as thousands of Jewish children and adults from certain death. Later in the month, you will be able to meet some people who risked their own lives and those of their children to save Jews. 6 �Finally, we come to the principle of "lest we forget". Many echo the words of Karl Jaspers who wrote of the Holocaust: "That which has happened is a warning. it is guilt. It must be continually remembered. To forget It was possible for this to happen, and it remains possible for it to happen again ... Only in knowledge can it be prevented." I do not share Jasper's implied optimism because people caught up in a chain of events seldom comprehend what is going on. For example, many Germans who profited from the closing of Jewish businesses and the expulsion of Jews from the professions in the l930's would have nevertheless insisted that they didn't want any killing going on. They would have been shocked beyond belief if anyone had pointed out to them what would follow within a few years. As we shall see throughout this course, humans are frequently caught up in a series of events that are really out of control - only they don't realize it at the time. The more I read and think about the contents of this course, the more I agree with Freud in his contention that the unconscious is more powerful than the conscious. We aren't in control as much as we would like to believe. But don't conclude that the Nazis are blameless. Furthermore, our heroic guests and the village of Le Chambon prove what human will and consciousness can produce. But it is important to honor the spirit of Jaspers and recognize the danger signs which indicate when a nation, or culture, has become sick and is on the road to destruction. 7 �A primary objective of this course is to indicate what these danger signs look like in real life. Grading Policies 1) Due to the unique nature of this course, including special guests and films, attendance is required. 2) A term paper of approximately 15 to 18 pages is required. The term paper will be worth approximately 1/3 of your grade. (See the section following this for more information about the term paper). 3) A final exam will count for approximately 1/3 of your grade. The remainder of your grade is to be made up of an early exam and a daily journal. In a course like this, a so-called "objective" exam is a poor measuring device. One can name dates and names but fail to understand the Nazi Holocaust. We do acknowledge that there are "levels" or degrees of understanding that tend to accumulate and can be assessed in a diary or journal. From t i me to time in the smaller discussion sections, we will exchange and discuss our insights. The journal is to be handed in near the end of the course. 4) There is a Holocaust Memorial Center in West Bloomfield, Michigan which you may want to visit. hours wi ll be announced). go there. (The fall visiting I strongly recommend that you You should reserve two hours for the visit. Go slowly and soak it up. It is an impressive museum! From Grand Rapids take I-96 east to I-696. 8 Exit at �Telegraph Road and go north to Maple Road. Turn left on Maple Road and head west to Drake Road (past Orchard Lake Road and Farmington Road). The museum is at the corner of Maple and Drake, 6602 W. Maple. earned by visiting the museum. Extra credit can be The museum also has a library which you may want to use in connection with your term paper. They have many rare and special books there. Before going there you are advised to call the center at (313) 6 6 1-0840 for information. You may also earn additional credit by seeing an important movie/documentary like Shoah. Please comment on such special events in your journal. The Term Paper Each student is expected to write a term paper. The term paper is to be written after consultation with the appropriate faculty member and handed in before the Thanksgiving break. The professors may select the best term papers from each section and invite the students to present them to the larger group late in the semester. Last fall we learned that writing a good term paper is one thing, while writing a good term paper in social science is quite another. the SS. For example, one student wrote a paper en The paper was well-written, reflected careful research and told a great deal about the origin and evolution of the ss. But it wasn't a good social science term paper because it told us little about human behavior. 9 It would �have been both important and interesting to know the class origins of SS recruits, personality traits of the recruits, what the training program was designed to accomplish - and how it alte r ed behavior. It also would have been important to study the organization of the ss and show how the organization affected the behavior of its members. The significance of these points is clarified when one considers the evidence which suggests that SS members came from "normal" backgrounds and led "normal" lives after the war. Yet, they we re active participants in the murder of millions of people ov er several years. A good paper would account for how the behavior of these men was altered so significantl y in such a short period of time. What makes Robert Litton's book on the Nazi doctors so interesting and potentially important lies in his attempt to explain the phenomenon of "biological soldiering", or how these Nazi doctors could come to regard killing as healing. The student who authored the paper mentioned above received an "A" because it was a good paper. That it wasn't a good social science term paper was due, in part, to the tender age of the writer and to the difficulty in communicating to an undergraduate the necessary information involved. It is our hope that we will do a better job this time around. One of our major tasks as instructors is to communicate what good social science looks like. This task is not made easier by the fact that so much that is passed off as social science is no more than bilge. 10 (See attached �bibliography for examples of good social science). I PART ONE - WHAT HAPPENED The Nazi Program for the destruction of the Jews of Europe As we begin this course, we will focus on what happened in the incredible years between 1933-1945. Even so, it will be necessary to bring in some historical materials, particularly on the long-standing anti-Semitism in Europe. Wednesday, August 2 9_ Distribution of syllabi and discussion of course content, assignments and grading. Friday, August 31 Carefully read Night before class today. It is incredible that our special guest was in Auschwitz at the same time as Wiesel - and has a similar story to tell. David Mandel, Grand Rapids businessman, is our guest today. Wednesday, Sept.~ Today Professor Baum will examine and discuss some of the major issues associated with courses on the Nazi Holocaust. Friday, Sept. ']_ Why the Jew? The Holocaust is inconceivable unless "the Jew" is widely and 11 �deeply seen as something less than human. Today Professor Baum will comment on some historical components of the wide spread hatred of Jews. Assignment: Hilberg, pp. 1-24. Dimsdale, chapter 2. Monday, Sept. 10 The topic today will focus on how modern German science defined the Jews and the phenomenon of "biocracy". Assignment: Hilberg, pp. 27-63. Dimsdale, chapter 3. Wednesday, Sept. 12 The Holocaust is also inconceivable without the "takeover" of Germany by Adolf Hitler. Today we will see a few minutes of a documentary film clip so that you may get an idea of how effective Hitler was as an orator. After the brief film, Professor Baum will compare a well-known historical treatment of Hitler with a more recent "psychohistory" and indicate some problems with interpreting Hitler. Friday, Sept. 14 Hitler's coming to power was done in a context of a Germany suffering from unemployment, a recent raging inflation and resentment over the Versailles Treaty. Today Professor Baum will survey this area and comment on how Hitler exploited the German misery. Monday, Sept. 17 Who were the top Nazis? Today Professor Baum will comment on 12 �the most important men around Hitler. Yes, I said men. Women were not considered for anything important. Our guest one week from today will comment on this. Assignment: Dimsdale, pp. 284-328. Wednesday, sept. 19 The phenomenon of Hitler involved strong and widespread support among the German people. Professor Baum will explore the "tie" between Hitler and the German people and indicate the socio-economic nature of his most active followers. Friday, Sept. 21 Today Professor Baum will discuss the debate among historians and social scientists regarding the start of the Holocaust. Was the extermination of the European Jews the result of long-range planning (traceable to Mein Kampf) or did the Nazis "stumble" into it when other measures to rid central Europe of Jews failed? Monday, Sept. li We have, a very special guest with us today: Claudia Koonz is a Professor of History at Duke University and one of the leading Nazi Holocaust scholars in the country. Her book: Mothers in the Fatherland has been widely acclaimed. Today she will comment on the role of women in Nazi Germany . Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, sept. £h 27 and 28 These dates are reserved for discussions of the term papers with the appropriate professor. sheets. Sign up on the schedule Two may sign up for each time slot (there is 13 �something to be learned by seeing what others are doing and the troubles they are dealing with). We are using class time to insure that everyone will be able to schedule a meeting. Please bring with you a topic title, a paragraph statement of a hypothesis or thesis, and a bibliography of no fewer than five items. You may also bring a towel to cry on. If you aren't fully prepared, you will be asked to withdraw from the course. This will be enforced! This would be a good time for you in t he SS 260 section to be working on your extra credit project. Monday, Oct._! Among the questions raised are how men praised for their "honesty" and "gentleness of character" could kill women, children and babies. Professor Baum will discuss how the SS transformed "ordinary" men into killers of enemy soldiers and countless civilians. Assignment: Hilberg, pp. 100-153. Wednesday, Oct.~ More on the SS. Professor Baum will explore, among other things, the argument that the SS was "the alibi of Nazi Germany." Friday, Oct . ~ Hitler's program of euthanasia began in September, 1939 and was toned down in August, 1941, due to public pressure. 14 �Hitler apparently had 70,000-80,000 "feeble-minded" and "incurably insane" exterminated because they were useless to the state. Furthermore, it gave certain scientists and medical people a chance to "perfect" ways of exterminating large numbe r s of people. If the German people wee sick and horrified over the extermination of their own "feeble-minded", doesn't this vividly underscore the perception of Jews held by many - if not most - Germans? The Germans apparently regarded the feeble-minded as humans, but not the Jews. What did American soldiers in "Nam" call the enemy soldiers? Is the killing and mistreat ment of other humans only possible after a process of self-delusion - even collective self-delusion -has taken place? Haven't many of the worst crimes in human history been committed by people who first robbed their victims of t heir humanity? "easy"? After this, isn't everything else Not e the many instances of delusion and dehumanization, and how it even affected the prisoners. One question keeps coming back as I write this syllabus: Why did Himmler and his fellow merchants in death find it possible to build their concrete and steel monuments to death and yet never submit their "final solution" to paper? will discuss these and related questions today. We We will also see an interview with Raul Hilberg relevant to these matters. 15 �Assignment : Hilberg, chapters 5 and 6. Monday, Oct.~ We need to consider several matters as we conclude this portion of the course. 1) Why would anyone exterminate a group of people when one could enslave them? 2) Also ve r y disturbing is the matter of the attitude towards the Jews in countries at war with Germany. Did anti- semitism world-wide really contribute to the 'final solutions'? 1943? Did Goebbles speak the truth on this in May, "What will be the solution of the Jewish question? (He asked.) Whether a Jewish state will one day be created in some territory remains to be seen. But it is curious to note that the countries where public opinion is rising in favor of the Jews refuse to accept them from US• II 3) Finally, we confront one of the most disturbing issues of all: the historic contributions of Christianity to anti- semitism and the Holocaust. We will specifically consider the statements of Thomas Acquinas and Martin Luther concerning t~e Jews. Is the long history of Christian hatred of the Jews based on a misunderstanding? Does it matter that Jesus was a Jew - or that Jews allegedly killed Jesus? Why are the Gospels so ambiguious concerning the death of Jesus? 16 (In Mark 15:15 and Matthew �27:26, " Pilate delivered Jesus to be crucified; in Luke 2 3:24, Pilate "decided that their (the Jews) demand should be granted," in John 19:16, we are told that Pilate "handed him over to them (the Jews) to be cruicified. John 19:23 says that Roman soldiers carried out the crucifix ion. One cannot avoid thinking about this long history of anti-Semitism in psychological terms: perhaps the Christians used the Jews as a convienient symbol by which Christianity is measured. Christian rites and rituals became the sacred, Jewish rites and rituals represent the profane. In-group solidarity is enhanced by having an out-group devil. It is not surprising, in my opinion, that massacres of Jews can be found at many points of western history. Once again, doesn't this follow when one group considers another sub-human? In other words, anti-Semitism is not strictly or exclusively a religious phenomenon, but is a phenomenon of group behavior. In the rise of Christianity, the Jews were a convenient foil: they had a different Sabbath, circumcised males and dressed differently. Moreover, the separation of the Christian from the Jew clarified the identity of those who refuse to accept Christianity. With the rise of the modern nationstate and the decline of religious belief, "blood" or "race" replaced belief or piousness as a sign of who was marked for salvation or condemned to death. In November, 1 938, Goering acknowledged the importance of creating ghettos in all cities. 17 "They will have to be �created," he said. In either case, the Jews were a convenient scapegoat. It should be noted that France went through a crisis in the l890's which involved nationalism and anti-Semitism. Some of the patterns there were repeated in Nazi Germany. Members of the class may wish to consult a recent work by David A. Rausch,~ Legacy of Hatred: Forget the Holocaust. Why Christians Must Not Rausch examines the long history of Christian intolerance of the Jews. perhaps, is Martin Luther's role: Most disturbing of all, he asked, "What shall we Christians do with the rejected and condemned people the Jews? I shall give you my sincere advice. First, to set fire to their synagogues or schools and to bury and cover with dirt whatever will not burn, so that no man will ever again see a stone or cinder of them. This is to be done in honor of our Lord ... Second, I advise that houses all be razed and destroyed .. Fourth, I advise that rabbis be forbidden to teach henceforth on pain of loss of life and limb ... Fifth, I advise that safe-conduct on the highways be abolished completely for the Jews ... " Small wonder that Julius Streicher, a Hitler propagandist, would cite Luther in his defense of his actions at the Nuremberg trial. In his last years, Luther gave up on the Jews because they failed to convert to Christianity. 18 What do you think of his �comment that if he had been a Jew, he certainly would have converted! Today we shall have a class discussion on some of these matters. Professor Baum will comment on the indifference shown by the U. S. during this period of destruction. Assignment: Hilberg, chapter 8. Wednesday, Oct 10 Mid-term Exam. Friday, Oct. 12 Our "two weeks of sunshine." The story of the Holocaust is not entirely a story of horror and atrocity. Almost, but not quite. In this section of the course, we are going to read about and discuss the story of the Protestant village in southern France, Le Chambon, where a modern miracle took place during WWII. Read Prelude and Parts I and II of Lest Innocent Blood Be Shed. Here we confront the author of the book and the central characters, Pastor Andre and Magda Trocme. Have you ever experience what the author described as 'going through him like a spear' when he read about the village of Le Chambon-sur-Lignon, and their act of moral nobility? 19 �As for the remarkable Pastor Trocme, your author identifies certain events in his life as shaping his character. How do you assess these events - or do you think that Trocme would have done as he did simply because that was the kind of man he was? Why did Vichy France tolerate so much insubordination from the Chambonnais and Trocme? Shouldn't they have shot him? Does the evidence of warning and other help for the Jews from the Police show how difficult it is for totalitarian regimes to really be totalitarian? Magda Trocme found it difficult to lie even though it was necessary to do so in order to obtain the counterfeit cards to save people's lives. moral codes? Is it sometimes necessary to breach Under what circumstances and why? In a different vein, why did the Chambonnais both admit to the authorities that they harbored Jews but lied about many things associated with this at the same time? Monday, Oct. 15 Read parts III and IV of Hallie. One of the most important themes in the book is the nonviolent philosophy of Andre Trocme and the Chambonnais. The author claims that nonviolence was crucial if the village wa s 20 �to resist the Nazis and avoid a massacre. The theory of nonviolent resistance was practiced and made famous by the late leader of India, M. Gandhi. It has been said that Gandhi could only have gotten away with this because the British were so civilized. Was this true? What about the Nazis? Inasmuch as this is a course in the social sciences, the subject at hand is most relevant - besides being interesting. Gandhi perceived that non-violent behavior of resistance would force the armed adversary to re-consider and then alter his own behavior. Did this happen in Le Chambon? When Yolanda King was here in April, 1986, she spoke of an incident during the 1960 1 s civil rights movement when Police Chief Bull Conners, his men armed with fire hoses and dogs confronted unarmed, but resolute civil right marchers. marches were ordered to halt, but they didn't. moved ahead. The Instead, they Suddenly, the situation dramatically changed, the police and dogs acted as though paralyzed, while the marchers advanced. How can this be explained? By the way, non-violent resistance would be a very good term paper topic. As we leave Le Chambon, aren't you moved by the work of the Trocme's and the villagers? Does this case study demonstrate what a strong-willed, respected, man and wife can do to 21 �influence the moral climate of a community? Weren't the Chambonnais practically intimidated into having to do good by the very presence of Andre? Meanwhile, only a few hundred miles away, Germans were intimidated by force and threats of force to help identify and round up Jews in the process of their destruction. Do these events suggest to you anything about the relative strength of social forces for good and evil? There are many things in these chapters to think about, but two standou t to me in a course about the Holocaust: perhaps more than anything else, the tragic death of his sons, JeanPierre and Daniel caused Andre Trocme to questions the meaning of life. Are only the very young potentially free of the burden of seeing life as a dark, useless hole in a pointless world? thoughts. Andre Trocme had to do battle with these Yet, he went on to work for world peace for the rest of his life. Compare this with the passage in Night when Wiesel speaks of the nocturnal silence "which deprived me, for all eternity, of the desire to live." As we are about to meet people who did as the Chambonnais did, we might ask what is there about Andre and Magda Torcme that prompted them to do what they did? the same? How could we know? Wednesday, Oct. 17 22 Would we have done �Today we will see some film footage of a survivors trip back to Le Chambon. well.) (We may see some of this on October 15 as We will also meet some remarkable people in the film "Courage to Care." Friday, Oc t . 19 Today Professor Baum will discuss recent research in the social science literature which attempts to understand and explain why it is some people will risk life, limb, and all their possessions in order to shelter and save total strangers. Monday, Oc t . ~ = Wednesday, Oct. 24 The "Dutch Holocaust" Many people in West Michigan are of Dutch descent. It isn't surprising therefore that some of these people were involved in the Holocaust in some way. With a Jewish population of approx imately 140,000-150,000 and a special relationship to the Nazis, Netherlands have bitter memories of the Holocaust. Except for Norway, the Netherlands was occupied by the Germans for a longer period of time than any other country. The special relationship includes the relative small size and terrain which made the country easy to dominate. Most important was the special treatment accorded the Dutch. Goering complained: "The Dutch are unique as the nation of traitors to our cause." The Nazis had great hopes for the Dutch to go along with them because of "racial similarities," but the Dutch resistance prompted retaliation. 23 In April, �1941, Hitler ordered the deportation of all Jews to the Government General, with some exceptions. As a result, approximately 110,000 Dutch Jews - 80% of the total Dutch Jewish population was deported for extermination. This was the highest rate in western Europe. It is estimated that 20,000 Jews were "hiding out" in the Netherlands - half of whom were discovered and presumably exterminated. During part of this course, we will have special guests who will tell us about their own personal experience during WWII in the Netherlands. Today our special guests will be Jean and Peter Termaat. Their story is exceptional: for five years they resisted the Nazis by hiding Jews, allied flyers, and others. As you will find out, they put themselves at great risk by doing this. Friday, Oct. _g__§_ Our guest on Friday is Mandy Evans, who was a Jewish girl who spent years hiding from the Nazis. Her ordeal wasn't helped by the fact of 100,000 Nazi collaborators in the Netherlands. As she told me, "I think about it every day." Monday, Oct. li One of the most controversial issues in interpreting the Nazi Holocaust concerns the amount of resistance the European Jews put up against the Nazis. Did they go to slaughter like sheep - as some contend? Professor Baum will survey this 24 �controversy today. Wednesday, Oct. 31 Today a special guest will pay a visit. Joe Stevens was a member of the partisan resistance in eastern Europe. He will tell us some of his stories. II PART I I - HOW IT COULD HAPPEN Up to this point, we have emphasized what happened during the final years of the Third Reich when 6 million Jews were murdered. The enormity of this crime of genocide is so horrible that it causes a certain degree of disbelief even today. How could one man - a "madman" at that - gain so much power over so many? Why didn't the German people understand 25 �what he was doing and stop him? How could doctors and scientists become involved in the extermination of millions? How can anyone function and continue to have a life that is anything but a nightmare? Why was there widespread disbelief as survivors of death camps went out to tell their stories of what was going on? These and hundreds of other questions rush to mind. Answers to these questions have been offered, by many, including novelists, playwrights, survivors, participants , such as Albert Speer, filmmakers, poets, painters and an almost end l ess list of sources. To cite but one example, George Orwell warned us in many of his writing of the dangers of the abuse and debasement of language by government officials. This was certainly the case in Nazi Germany where leaders coined deceptive phrases like "final solution" and the "Jewish question" to hide their plan from everyone including themselves. But there was much more to it than language abuse; may victims didn't believe it could happen (even when they had been warned with evidence), some Nazi officials could apparently convince themselves and the tribunal at Nuremberg that they didn't know Jews were being exterminated. It is in this general area that the social sciences have something to contribute to our understanding of the Holocaust. There is a fairly extensive literature in social psychology which deals with the mechanics of repression and self-delusion. Sometimes it was quite unsubtle: 26 SS troops �would get drunk before shooting their many victims. was often far more complicated. But it How could sober, highly- educated bureaucrats keep themselves deluded for years? The first essay in the Dimsdale book by Raul Hilberg will help us with this matter. Likewise, a literature in sociology, public administration, and political science stemming from Max Weber will help us understand bureaucratic behavior and how a functionary working on train schedules from Berlin to Auschwitz would be able to see himself as a professional scheduler rather than as an agent of death. There were many similar examples. This doesn't mean that the Holocaust is something we will ever completely understand. comprehension. It may be beyond Furthermore, as Freud reminded us, human behavior is certainly irrational at times. Our unconscious mind is not completely - or even greatly - understood by our consciousness. This condemns even our conscious, scientific selves to have less than full understanding of our social being. Or so it seems to the writer of this syllabus. In any case, the Holocaust is a good test for the social sciences inasmuch as many of the questions raised about this event ar8 of major concern to social scientists. You may judge for yourself just how well social scientists deal with these questions as we now turn to what social science may be able to contribute to our understanding of the Holocaust. 27 �Friday, Nov.~= Monday, Nov.~ Read chapter 7 of The Destruction of the Assignment: European Jews. Hilberg begins with a discussion of the Nazi bureaucracy. This is most appropriate because an understanding of modern bureaucracy is essential if one is to understand the Holocaust. To begin, t h e bureaucracy of the state was created, in part, to make the management of the state more efficient and rational. For example, the Michigan legislature passes laws governing the right to drive in Michigan. The day to day operation of this large bureau is entrusted to the office of the Secretary of State. Here clerks sell license plates, record points made against on one's license and give road and eye tests to prospective drivers. All of this seems sensible enough. But consider the "irrational" or unintentional (at least) results of bureaucracy: that each member of the organization is isolated and cut apart from the goals of the organization. Imagine what would have happened had the following order been issued to every bnreaucrat in Nazi Germany in 1942. "Attention: everyone is ordered to the Extermination Trains. At 0800 tomorrow, we will proceed to Death Camps in Poland. Each person is to bring a revolver. one Jew or Gypsy. You must kill at least Some of you will be asked to shove women 28 �and children into mass graves. Before we return, liquidate all the Jews of eastern Europe. horrified. we will Prepare to be The stench will be awful - but it must be done." How many bureaucrats would have fled, committed suicide or otherwise have tried to escape from this situation? I'll bet that many would have gone to extreme lengths to escape. the bureaucracy shielded them from much of this. But Instead, in the compartmentalized world of the bureaucracy, Nazi workers worked away like busy drones. In his writings, Hilberg describes i n detail how hundreds of bureaucrats worked for years on the problems associated with defining "Jewness" in legal and operational terms. they missed the forest. Embroiled in counting trees, To an unimaginative civil servant, it may have seemed innocent enough to figure out the definition of half-Jews, quarter-Jews, etc. It was decided that all Mischlinge - i.e., half-Jews who did not belong to the Jewish religion and not married to a Jewish person were to be sterilized. This plan was temporarily abandoned when a bureaucrat calculated that it would cost too much because sterilization for 70,000 Mischlinge would require the equivalent of 700,000 hospital days. But the bureaucratic mentality was still hard at work to crank out production and the suggest i on was made that all Jews in mixed marriages be deported. Again an objection was raised. A functionary suggested that spouses would object strenuously and, ghoulishly, that spouses would overburden the courts with 29 �their demand for death certificates for those sent away. solutions? The Before Jews in mixed marriages were sent away, the state would simply decree the "marriage as dissolved". A huge bureaucratic squabble ensued and the proposal was finally abandoned because of departmental in-fighting and calculations of the amount of time the process would take. One can only wonder at the human ability to lose oneself in his work. But this doesn't mean that bureaucracies are necessarily harmful. They often are not because their design insures that things will go slowly, if at all. in his essay "The Government Experts" Christopher Browning, tells how Wilhelm Melchers, of the Foreign Office Middle East desk, saved thousands of Turkish Jews by cleverly using bureaucratic methods to prevent their deportation to the east. Melchers wouldn't initial deportation orders and other bureaucrats were too busy to confront him. That bureaucracies do little or nothing is a very sore point with many people concerning the failure of the United States to assist the Jews. One version of this is told by Henry Feingold in "The Government Response;", Holocaust ... ). (also available in The In this version, Henry Morganthou, Jr., Secretary of the Treasury and close friend of Roosevelt strongly advocated a rescue effort in behalf of the Jews, but was strenuously opposed by Breckinridge Long, Director of the 30 �State Depart ment's Special Problems Division. Long apparently r esented the many "city college" Jewish young men who were coming into FDR's administration and replacing the old boy network of Ivy League connections. according to Long. Or so it seemed, In any case, there were many pressures on Roosevelt from many sides, which often accounts for bureaucratic inactivity. Among the concerns was the fear that admitting large numbers of European Jews would present difficult security problems, as spies and saboteurs might try to slip into the country. Roosevelt was also aware that public opinion was not favorable for any large rescue effort. As a result, little was done. Students of bureaucracy and the Holocaust might also find it interesting that the British response was much like our own. To return to Hilberg: we should focus on his fascinating investigation of the psychology involved within the bureaucracy of mass murder. Do you agree with him that the destruction of evidence was done, in part, by the Nazis to deceive themselves? In his analysis of "the blood kit" comparable to Poliakov's assertion that the Holocaust was finally ordered by leaders who were determined to force all Germans into the situation where they, too, were criminals and would therefore have to fight to the end? 31 �Finally, does Nazi Germany demonstrate that people will behave very differently in a group than individually? In your experience, do you find that people in large organizations behave differently because there is something peculiar about organized humans? Professor Baum will comment today and on Monday about some of the work that has been done which helps us understand the bureaucratic behavior relevant to the Holocaust. Also read chapter 16 of Dimsdale. I think of Germany in the night, and all of sleep is put to flight . I cannot get my eyes to close, the stream of burning teardrops flows. Heinrich Heine Although He i ne wrote these lines more than a century before Hitler came to power, they are appropriate to the Germany of this century . The essay for today was written by John Steiner, survivor of several Naz i death camps. In his study of former members of the SS, Ste i ner traces the Prussian tradition which is supposedly a part of the Nazi legacy. One is tempted to quote Heine again: A stink of hounds and bitches, a stink of lap-dogs whose pious loyalty would lick the spittle of Power, and die for Alter and Royalty. One of the more interesting and perplexing problems for social scientists is the possible connection between culture 32 �and personality. me say this : Before you come to a rapid conclusion, let Hitler and Franz Stangl (the latter was commander o f Treblinka) were both Austrians. As I write this syllabus, I have been listening to the music of Franz Shupert and Mozart. They, too, were Austrian and composed some of the most sublime music ever written. My American Heritage Dictionary offers the following first two definitions of sublime: characterized by nobility; majestic. spiritual, moral or intellectual worth. Of high Can you think of words less fitting to describe Nazi Germany? The Perpetrator We now begin what is probably the most controversial and 33 �disturbing part of the course. throughout this section: One question will appear is almost any one of us capable of being a perpetrator? Wednesday, Nov. 2 Assignment: Read (or re-read) chapteYs 11 and 12 containing excerpts written by Rudolf Hoess and Joseph Goebbels. Is there anything about Hoess' youth that strikes you as significant? Did his father demonstrate a quality that helps explain Hitler's success: that Germans put a higher premium on obedience than on conscience? Hoess wrote: Shortly before his death "Unknowingly I was a cog in the wheel of the great extermination machine of the Third Reich." What is your understanding of this, in particular his use of the word "unknowingly"? Goebbels ra i ses some disturbing questions as well: 1) He tells us that news is a weapon and should be used as such by government. Doesn't recent history indicate that government officials all over the world understand this and carefully manage what they want to tell us? Is there anything we can do about it? Today we will see the movie on the Milgram obedience experiments. Friday, Nov.~ We will discuss the movie seen on Monday. 34 �Monday, Nov. 12 Today Professor Baum will discuss another famous and relevant experiment to this course: the so-called "Zimbardo experiment." Wednesday, Nov. 14 Assignment: Read chapter 14. a Clear Conscience: "Destroying the Innocent with a Sociopsychology of the Holocaust". Doesn't the history of the Holocaust demonstrate how vulnerable humans are to the "slippery slope" of morality? In 1930, most Germans would have been horrified if someone could have outlined events of the next 15 years. Yet, step- by-step, the Nazis and the German nation passed statutes and performed acts which, in retrospect, seemed increasingly bizarre. But once set in motion, how can one stop? Was the fate of European Jews sealed on January 1, 1930 when Stormtroopers killed 8 Jews - the first victims of the Nazi era? (Three year later, on January 30, 1933, Hitler was appointed Ch ancellor. A ten-year-old Jewish boy, Leslie Frankel, later recalled: "When I got home that day, I learned that Hitler had become Chancellor. Everyone shook. As kids of ten we shook.") Today Professor Baum will comment on the evolution of the Nazi death camps. 35 �Note: Almost all accounts of the Holocaust cast males almost exclusively as perpetrators. Most of them were. But we do know of female SS members - the Aufscherinnen - who were brutal as camp guards. When the Nazi were forced to leave Hungary in December, 1944, the local Hungarian Arrow Cross continued the extermination of the Jews. One of the members, a Mrs. Vilmos Salzer, sported a riding-habit, brown boots and a Thomson sub-machine gun. She reportedly tortured her victims by burning them with candles before shooting them. She was hanged by the peoples' court soon after. Probably no female was more infamous than Ilse Koch - "The Bitch of Buchenwald" - as she became known. Among her grotesque habits was collecting tattooed skin for lampshades. She committed suicide while in prison on 9-1-67. One document ed case of female participation was in the Einsatzgruppen - a special action group of the SS. When Hitler invaded Russia in June, 1941, the Einsatzgruppen were sent in as mobile killing units. States listed personnel as: ss, 172 motorcycle riders, Group A, assigned to Baltic 340 militarized formations of 133 Order Police, 89 State Police ... 41 Criminal Police, 18 Administrators, 13 female employees, 8 radio operators and 3 teletype operators. There is no evidence known to me of what the females did, but we do know that the Einsatzgruppen killed approximately 2 million Jews in western Russian. Group C claims the efficiency 36 �record: On September 29-30, 1941, they killed 33,771 Jews - a record even the extermination camps could never match. We shouldn't leave this subject without noting the degradation of women in Nazi Germany. See the chapter "German Wife and Mother" in Joachim C. Fest, The Face of the Third Reich. Also see Claudia Koonz, Mothers in the Fatherland. One major reason for the relatively few documented examples of female brutality was that Hitler wasn't an equal opportunity terrorist. They Nazi concept of a "good" woman (Aryan, to be sure!) was to be a baby machine. This general topic should interest some of you for a term paper. Friday, Nov. 16 We will now turn to the subject of victims and how some managed to cope. Read pp. 106-111 and chapter 4 of Dimsdale," The Social Systems in the Death Camps". Some commentators have conveyed the idea that the prisoners in the Nazi death camps were engaged in relentless war with one another for survival. While in some instances this was true, it tends to cloak the much larger truth that there was a very complex social system, in some ways put there by the Nazis themselves. Professor Baum will outline some of the major features of "society" in the death camps. 37 �Monday, Nov . 19 The assignment for today and Friday are chapters 6 and 7 of Dimsdale. (Chapters 8 and 9 are also useful and can be consulted for term paper topics). Today we shall see a movie, March of the Living, which features a journey to major death camps by children of survivors. This will enable us to see how the holocaust affects the families of the victims. Wednesday, Nov. 21 Today we will see the film "Night and Fog." You may find this relevan t on the day before Thanksgiving. Monday, Nov . ~ Assignment: Jerusalem. Read chapter 13. Excerpts from Eichman in The late Ms. Arendt was a brilliant and controversial writer who wrote extensively about the human condition in general and modern totalitarianism in particular. Her writings on Adolph Eichmann are controversial in the extreme, as Jacob Robinson's book, And the Crooked Shall Be Made Straight, makes quite clear. Rather than becoming embroiled in details over her account of Eichmann, let us consider some of the issues she raises: The sub- t itle of Ms. Arendt's book on Eichmann is: 38 6 Report �on the Banality of Evil. You can get her point by reading the first several pages of the section. One of the major points of dispute is her contention that Eichmann was a powerless product of a totalitarian system which could corrupt any average person with an innate repugnance toward crime. How well does this describe Eichmann, Goebbels, or Hoess? Even if you disagree with Ms. Arendt, what do you think of her claim that it is the nature of every bureaucracy to make "functionaries" and "mere cogs" out of men? We now take up a most difficult problem which we have not considered before: the question of sovereignty, legality and the apparent lack of any clear international authority. I realize the enormity of the horror of the Holocaust raises the question of taste and propriety here. Nevertheless, let us consider the following: Inasmuch as Hitler held his political position legally and Eichmann had been appointed to his post, why couldn't we regard this as a legally valid, however horrible, action by officials of sovereign state? The scale of the Nazi horror shocks many of us, but governments the world over kill, torture, arid imprison political and other undesirable "enemies". As we shall consider later, Americans practiced a variation of genocide with our native Indians. The Russians are rather well known for their treatment of their domestic enemies. Whether we like it or not, we generally acknowledge 39 �the sovereignty of nations, especially within their own Borders. To the objection that Hitler was at war with much of the world and "out of control" outside of the borders of Germany, we can only ask: isn't the old adage still true, that all is fair in love and war? Isn't it simply a matter of raw power? What international standard do we have to tell us what is right or wrong? Eichmann was tried and hanged in Jerusalem only because Germany lost the war and he was caught. Right? One of the most troublesome points raise by Ms. Arendt is this: We like to think that rule by law is preferable to rule by caprice and whim. If true, then Eichmann was behaving within the boundaries of German law while in the Eichmann trial the court was "confronted with a crime it couldn't find in the lawbooks". It's a crazy world, isn't it, when the laws in many jurisdictions clearly proscribe sodomy (even in the privacy of a marital bedroom), but there is nothing to prohibit the mass murder of men, women and children? So much for national and international rationality. Professor Baum will comment briefly on the legal problems facing the Nuremberg Tribunal. Wednesday, Nov. 28 40 �Today we will see selected portions of the Nuremberg and Eichmann trials. A rare chance to see some of the top Nazis. Friday, Nov.~ Professor Jerry Markle of WMU will be with us today. teaches a Nazi Holocaust course there. important but subtle topic: of the Nazi Holocaust? He He will speak on an How to interpret the interpreters (Everyone has an agenda.) Monday, Dec.~ A few student term papers may be presented. Wednesday, Dec.~ Professor Irv Berkowitz will be our guest today. His mother survived Auschwitz and his father fought with partisans in Eastern Europe. Interesting. Friday, Dec. 2 Course conclusion and evaluation. 41 � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Adriana B. and Peter N. Termaat collection Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Termaat, Adriana B. (Schuurman) Termaat, Peter N. Description An account of the resource Collection contains genealogical, personal, and family papers and photographs documenting the lives and interests of Adriana and Peter Termaat. The bulk of the materials are related to family history and genealogical research carried out by the Termaats, including research notes and materials about places in the Netherlands that were significant to the Termaat and Schuurman families, such as the city of Alkmaar. Other materials in the collection are related to the Termaats' experiences on the eve of and during the Second World War, especially the German occupation of the Netherlands and the Termaats' participation in organized resistance to the Nazis. Also included are materials that document the family's post-war life in the United States, including their public efforts to recognize, commemorate, and honor people and events significant to World War II. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1869 - 2012 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/719">Adriana B. and Peter N. Termaat collection, RHC-144</a> Subject The topic of the resource Netherlands Netherlands--History--German occupation, 1940-1945 World War, 1939-1945 World War, 1939-1945 -- Underground movements -- Netherlands Dutch Dutch Americans Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-144 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource Text Image Type The nature or genre of the resource application/pdf image/jpeg Language A language of the resource eng nl Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-144_Termaat_WRI_Lectures-Notes-GVSU-Syllabus-1990-Baum-The-Holocaust-and-the-Social-Sciences Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Baum, William Title A name given to the resource The Nazi Holocaust and the Social Sciences syllabus Description An account of the resource Syllabus written for HP 231 The Holocaust and the Social Sciences, Fall 1990, including an annotated bibliography on literature on the Holocaust. Subject The topic of the resource World War, 1939-1945 Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945) Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/719">Adriana B. and Peter N. Termaat collection (RHC-144)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/190ca0d498eb08dfc67b37cda70f177b.pdf 07c9e1925f2b8f1269073d847cb94419 PDF Text Text The goal of the Axis powers in its major attacks was to obtain contro~ of the opponents economic infra-structure and as much as proved possib~e and to obtain it in the best possible condition. The economic infra-structure intact. offers the occupying forces valuable help. If the major attacks destroy too much, the rebuilding of the infra-structure in war time defies the imagination, logisLically. a Regrdless of the system mankind lives under those in power rest their hope on the public's amnesia. It has become the invaluable achievement of the underground press and of tne British Broadcasting Company that amnesia aid not occur. The hope for tne great goal of the wettern democracies to be free again under the rule of law, was kept alive, its flame never was extinguished. ana 1£ one bearer of the flame fell, other hands gripped the torch tightly and carried it forward. That is one side of the human factor. The opposillte represents the inexactness of social studies in evaluating human behavior as inexact asi: the stux:dy of economics has proved to be. Roger Morris who served on the National Security Counci~ under the Johnson and Nixon administrations, recently wrote about our capacity to take the devil as an ally. He starts to say : " It was a rare , fleeting , ugly glimpse into the aark unaerside of American foreign policy, a worid that 1·ew of us can imagine " And speaking in that artic.i.e about tne CIA. he states "The C!A and its predecessor, the old offoce of Strategic Services, harbored and hired Nazi war criminals as allies against tne Sovjets in the early days of the cold war. For tne SS and Gestapo officers, no questions were asked." Paul de Man, a Belgian is a perfect example. During the NAZI occupation of his country he wrote some 100 articles and book reviews, always rabid ant.i-Semitic in the Nazi newspaper Le Soir. Yet he became a professor at Yale, teaching 11 deconstruction" amethou, not a coherent boday 9f knowledge, Which in effect a vast amnesty project for the politics 01· collaboration during WWil. IffY In this connection l want to repeat personal conviction that despite the exponencially exploded literature about nazism and fascisme, tnere remains a wide gap, which can only be filled. by a study in all West European countries of the newspapers and magazines that were allowed to appaer during the 5 years of occupation. David Lehman wrote a lucid article about Paul de Man in Newsweek and m:, remarks are being attributed to him, but ffiey struck the still VJJry sensitive strings in me which longed for just such a study. � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Adriana B. and Peter N. Termaat collection Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Termaat, Adriana B. (Schuurman) Termaat, Peter N. Description An account of the resource Collection contains genealogical, personal, and family papers and photographs documenting the lives and interests of Adriana and Peter Termaat. The bulk of the materials are related to family history and genealogical research carried out by the Termaats, including research notes and materials about places in the Netherlands that were significant to the Termaat and Schuurman families, such as the city of Alkmaar. Other materials in the collection are related to the Termaats' experiences on the eve of and during the Second World War, especially the German occupation of the Netherlands and the Termaats' participation in organized resistance to the Nazis. Also included are materials that document the family's post-war life in the United States, including their public efforts to recognize, commemorate, and honor people and events significant to World War II. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1869 - 2012 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/719">Adriana B. and Peter N. Termaat collection, RHC-144</a> Subject The topic of the resource Netherlands Netherlands--History--German occupation, 1940-1945 World War, 1939-1945 World War, 1939-1945 -- Underground movements -- Netherlands Dutch Dutch Americans Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-144 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource Text Image Type The nature or genre of the resource application/pdf image/jpeg Language A language of the resource eng nl Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-144_Termaat_WRI_Lecture-Notes-historical-context-325 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Termaat, Pieter Title A name given to the resource Lecture Notes Description An account of the resource Notes by Pieter Termaat on the goals of the Axis powers during World War II. Subject The topic of the resource World War, 1939-1945 Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945) Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/719">Adriana B. and Peter N. Termaat collection (RHC-144)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/059760ee99a42baffeabc818a4939181.pdf b006545c15c6a996793b83b2872d77fe PDF Text Text + . . . . , ." " , . . . . • I' \ • Prof. Baum & Prof. deYoung "Conflict and Cooperation in Society" HP 231 Fall, 1988 THE HOLOCAUST AND THE SOCIAL SCIENCES Books required for the course: Eli Wiesel, Night Leon Poliakov, Harvest of Hate Philip Hallie, Lest Innocent Blood Be Shed Joel Dimsdale, survivors, Victims and Perpetrators (Syllabus written by William Baum, July 1988.) Because this course is so unusual, some comments are called for at the beginning. This course came about as a result of work begun several years ago by a committee working to develop a high quality and highly interdisciplinary course in the social sciences. We hereby acknowledge our gratitude to Dean Tony Travis for his moral and financial support of this endeavor. Professor Baum originally assumed the task of organizing the course and continues to do so. In the three years that this course has been offered, he has been helped in many ways by many people. Above all, special gratitude is expressed to Professors Joanisse and deYoung and the guests who serve as witness to the Holocaust and suffer unbelievable memories and pain in doing so. These guests, colleagues and a growing literature remind us that all social phenomena is lived and interpreted at the 'level of daily life.' The ability to generalize is a hallmark of any science, and it is possible to make some �I I valid generalizations about human behavior during the Holocaust. However, we must guard against excessive generalization. As the works of Allen, Henry, Levi, Peukert ana the many diaries cited below indicate so clearly, every life has its own story to tell and the story is almost always one of the fragility and malleability of most every human and most every human situation. He [man] has the capacity to veer with every wind, or, stubbornly, to insert himself into some fantastically elaborated and irrational social institution only to perish with it. [For man] is a fickle, erratic, dangerous creature [whose] restless mind would try all paths, all horrors, all betrayals ... believe all things and believe nothing ... kill for shadowy ideas more ferociously than other creatures kill for food, then, in a generation or less, forget what bloody dream had so oppressed him. Loren Eiseley The subject matter of this course deserves special comment. The committee established in 1985 to develop a high quality interdisciplinary course in the social sciences needed a good case study in order to hold it together. Inevitably (at least it now seems so), we came to focus on the Holocast - the systematic murder of European Jews and certain other groups by the Nazis during World War II. As horrible as this catastroph is to study and contemplate, it does provide an excellent opportunity to consider human behavior in a wide range of contexts. We are forced to �confront the following basic set of questions . How could the people of Germany - the nation of Bach and Kant - become deeply involved in the extermination of some 6 million Jews and Gypsi e s ( and others) whose alleged crime was that they belonged to an "inferior r a ce"? How could Germans beat and kick old women , even young children and babies and then gas them before throwing them into the large ovens of the infamous death camps? How could the "Nazi doctors'' deliberately break the bones of little children so that they could "study'' the healing process? confront the question: In short, we must how and why could humans do these things to other humans? If you are thinking as you read this that only very sick humans are capable of doing these things and that everyone involved in the killing process was psychopathic, you will confront some shocking evidence in this course. A great deal of evidence in the social sciences points to the fact that many or most of us would have been obedient Nazis if we had been there. One of the goals of the course is for you to learn how the structure and organization of modern bureaucracy and certain other groups can "assist'' in the process of human destruction. We will also see the enormous role in this process played by such normal human behavior as denial, repression and "distancing". Another goal of the course is to stimulate an examination of ones' ownself. I think that it is virtually impossible to go through this course and not ask serious �que ::tio ns about who you are and what you are and what your ancestors have passed on to you in the way of religious bel:efs - including prejudice and hatred. ___ ......... ,_ _,\,,; .... "'-"'-' - ,. are wondering, I am not Jewish. ~ Nor am I (And I don't know enough to be an atheist). Chri . tiarJ . I am merel 1 an American, of German-Irish ancestry, who is both curio .~s and troubled by what humans can do to other humans. (B y the way Professor De young is almost none of the above). Ano· her very important goal of this course may be desc r 1b ~ i as the hope that it may make you a more responsible citizen. What happened in Germany was due, in part, to the fa ct t ha ~ not very many Germans did anything to oppose the Nazis . Even though we tend to think of Hitler as a crazed dem on , there is much evidence that suggests that Nazi programs would have been abandoned or modified if Hitler had recei v e d mo re public opposition. Indeed, the so-called Euthanasia program - actually mass murder of persons p] ·,y c. :,- ,:,} }y o r mentally disabled - which began in 1939 was rn o di fl ~d when public reaction reached a high level by 1941. Altho ~ gh we haven't had any Holocaust in this country, we hav e many unsavory chapters in our history, including the system st ic slavery of Blacks, the long standing mistreatment of Na :. i '!e Americans and the widespread prejudice toward Hispa n ic and Asian Americans (to name but some of the p)t"mnl pc::) - . Moc ~ of the examples of human destruction of other humans (herewith defining destruction to include enslaving and the denial of full legal rights) involves a �racial component. Social scientists have come to recognize identifiable steps in a process from mere prejudice (I say "mere'' because I accept the premise that prejudicd cannot be eliminated) to legal discrimination, to segregation, to isolation, to concentration and subsequent destruction. Details will vary, but there is recognizable process, whether in Nazi Germanyor contemporary America. Recent outbreaks ofhostility against Blacks and Asians on American campuses should be a clear warning to us all. We must never forget that there is more to education than merely acquiring knowledge. Knowledge by and of itself is not enough. Haim Ginott's challenge states it eloquently: On the first day in the new school year all the teachers in one private school received the following note from the principal: Dear Teachers: I am a survivor of a concentration camp. saw what no man should witness: My eyes Gas chambers built by learned engineers. Children poisoned by educated physicians. Infants killed by trained nurses. Women and babies shot and burned by high school and college graduates. So, I am suspicious of education. Hy request is that teachers help students become human. Your efforts must never produce learned monsters, skilled psychopaths, educated Eichmanns. Reading, writing, arithmetic are important only if they serve to make our children more humane. It is trying on us all to have such a grim subject matter. One can only hope that we learn and gain an understanding of the processes involved in human destruction. �These proceses, furtherm ore , are not unique to the Nazi Holocaust. It is estimated that in 1914, Turks killed or deported to the desert 2/3 of the estimated 1,800,000 : ~.:.: :~. ,.;:: •. i..:! li s o f th e Ottoman Empire. During the early 1930' s, Stalin embarked on a policy to totally collectivize Soviet peasa n t holdings. Moving against the peasants as a class which must collectivize, become urban workers or be e x term i nated , it is estimated that 15 to 22 million Russian peasants were killed through intentional mass starvation and other means. ( In Marxist literature, belonging to a "wrong" class is tantamount to being a member of an inferior race). Instances of genocide in Asia seem far worse still! In such a morbid contest, any relief is most welcome. The course is titled "conflict and cooperation" and we will deal with genuine instances of compassion and heroism ("cooperation" is hardly adequate here). In October we will consider the case of the French village - Le Chambon sur J.i g . . .,..., :'. - r1;"'r:1 h ow goodness happened there. courag~, t~~ villagers saved as many as thousands of Jewish children and adults from certain death. With great A witness to acts of courage in saving Jews will join us in October. Finally, we come to the principle of "lest we forget". Many echc· the words of Karl Jaspers who wrote of the Holocaust : it is guilt. "That which has happened is a warning. It must be continually remembered. To forget It was possible for this to happen, and it remains possible for it to happen again . .. Only in knowledge can it be prevented." �I d o n ot share Jasper's implied optimism because people caught up in a chain of events seldom comprehend what is going on. For example, many Germans who profited from the closing of Jewish businesses and the expulsion of Jews from the professions in the l930's would have nevertheless insisted that they didn ' t want any killing going on. They would have b een shocked beyond belief if anyone had pointed out to them what would follow within a few years. As we shall see throughout this course, humans are frequently caught up in a series of events that are really out of control - only they don't realize it at the time. But it is important to honor the spirit of Jaspers and recognize the danger signs which indicate when a nation, or culture, has become sick and is on the road to destruciton . A primary objective of this course is to indicate what these danger signs look like in real life. Grading Policies 1) Due to the unique nature of this course, including special guests and films, attendance is required. A bonus will be awarded to those who miss class no more than one time . 2) A term paper of approximately 15 to 18 pages is required. The term paper will be worth approximately 1/3 of your grade. {See the section following this for more information about the term paper). 3) A final exam will count for approximately 1/3 of your �grade. The remainder of your grade is to be made up of an early exam and a daily journal. In a course like this, a so-called "objective'' exam is a poor measuring device. One can name dates and names but fail to understand the Holocaust. We do acknowledge that there are "levels'' or degrees of understanding that tend to accumulate and can be assessed in a diary or journal. From time to time in the smaller discussion sections, we will exchange and discuss our insights. The journal is to be handed in near the end of the course. 4) There is a Holocaust Memorial Center in West Bloomfield, Michigan which you may want to visit. hours will be announced). go there. (The fall visiting I strongly recommend that you You should reserve two hours for the visit. Go slowly and soak it up. It is an impressive museum! From Grand Rapids take I-96 east to I-696. Exit at Telegraph Road and go north to Maple Road. Turn left on Maple Road and head west to Drake Road (past Orchard Lake Read and Farmington Road) . of Maple and Drake, 6602 w. The museum is at the corner Maple. earned by visiting the museum. Extra credit can be The museum also has a library which you may want to use in connection with your term paper. there . They have many rare and very special books Before going there you are advised to call the center at (313) 661-0840 for information. You may also earn additional credit by seeing an important movie/documentary like Shoah . Please comment on �such special events in your journal. The Term Paper Each student is expected to write a term paper. The term paper is to be written after consultation with the appropriate faculty member before the Thanksgiving break. The professors will select the best term papers from each section and invite the students to present them to the larger group late in the semester . Last fall we learned that writing a good term paper is one thing, while writing a good term paper in social science is quite another . the ss. For example, one student wrote a paper on The paper was well-written, reflected careful research and told a great deal about the origin and evolution of the ss. But it wasn't a good social science term paper because it told us little about human behavior. It would have been both important and interesting to know the class origins of SS recruits, personality traits of the recruits, what the training program was designed to accomplish - and how it altered behavior. It also would have been important to study the organization of the ss and show how the organization affected the behavior of its members. The significance of these points is clarified when one considers the evidence which suggests that ss members came from "normal" backgrounds and led "normal" lives after the war . Yet, they were active participants in the murder of millions of people over several years. A good paper would account for �how the behavior of these men was altered so significantly in sucl a short period of time. What makes Robert Lifton' s book on ~he Nazi doctors so interesting and potentially important ~~t~mpt to explain the phenomenon of "biological . '- solt eril ~••, or how these Nazi doctors could come to regard kill~~g as healing. ?he student who authored the paper mentioned above received an "A" because it was a good paper. That it wasn't a goods cial science term paper was due, in part, to the tender .1e of the writer and to the difficulty in cornrnunica~ing to and undergraduate the necessary information involvei. It is our hope that we will do a better job this time around. One of our major tasks as instructors is to communicate what good social science looks like. This task is not made easier by the fact that so much that is passed off aE social science is no more than bilge. (See attached bibliography for examples of good social science). �I PART ONE - WHAT HAPPENED The Nazi Program for the destruction of the Jews of Europe As we begin this course, we will focus on what happened in the incredible years between 1933-1945. Even so, it will be necessary to bring in some historical materials, particularly on the long-standing anti-Semitism in Europe. But we will primarily use Poliakov's Harvest of Hate which deals mainly with the "Hitler years". Wednesday, August 31 Distribution of syllabi and discussion of course content, assignments and grading. Friday, Sept. 2 Professor Baum will comment on some of the problems connected with teaching a course on the Holocaust. Monday, Sept. 5 We will not meet due to the Labor Day recess . But this is the weekend to really get your head into this course. Carefully read Elie Wiesel's Night before September 7. As impossible as it may seem, we will have a guest on Wednesday who was in Auschwitz at the very same time as Wiesel and has a very similar story to tell. �Wednesday, Sept. 2 Today we will have a very special guest with us, Grand Rapids businessman, David Mandel. In recent years Mr. Mandel has •'.:'(··-2 :-..·=- ·1 -= 0 1.t~ly de·:ided to tell his painful story - lest we forge t. · Friday, Sept. 9 Why the Jew? The Holocaust is inconceivable unless "the Jew'' is widely and deeply seen as something less than human. Professor Gilbert Davis will be our guest speaker today and will outline some of the major chapters of this long story. By the way, Profess o r Davis has taught a course on the Holocaust . Monday, Sept . 12 Professor Davis will join us again. Today he will focus on the bitter anti-Semitism in Germany and Austria just prior to Wo rld War I. cb sE s s e d \-li It was in this environment that Hitler became th "The Jew" Wednesday, Sept. 14 The Hol o caust is also inconceivable without the "takeover" of Germany by Adolf Hitler. Today we will see few minutes of a documentary film clip so that you may get an idea of how ~rr~ ~L iv~ Hiller was as an orator. After the brief film, Professor Baum will compare a well-known historical treatment or ttitier witn a more recent "psychohistory" and indicate some problems with interpreting Hitler. �Friday, Sept. 16 The class will meet in separate discussion sections. By now your head (and your journal) must be teeming with questions and thoughts. The discussion groups will focus on one or more of the following: 1) questions or comments you may have about the course to this point; 2) sharing journal entries; 3) the first 30 pages of Poliakov. Here we can "connect" Hitler, the Nazis and the German people as they move against the Jews. Monday, Sept. 19 Read "Persecution Unleashed'' in Poliakov (and review chapter one). We will focus on two matters today: 1) The author discusses the development of ''sacral" and "profane" laws in the Nazi system. What was their nature and function? Why, for instance, did sacral laws extend to the Netherlands but not to France? 2) Even at this early part of the story, it is clear that the predicament of the Jews varied greatly from country to country. What are some of the major factors which account for this variation? Be prepared for class discussion. Wednesday, Sept. 21 Read chapters 3,4, & 5 of Poliakov. Today Professor Baum will discuss the debate among historians and social scientists regarding the start of the Holocaust. Was the extermination of the European Jews the result of long-range �·~ planning (traceab l e t o Mei n Kampf) or did the Nazis "stumble" into it when other measures to rid central Europe of Jews failed? Friday, Sept. 23 The phenomen o n of Hitler involved strong and widespread support among the German people. Professor Baum will explore the "tie" between Hitler and the German people and indicate the socio-economic nature of his most active followers. Monday, Sept. 26 We will have a very special guest with us today . Professor Geoffrey Cocks of Albion College is the author of a widely praised book: Institute. Psychotherapy in the Third Reich - The Goering Professor Cocks will explore how one group of professionals survived the turbulent years of Nazi Germany. This presentation should be of special interest to those of you entering the fields of medicine. Furthermore, as our guest explores his thesis, you can learn something about how to organize a term paper. Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Sept. 28, 29 and 30 These dates are reserved for discussions of the term papers with the appropriate professor. sheets. Sign up on the schedule Two may sign up for each time slot (there is something to be learned by seeing what others are doing and the troubles they are dealing with). We are using class time to insure that everyone will be able to schedule a meeting. �Please bring with you a topic title, a paragraph statement of a hypoth esis o r thesis, and a bibliography of no fewer than five items. Monday, You may also bring a towel to cry on. Oct. ~ Read chapters 6 and 7 Poliakov. Among the questions raised are how men praised for their "honesty" and "gentleness of character" could kill women, children and babies. Baum will discuss how the Professor ss transformed "ordinary" men into killers of enemy soldiers and countless civilians. Wednesday , Oct. 5 More on the ss. Professor Baum will explore, among other things, the argument that the ss was "the alibi of Nazi Germany." Friday, Oct. 7 Read chapter eight of Harvest of Hate - "The Industry of Death". Hitler's program of euthanasia began in September, 1139 and was toned down in August, 1941, due to public pressure. Hitler apparently had 70,273 "feeble-minded" and "incurably insane" exterminated because they wer useless to the state. Furthermore, it gave certain scientists and medical people a chance to "perfect" ways of exterminating large numbers of people. If the German people wee sick and horrified over the extermination of their own "feeble-minded", doesn't this vividly underscore the perception of Jews held by many - if �not most - Germans? The Germans apparently regarded the feel le-minded as humans, but not the Jews. What did Ameican sole .iers in "Nam" call the enemy soldiers? Is the killing ~~~ ,, L~~~~m~nt of other humans only possible after a proc •ss c: self-delusioh - even collective self-delusion has tiken place? Haven't many of the worst crimes in human hist.c :·y been committed by people who first robbed their victim~ of their humanity? After this, isn't everything else "easy"? Note throughout the chapter the many instances of delusio: and dehumanization, and how it even affected the prisoners . One question keeps coming back as I write this syllabus: Why did P.ir.\i11ler and his fellow merchants in death find it possible to build their concrete and steel monuments to death and y ·- t never submit their "final solution" to paper? We will discuss these and related questions today. Read cbapter nine, "The Jewish Reisitance". This chapter raises some interesting questions about Jewish resistance, including ghetto uprising and the partisans. Professor Baum will survEy the debate that has been going on for decades regard~ng the nature and degree of Jewish resistance to ·the Nazis. llt::u..tH=-">uay, 01.,: L. 12 Finish the book, Harvest of Hate. We need to consider several matters as we conclude this �portion of the cour se. 1) Why would anyone exterminate a group of people when one could enslave them. 2) Does the author's account of Himmler make any sense to you? Do you have any understanding of the man? Is Himmler simply a case study of a man who might have carried out 'more rational exploitation' but for the circum st ances - in this Eichmann's opposition as well as the Grand Mufti's desire to see all Jews exterminated? 3) Also very disturbing is the matter of the attitude towards the Jews in countries at war with Germany. Did anti- semitism world-wide really contribute to the 'final solutions'? 1943? Did Goebbles speak the truth on this in May, (p. 262). 4) Finally, we confront one of the most disturbing issues of all: the historic contributions of Christianity to anti- semitism and the Holocaust. We will specifically consider the statements of Thomas Acquinas and Martin Luther concerning the Jews. Is the long history of Christian hatred of the Jews based on a misunderstanding? Does it matter that Jesus was a Jew - or that Jews allegedly killed Jesus? Why are the Gospels so ambiguious concerning the death of Jesus? (In Mark 15 : 15 and Matthew 27:26, "Pilate delivered Jesus to be crucified; in Luke 23:24, Pilate "decided that their (the �Jews) demand should be granted," in John 19:16, we are told that Pilate "handed him over to them (the Jews) to be cruicif ied. John 19:23 says that Roman soldiers carried out the cruci fixion . One cannot a void thinking about this long history of anti - Semitism in psychological terms: perhaps the Chris t ia ns used the Jews as a convienient symbol by which Christianity is measured. Christian rites and rituals became the s~cred, Jewish rites and rituals represent the profane. In-group solidarity is enhanced by having an out-group devil. It is n ~t surprising, in my opinion, that massacres of Jews can be found at many points of western history. Once again, doesn't this follow when one group considers another subhuman? In other words, anti-Semitism is not strictly or exclusively a religi o us phenomenon, but is a phenomenon of group beha v ior. In the rise of Christianity, the Jews were a con v enient foil: they had a different Sabbath, circurnsized males and d : essed differently . Moreover, the separation of the Christian from the Jew clarified the identity of those who refuse to accept Christianity. With the rise of the modern nationstate and the decline of religious belief, "blood" or " race" replaced belief or piousness as a sign of W~8 ~a: ma~kcd for salvation or condemned to death . In November, 1938, Goering acknowledged the importance of ..... c u ........ '::I ':l:,c:: 1..1..v.::, ~,. created," he said. all cities. "They will have to be In either case, the Jews were a convenient scapegoat. It should be noted that France went �through a crisis in the 1890's which involved nationalism and anti-Semitism. Some of the patterns there were repeated in Nazi Germany. Members o f the class may wish to consult a recent work by David A. Rausch,~ Legacy of Hatred: Forget the Holocaust. Why Christians Must Not Rausch examines the long history of Christian intolerance of the Jews. perhaps, is Martin Luther's role: Most disturbing of all, he asked, "What shall we Christians do with the rejected and condemned people the Jews? I shall give you my sincere advice. First, to set fire to their synagogues or schools and to bury and cover with dirt whatever will not burn, so that no man will ever again see a stone or cinder of them. This is to be done in honor of our Lord ... Second, I advise that houses all be razed and destroyed .. Fourth, I advise that rabbis be forbidden to teach henceforth on pain of loss of life and limb . . . Fifth, I advise that safe - conduct on the highways be abolished completely for the Jews ... " Small wonder that Julius Streicher, a Hitler propagandist, would cite Luther in his defense of his actions at his Nuremberg trial . In his last years, Luther gave up on the Jews because they failed to convert to Christianity. What do you think of his comment that if he had been a Jew, he certainly wold have converted! �Friday, Oct. 14 --- Mid-term Exam. Monday, Oct. 17 --- Our 11 two weeks of sunshine." The story of the Holocaust is not entirely a story of horror and atrocity. Almost, but not quite. In this section of the course, we are going to read about and discuss the story of the Protestant village in southern France, LeChambon, where a modern miracle took pklace during WWII. Notice: The class will meet on October 17 and 19 in separate discussion section. Read Prelude and Parts I and II of Lest Innocent Blood Be Shed. Here we confront the author of the book and the central characters, Pastor Andre and MAgda Trocme. Have you ever experience what the author described as 'going through him like a spear' when he read about the village of LeChambon-sur-Lignon, and their act of moral nobility? As for the remarkable Pastor Trocme, your authoridentifies certain events in his life as shaping his character. How do you assess these events - or do you think that Trocme would have done as he did simply because that was the kind of man he was? Why did Vichy France tolerate so much insubordination from �the Chambonnais and Trocme? Shouldn't they have shot him? Does the evidence of warning and other help for the Jews from the Police show how difficult it is for totalitarian regimes to really be totalitarian? Magda Trocrne found it difficult to lie even thoughit was necessary to do so in order to obtain the counterfeit cards to save people's lives. moral codes? Is it sometimes necessary to breach Under what circumstances and why? In a different vein, why did the Chambonnais both admit to the authorities that they harbored Jews but lied about many things associated with this at the same time? Wednesday, Oct. 19 Remember: we will meet in separate discussion sections. Read parts III and IV of Hallie. One of the most important themes in the book is the nonviolent philosophy of Andre Trocme and the Chambonnais. The author claims that nonviolence was crucial if the village was to resist the Nazis and avoid a massacre. The theory of nonviolent resitance was practiced and made famous by the late leader of India, M. Gandhi. It has been said that Gandhi could only have gotten away with this because the British were so civilized. Was this true? about the Nazis? Inasmuch as this is a course in the social sciences, the What �sub:ect at hand is most relevant - besides being interesting. Gan ' h : pe r c eived that non-violent behavior of resistance wou ~d f o rce the armed adversary to re-consider and then alter his )wn ~ehavior. Did this happen in Le Chambon? King was here in April, 1986, she spoke of an incic -n t during the l960's civil rights movement when Police Ch ief Eul l Conners, his men armed with fire hoses and dogs co n £r o nt : d unarmed, but resolute civil right marchers. mar ch E~ were ordered to halt, but they didn't. mo ve d ah ~- d. The Instead, they Suddenly, the situation dramatically changed, the p o lice and dogs acted as though paralyzed, while the march e rs advanced. How can this be explained? By the way, n o n- vio lent resistance would be a very good term paper topic. As we leave Le Chambon, aren't you moved by the work of the Troc me's and the villagers? Does this case study demonstrate what a strong-willed, respected, man and wife can do to inf l ue~ c e the moral climate of a community? Weren't the Chamb o nnais practically intimidated into having to do good by the v ery p r esence of Andre? Meanwhile, only a few hundred miles away, Germans were intimidated by force and threats of force t o help identify and round up Jews in the process of their ~ :::: st:-'.l::tion. Do these events suggest to you anything abou t the relative strength of social forces for good and There are many things in these chapters to think about, but �two standout to me in a course about the Holocaust: perhaps more than anything else, the tragic death of his sons, JeanPierre and Daniel caused Andre Trocme to questions the meaning of life. Are only the very young potentially free of the burden of seeing life as a dark, useless hole in a pointless world? thoughts. Andre Trocme had to do battle with these Yet, he went on to work for world peace for the rest of his life. Compare this with the passage in Night when Wiesel speaks of the nocturnal silence "which deprived me, for all eternity, of the desire to live." As we are about to meet people who did as the Chambonnais did, we might ask what is there about Andre and Magda Torcme that prompted them to do what they did? the same? Would we have done How could we know? Friday, Oct. 21 Today Professor Baum will discuss recent research in the social science literature which attempts to understand and explain why it is some people will risk life, limb, and all their possessions in order to shelter and save total strangers. Monday, Oct. 24 --- The "Dutch Holocaust" Many people in west Michigan are of Dutch descent. It isn't surprising therefore that some of these people were involved in the Holocaust in some way. With a Jewish population of approximately 140,000-150,000 and a special relationship to �the Nazis, Netherlands have bitter memories of the Holocaust. Except for Norway, the Netherlands was occupied by the Germans for a longer period of time than any other country. The special relationship includes the relative small size and terrain which made the country easy to dominate. Most important was the special tratment accorded the Dutch. Goering complained: "The dutch are unique as the nation of traitors to our cause." The Nazis had great hopes for the dutch to go along with them because of "racial similarities," but the Dutch resistance prompted retaliation. In April, 1941, Hitler ordered the deportation of all Jews to the Government General, with some exceptions. As a result, approximately 110,000 Dutch Jews - 80% of the total Dutch Jewish population was deported for extermination. This was the highest rate in western Europe. It is estimated that 20,00 Jews were "hiding out" in the N~th~~:ands - half of whom were discovered and presumably ~xL~rm~nct~E~. During part of this course, we will have special g~ests who will tell us about their own personal experience during WWII in the Netherlands. out guest today is Mandy Evans, who was a Jewish girl who spent years hiding from the Nazis. Her ordeal wasn't helped by the fact of 100,000 Nazi collaborators in the Netherlands. As she told me, "I think about it every day." Note: For those interested, there is a folder marked "Holocaust-Netherlands" available at the circulation desk �unde r Closed Reserve. Wednesday, Oct. 26 --- Today our special guest wil be Rev. John Timmer. He was a boy during the German occupation of the Netherlands and he remembers what his family did to save Jews during this terrible period. �II PART I I - HOW IT COULD HAPPEN Up to this point, we have emphasized what happened during the final years of the Third Reich when 6 million Jews were murdered. The enormity of this crime of genocide is so horrible that it causes a certain degree of disbelief even today. How could one man - a "madman" at that - gain so much power over so many? Why didn't the German people understand what he was doing and stop him? How could doctors and scientists become involved in the extermination of millions? How can anyone function and continue to have a life that is anything but a nightmare? Why was there widespead disbelief as survivors of death camps went out to tell their stories of what was going on? These and hundreds of other questions rush to mind. Answers to these questions have been offered, by many, incl~ding novelists, playwrights, survivors, participants, such as Albert Speer, filmmakers, poets, painters and an almost endless list of sources. To cite but one example, George Orwell warned us in many of his writing of the dangers of the abuse and debasement of language by government officials. This was certainly the case in Nazi Germany where leaders coined deceptive phrases like "final solution" and the "Jewish question" to hide their plan from everyone including themselves. But there was much more to it than language abuse; may victims didn't believe it could happen �(even when they had been warned with evidence), some Nazi officials could apparently convince themselve and the tribunal at Nuremberg that they didn't know Jews were being exterminated. It is in this general area that the social sciences have somethin g to contribute to our understanding of the Holocaust. There is a fairly extensive literature in social psychology which deals with the mechanics of repression and self-delusion. Sometimes it was quite unsubtle: SS troops would get drunk before shooting their many victims. was often far more complicated. But it How could sober, highly- educated bureaucrats keep themselves deluded for years? The first essay in the Dimsdale book by Raul Hilberg will help us with this matter. Likewise, a literature in sociology, public administration, and political science stemming from Max Weber will help us understand bureaucratic behavior and how a functionary working on train schedules from Berlin to Auschwitz would be able to see himself as a professional scheduler rather than as an agent of death. There were many similar examples. This doesn't mean that the Holocaust is something we will ever completely understand. comprehension. It may be beyond Furthermore, as Freud reminded us, human behavior is certainly irrational at times. Our unconscious mind is not completely - or even greatly - understood by our consciousness. This condemns even our conscious, scientific �sel · ·es to have less than full understanding of our social bei1 g. Or so it seems to the writer of this syllabus. In any case, the Holoca u st is a g oo d test for the social ~ri~~ r ~ i n ~s~uch as many of the questions raised about this even · ar~ of major concern to social scientists. JU~9 t You may ior yourself just how well social scientists deal with the se q ue stions as we now turn to what social science may be able tc c ontribu te to our understanding of the Holocaust. Friday, Jct. 28 Ass i gn me1 t: We shall begin this section with Survivors, Victi~s and Perpetrators. Read Raul Hilberg's essay: Nat ur e of the Process" top. 35. scient i st at the university of The Hilberg is a political Vermont and author of one of the major studies concerning the Holocaust : The Destruction of th ~ European Jews. Hilbe r g begins with a discussion of the Nazi bureaucracy. Tn1~ , s m0 st appropriate because an understanding of modern bu r ea uc rac y is essential if one is to understand the Holocaust. To begin, the bureaucrac y o f the state was created, in part, to make the management of the state more efficient and r ~ti~~ 2 l. F~r example, the Michigan legislature passes laws governing the right to drive in Michigan . '-'.I:'-=,. i..!L;. .:;; a ;__v.., ul:. lc:1.1 ge bureau is entrusted to the off ice of the Secretary of State. . The day to day Here clerks sell license plates, re r: nrd poJ. n Ls made against on one's license and give road and �eye tests to prospective drivers. All of this seems sensible enough. But consider the "irrational" or unintentional (at least) results of bureaucracy: that each member of the organization is isolated and cut apart from the goals of the organization. Imagine what would have happened had the following order been issued to every bureaucrat in Nazi Germany in 1942 . "Attention : everyone is ordered to the Extermination Trains . At 0800 tomorrow, we will proceed to Death Camps in Poland. Each person is to bring a revolver. one Jew or Gypsy. You must kill at least Some of you will be asked to shove women and children into mass graves. Before we return, liquidate all the Jews of eastern Europe . horrified. we will Prepare to be The stench will be awful - but it must be done . " How many bureaucrats would have fled, committed suicide or otherwise have tried to escape from this situation? I'll bet th~t many would have gone to extreme lengths to escape. the bureaucracy shielded tnem from much of this. But Instead, in the compartmentalized world of the bureau~racy, Nazi workers worked away like busy drones. In his writings, H1lberg describes in detail how hundreds of bureaucrats worked for years on the problems associated with defining "Jewness" in legal and operational terms. they missed the forest. Embroiled in counting trees, To an unimaginative civil servant, it may have seemed innocent enought to figure out the definition of half-Jews, quarter-Jews, etc. It was decided �that all Mischlinge - i.e., half-Jews who did not belong to the Jewish religion and not married to a Jewish person were to be sterilized. This plan was temporarily abandoned when a bureaucrat calculated that it would cost too much because sterilization for 70,000 Mischlinge would require the equivalent of 700,000 hospital days. But the bureaucratic mentality was still hard at work to crank out production and the suggestion was made that all Jews in mixed marriages be deported. Again an objection was raised. A functionary suggested that spouses would object strenuously and , ghoulishly, that spouses would overburden the courts with their demand for death certificates for those sent away. solutions? The Before Jews in mixed marriages were sent away, the state would simply decree the "marriage as dissolved''. A huge bureaucratic squabble ensued and the proposal was finally abandoned because of departmental in-fighting and calculations of the amount of time the process would take. On e ca n onl ·• wonder at the human ability to lose oneself in his wo rk . But this doesn't mean that bureaucracies are necessarily harmful. They often are not because their design insures that things will go slowly, if at all. Christopher Browning, in hi~ essay ''The Government Experts'' (available at closed reserve in folder marked: The Holocaust= Ideology, bureaucracy and Genocide) tells how Wilhelm Melchers, of the Foreign Office Middle East desk, saved thousands of Turkish �Jews by cleverly using bureaucratic methods to prevent their deportation to the ea st . Me l ch e r s wouldn't i nitial deportation orders and other bureaucrats were too busy to confront him. That bureaucracies do little or nothing is a very sore point with many people concerning the failure of the United States to ass ist t h e Jews . One version of this is told by Henry Feing o ld in "The Government Response", Holocaust ... ). (also available in The In this version, Henry Morganthou, Jr., Secretary of t h e Tre asury and close friend of Roosevelt strongly advocated a rescue effort in behalf of the Jews, but was strenuously opposed by Breckinridge Long, Director of the State Department's Special Problems Division. Long apparently resented the many "city college" Jewish young men who were corning into FDR's administration and replacing the old boy network of Ivy League connectons. according to Long . Or so it seemed, In any case, there were many pressures on Roosevelt from many sides, which often accounts for bureaucratic inactivity. Among the concerns was the fear that admitting large numbers of European Jews would present difficult security problems, as spies and sabateurs might try to slip into the country . Roosevelt was also aware that public opinion was no t favorable f o r any large rescue effort. As a result, little was done. Students of bureaucracy and the Holocaust might also find it interesting that the British response was much like our own. To return to Hilberg: we should focus on his fascinating �investigation of the psychology involved within the bureaucracy of mass murder. Do you agree with him that the destruction of evidence was done, in part, by the Nazis to deceive themselves? In his analysis of "the blood kit" comparable to Poliakov's assertion that the Holocaust was finally ordered by leaders who were determined to force all Germans into the situation where they, too, were criminals and would therefore have to fight to the end? Finally, does Nazi Germany demonstrate that people will behave very differently in a group than individually? In your experience, do you find that people in large organizations behave differently because there is something peculiar about organized humans? Professor Baum will comment today about some of the work that has been done which helps us understand the bureaucratic b~h6vior rel2vant to the Holocaust. Also read chapter 16 of Dimsdale. I think of Germany in the night, and all of sleep is put to flight. I cannot get my eyes to close, the stream of burning teardrops flows. Heinrich Heine Although Heine wrote these lines more than a century before Hitler came to power, they are appropriate to the Germany of this century. �The essay for today was written by John Steiner, survivor of several Nazi death camps. the ss, In his study of former members of Steiner traces the Prussian tradition which is supposedly a part of the Nazi legacy. One is tempted to quote Hein again: A stink of hounds and bitches , a stink of lap-dogs whose pious loyalty would lick the spittle of Power, and die for Alter and Royalty. One of the more interesting and perplexing problems for social scientists is the possible connection between culture and personality. me say this: Before you come to a rapid conclusion, let Hitler and Franz Stangl (the latter was commander of Treblinka) were both Austrians. As I write this syllabus, I have been listening to the music of Franz Shupert and and Mozart. They, too, were Austrian and composed some of the most sublime music ever written. My American Heritage Dictionary offers the following first two defitions of sublime: characterized by nobility; majestic. high spiritual, moral or intellectual worth. Of Can you think of words less fitting to describe Nazi Germany? �The Perpetrator We n o w begin what is probably the most controversial and dist~ubing part of the course. thro ' r.;:ho this section: ' '.°: One question will appear is almost any one of us capable of being a pe rpetra tor? Monda~ , Oct. 31 Assignment: Read chapters 11 and 12 containing excerpts writte n l J Rudolf Hoess and Joseph Goebbels. Is there anyth i n~ about Hoess' youth that strikes you as significant? Did his f 2 ther demonstrate a quality that helps explain Hitler's success: that Germans put a higher premium on obedience than on conscience? wr o te : Shortly before his death Hoess "Unknowingly I was a cog in the wheel of the great extermination machine of the Third Reich . " What is your understanding of this, in particular his use of the word "unkn owingly"? G~~ ~b7 l ~ ~e i seE s o me disturbing questions as well: 1) He te l ls us that news is a weapon and should be used as such by government . Doesn't recent history indicate that government officials all over the world understand this and carefully manage wha t they want to tell us? , UL ' •. . c;_.'VU ~ . ~ Is there anything we can ~ .:_ L.. ~ Toda y we will Eee the movie on the Milgram obedience experiments. �Wednesday , Nov. 2 We will discuss the movie seen on Monday. Friday, Nov. 4 --- Today Professor Baum will discuss another famous and relevant experiment to this course: the so-called "Zimbardo experiment . " Monday, Nov. 7 Assignment : Read chapter 14. a Clear Conscience : "Destroying the Innocent with a Sociopsychology of the Holocaust". Doesn't the history of the Holocaust demonstrate how vulnerable humans are to the ''slippery slope" of morality? In 1930, most Germans would have been horrified if someone could have outlined events of the next 15 years . Yet, step- by-step , th e Nazis and the German nation passed statutes and performed acts which, in retrospect, seemed increasingly bizarre. But once set in motion, how can one stop? Was the fate of European Jews sealed on January 1, 1930 when Stormtroopers killed 8 Jews - the first victims of the Nazi era? (Three year later, on January 30, 1933, Hitler was appointed Chancellor. A ten-year-old Jewish boy, Leslie Frankel, later recalled: "When I got home that day, I learned that Hitler had become Chancellor. Everyone shook. As kids of ten we shook.") Today Professor Baum will comment on the evolution of the Nazi death camps. �Note; Almost all accounts of the Holocaust cast males almost excluEively as perpetrators. know of female Most of them were. But we do ss members - the Aufscherinnen - who were b~ut&l cs camp guards. When the Nazi were forced to leave Hungary in December, 1944, the local Hungarian Arrow Cross continued the extermination of the Jews. One of the members, a Mrs . Vilmos Salzer, sported a riding-habit, brown boots and a Tho~ son sub-machine gun. She reportedly tortured her victims by burning them with candles before shooting them. She was hanged by the peoples' court soon after. Probably no female was more infamous than Ilse Koch - "The Bitch of Buchenwald" - as she became known. Among her grotesque habits was collecting tatooed skin for lampshades. She committed suicide while in prison on 9-1-67. One documented case of female participation was in the Einsatzgruppen - a special action group of the ss. When Ei Ll=~ ~n 0 aded Rubsia in June, 1941, the Einsatzgruppen were se :1 L in as mobile killing units. States listed personnel as: ss, 172 motorcycle riders, Group A, assigned to Baltic 340 militarized formations of 133 Order Police, 89 State Police ... 41 Criminal Police, 18 Administrators, 13 female employees, 8 radio operators and 3 teletype operators. There i8 no evidence known to me of what the females did, but we do know that the Einsatzgruppen killed approximately 2 million Jews in western Russian. record: Group C claims the efficiency On September 29-30, 1941, they killed 33,771 Jews - �a record even the extermination camps could never match. We shouldn't leave this subject without noting degredation of women in Nazi Germany. Mother" in Joachim c. See the chapter "German Wife and Fest, The Face of the Third Reich. Also see Claudia Koonz, Mothers in the Fatherland. --- One major reason for the relatively few documented examples of female brutality was that Hitler wasn't an equal opportunity terrorist. They Nazi concept of a "good" woman (Aryan, to be sure!) was to be a baby machine. This general topic should interest some of you for a term paper. Wednesday, Nov. 9 --- The assignment for today and Friday are chapters 6, 7 and 10 of Dimsdale. (Chapters 8 and 9 are also useful and can be consulted for term paper topics). Today we shall see a movie, In Dark Places, which features interviews with survivors and their children. Friday, Nov . ..!.! Today Profesor deYoung wil discuss the "mental problems" of survivors and how they relate to family members. Monday, Nov. 14 :. Wednesday, Nov. 16 We will now turn to the subject of victims and how some managed to cope. Read pp. 106-111 and chapters 4 and 6 of Dimsdale. "The Social Systems in the Death Camps". �Some commentators have conveyed the idea that the prisoners in the Nazi death camps were engaged in relentless war with one another for survival. While in some instances this was true, it tends to cloak the much larger truth that there was a very complex social system, in some ways put there by the Nazis themselves. Professor Baum will outline some of the major features of "society" in the death camps. Friday, Nov. 18 Was the Holocaust unique? What is the meaning of Genocide? Today Professor Baum will deal with these troublesome and controversial questions. Monday, Nov. 21 --- Today Professor Baum will discuss some of the major controversies which are most interesting and important to those who write and teach courses on the Holocaust. Wednesday, Nov. 23 Today we will see the film "Night and Fog." You may find this relevant on the day before Thanksgiving. Monday, Nov. 28 --- Assignment: Jerusalem. Read chapter 13. Excerpts from Eichman in The late Ms. Arendt was a brilliant and controversial writer who wrote extensively about the human conditon in general and modern totalitarianism in particular. Her writings on Adolph Eichmann are controversial in the extreme, as Jacob Robinson's book, And the Crooked Shall Be �Hade Straight, makes quite clear. Rather than becoming embroile d i n det ai l s over her account of Eichmann, let us consider some of the issues she raises: The sub-title of Ms. Arendt's book on Eichmann is: on the Banality of Evil. ~ Report You can get her point by reading the first several pages of the section. One of the major points of dispute is her contention that Eichmann was a powerless product of a totalitarian system which could corrupt any average person with an innate repugnance toward crime. How well does this describe Eichmann, Goebbels, or Hoess? Even if you disagree with Ms. Arendt, what do you think of her claim that it is the nature of every bureaucracy to make ''functionaries" and "mere cogs" out of men? We now take up a most difficult problem which we have not considered before: the question of sovereignity, legality and the apparent lack of any clear international authority. I realize the enormity of the horror of the Holocaust raises the queston of taste and propriety here. Nevertheless, let us consider the following: Inasmuch as Hitler held his political position legally and Eichmann had been appointed to his post, why couldn't we regard this as a legally valid, however horrible, action by officials of sovereign state? The scale of the Nazi horror shocks many of us, but governments the world over kill, torture, and imprison political and other undesirable �"en ,:mie-s". As we shall consider later, Americans practiced a varJation of genocide with our native Indians. The Russians are rather well known for their treatment of their domestic -;.;!!'=' t l"!~.:: we like it or not, we generally acknowledge the ·0 ve 1~ignity of nations, especially within their own BordE: -:-s. To the objection that Hitler was at war with much of the wor ld and ''out of control" outside of the borders of Germany, we ca,i o :1 ly ask: isn't the old adage still true, that all is fa i ~ in - ~v e and war? Wh a t Isn't it simply a matter of raw power? i n ternational standard do we have to tell us what is rig h t o r wrong? Eichmann was tried and hanged in Jerusalem only because Germany lost the war and he was caught. Right? One of the most troublesome points raise by Ms. Arendt is this: We like to think that rule by law is preferable to rule by caprice and whim. If true, then Eichmann was b e ha ~ i~ a within the boundaries of German law while in the E i chrn a ":n T.r ial the court was "conf rented with a crime it couldn ' t find in the lawbooks". It's a crazy world, isn't it, when the laws in many jurisdictions clearly proscribe s 0 d 0m ; (~ V~l! in the privacy of a marital bedroom), but there is no thi ng to prohibit the mass murder of men, women and children? So much for national and international rationality. Prcfesor Baum will comment briefly on the legal problems faci~g the Nure~~erg Tribunal. �Wednesday, Nov. 30 --- Today we wil l s e e selected portions of the Nuremberg and Eichmann trials. Friday, A rare chance to see some of the top Nazis. Dec. 2 -- Today Professor Irv Berkowitz will join us. His mother survived Auschwitz; his father fought with the partisans. Professor Berkowitz has some interesting thoughts to share with us. Monday, Dec. 5 --- A few student term papers will be presented. Wednesday, Dec. 7 -- - The Meaning of the Holocaust: Some comments on Jewish thinking. The traumas of the Holocaust reach to all areas of our planet. In our country it is referred to in movies, TV specials and our newspapers and news magazines regularly. What is regularly overlooked, however, is the special meaning of the event among Jews. Today Professor Baum will survey the thoughts of several prominent Jewish writers, including Elie Wiesel, Richard Rubenstein, Jacob Neusner, and Emil Fackenheim. Friday, Dec. ~ course conclusion and evaluation. �AN ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY Table of Contents INTRODUCT ION I . II. III. IV. V. VI. VII. VIII. IX . X. XI. XII. XIII. XIV. General overview Works Dictionaries Meaning A - Philosophical/Theological Meaning B - Historical Approaches, Methodological Disputes and Arguments About Human Behavior Perpetrators Victims and Survivors Resisters Those Who Helped Those Who Stood By and Did Little or Nothing Women in the Third Reich Daily Life in the Third Reich Hitler Genocide Nuremberg Trials �INTRODUCTION To complete your syllabus, we are including an annotated bibliography for the following reasons: 1) The literature on the Holocaust (which includes, of course, popular subjects such as Hitler, the Nazis and antisemitism) is exploding at what seems to be an exponential rate. Because the Holocaust affected so many people with so many different languages, it is virtually impossible for any one person - or group, for that matter, to really "know" all that is written on this vast subject. Even the studies in English probably number into the tens of thousands. In the confusion of such numbers, some direction is especially welcome for the person with little background in the subject. To help the student sort out the mountain of available material, the bibliography is organized to identify the general works that provide a crucial "overview" of the complex set of events called the Holocaust and then to point out those works in which major studies in the social sciences make significant contributions to our understanding of the Holocaust. A few of the works cited weren't written by social scientists, but in such cases there is a "shared" understanding of the phenomenon in question. To repeat a point made at the beginning of the syllabus, no social scientist could account for the Holocaust, but it is our belief that some of the best studies in the discipline �relevant to the Holocaust do help us to understand how humans could have done such things to other humans. 2) The second major reason for this bibliography is much more practical: The reader will have a much better sense of what is available nearby. Books followed by GVSU are available in the Grand Valley library; books followed by WCB are owned by Professor Baum and may be borrowed under most circumstances. The location of other books referred to in the syllabus is clearly marked. 3) It is also hoped that a reading of the bibliography will add to one's general understanding of this subject. NOTE: A new journal, Holocaust and Genocide Studies, is now available in the Grand Valley library periodical collection. �This bibliography is designed to illustrate the issues and concerns raised when one thinks in terms of an interdisciplinary course in the social sciences which focus on the Holocaust. The syllabus is organized to indicate different "levels" of scholarship on this subject. (Note : these categories are somewhat arbitrary - inevitably so. Furthermore, some re ferences would serve well in another category as well). Type of study Section of syllabus descriptive - empirical I, XI methodological concerns IV normative/moral analysis IV, VIII, IX, XIII, and XIV philosophical/theological meaning III, XIV (Sections not listed will normally be a combination of descriptive - empirical and normative analysis). A general section is placed at the very front of the syllabus indicating those works which provide an overview or gener~l histcry of the period in question. Some general knowledge is important to gain as soon as possible. �The present bibliography is a major revision of a previous one which listed all items alphabetically by author. This served little purpose except to show a certain knowledge of the alphabet by yours truly. The revision was designed to better compliment the social science literature on the subject. For example, the reader for this course is titled: Survivors, Victims and Perpetrators. The title identifies three categories of persons in the Holocaust who exhibit patterns of behavior being studied by social scientists. But as I try to make clear in the following sections, there are additional categories as well. I have included a special section on women to help the interested student investigate the ways in which social roles are developed as well as their consequences. There is also a special section on Hitler and a few other special sections as well. This is probably a good place to mention what the course is and what it isn't. The course doesn't include a comprehensive survey of Jewish history, antisemitism, German history or WWII. This is due, in part, to the limitations of the professors involved. But it is also due to our desire to focus on what the Holocaust reveals about human behavior. We will encounter many discouraging things about humans, including the relative ease with which humans destroy other humans. It is our fervent hope that everyone in the course will come to an understanding of the consequences of racism. Nazi racism may have been "crazy" and based on all kinds of "pseudo science" and just plain prejudice, but it was racism �and it affected more than the Jews - as we will find out. Finally, while it is true that this course is not a history course per se, it deals with an event which has "historical contexts" which must be imterpreted. It is our hope that such authors as Hilberg, Lifton and Steiner are successful in adding important dimensions to your understanding of human behavior which occurs in time and place. E.H. Carr is surely correct, isn't he, when he suggests that" ... the more sociological history becomes and the more historical sociology becomes, the better for both." �I. General Works (Works that provide an overview of the Holocaust) Bauer, Yehuda. ~ History o f Th e Hol ocaust. New York: ~~~uklin Watts, 1982. Recommended for t h ose who want a quick overview of the Holocaust. (350 pp.) GVSU Davidowicz, Lucy. The war Against The Jews, 1933-1945. New York: Bantam Books, 1975 (Rev. in 1985). WCB One of the major histories of the period. Davidowicz, Lucy. House, 1976. A Ho l ocaust Reader. New York: Behrman This reader contains original documents (mostly German) and was designed to be read along with the book previously cited. WCB Fein, Helen. Accounting For Genocide. of Chicago Press, 1979. Chicago: University Strictly speaking, this isn't a history of the Holocaust. But the scope of the work is as broad as that of some of the histories and is complementary to them all. Professor Fein contributes some interesting insights from her field of social psychology. Contains an excellent bibliography in the social science literature. WCB Gilbert, Martin. The Holocaust. A history of the Jews of E~r0pe during the Second World War. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1985. One of the most recent of the major histories of the Holocaust. This work is based extensively on eyewitness accounts and captures much of the day-to-day atmosphere of those involved . WCB Hilberg, Raul. The Destruction of The European Jews. Chicago: Quadrangle Books,1961. A 350 pp. student paperback edition was issued in 1985 by Holmes & Meier of New York . Perhaps the best known and respected of the Holocaust histories. One of the earliest of the histories and one of the best in terms of explaining bow and why the events could have happened. Originalhardcover: GVSU Student paperback: WCB �Laska, Vera. Nazism, Resistance and Holocaust in World War II. - A Bibliography. Metuchen, N.J. Scarecrow Press, 1985: - goldmine of nearly 2,000 references to all phases of the Holocaust. Special sections devoted to the roles of women in resistance movements in particular and the Holocaust in general. WCB A Levin, Nora. The Holocaust. The Destruction of European Jewry 1933-1945. New York: Schocken, 1973. One of the more comprehensive of the histories. WCB Meltzer, Milton. Never To Forget - The Jews of The Holocaust. New York: Harper & Row, 1976. Easy to read and brief. Grand Haven Public Library Pilch, Judah. (ed.) The Jewish Catastrophe in Europe. New York: American Association for Jewish Education, 1968. Good brief overview with some interesting photographs. Grand Rapids Baptist College Poliakov, Leon. Harvest of Hate. The Nazi Program For The Destruction of The JewsofEurope. New York: Schocken Books, 1979 (Orig. 1951). One of the earliest and certainly one of the best of the shorter histories of the Holocaust (350 pp.). Poliakov's judgments have stood the test of time very well. WCB Reitlinger, Gerald. The Final Solution - The Attempts to Exterminate The Jews of Europe, 1939-1945. New York: Thomas Yoseloff, 1953 (Rev. in 1968). Reitlinger focuses on the period from 1939-45. Still, this is one of the major surveys of the most destructive years of this nightmare. Valuable comments on the fate of some of the perpetrators. Hope College Library Szonyi, David M. The Holocaust. New York: Jewish Resource Center, 1985. National A valuable guide to materials on the Holocaust, including films, novels, diaries, exhibits, courses, available speakers, etc. WCB �II. Dictionaries of Nazi Geraany Any student of this period will welcome these reference works. As far as I know, these are still in print. Taylor, James and Shaw, Warren. Reich. London: A Dictionary of The Third Grafton Books, 1987. Major figures and events are covered. maps and some interesting quotations. - -- Contains photos, WCB Wistrich, Robert. Who's Who in Nazi Germany. Bonanza Books, 1982. New York: Biographical sketches of approximately 350 most important persons in this period. WCB �III. - IV. •understanding" the "Meaning" of the Holocaust. I place these two words in quotes because they are soroewhat presumptuous and used in different senses. To deal with the latter problem, I divide this section into two parts as follows: A. Theological/Philosophical inquiry into the meaning of the Holocaust so as to understand it in terms of teleology, final and formal cause. Questions about God are frequently raised by some students of the Holocaust . B. Scholarly inquiry into the perspectives and methods students of the Holocaust should employ so as to help scholars and interested lay people understand the meaning of the Holocaust as a result of human behavior. There is normally a large gap separating the writing in these two areas which should become clear in the following pages. Meaning A - Philosophical/Theological Cargas, Harry James. Responses To The Wiesel. Critical Essays by Major Jewish and Christian Scholars. New York: Persea Books, 1978. Essays on the dilemma of faith and the question of absurdity in our world. Cohen, Arthur A. The Tremendum. A Theological Interpretation of the Holocaust. New York: 1988 . WCB Crossroads, The Tremendum? "I call the death camps the tremendum, f~~ it i~ the monument of a meaningless inversion of life to an orgiastic celebration of death, to a psychosexual and patholoqical degeneracy unparalleled and unfathomable to any person bonded to life." �A profound book by a theologian who dares to think boldly. WCB Frey, Roberts., and Frey, Nancy Thompson. The Imperative of Response - The Holocaust in Human Context. Lanham, HD-,Unive r sity Press of America. The Freys raise some important questions relevant to studying and thinking about the Holocaust. Interesting bibliography. WCB Godsey, John D. Preface To Bonhoeffer. The Han and Two of His Shorter Writings-.- Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1965 . Brief introduction to this courageous theologian who dared to oppose the Nazis and was executed for it. Contains an essay Bonhoeffer wrote while in prison. Very good bibliography. WCB Hallie, Philip. "From Cruelty To Goodness", The Hastings Center Report, June, 1981, pp. 23-28. Hallie is a student of ethics and the author of the book about the French village we read in this course. Katz, Stephen T. Post-Holocaust Dialogues. York University Press, 1983. New York: New Exploration of meaning of the Holocaust, especially in theological terms. Interesting. Calvin College Library Neusner, Jacob. Stranger At Home - The Holocaust, Zionism and American Judaisrn.-Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1981. An interesting and most provocative set of essays. Neusner explains why the Holocaust is so "popular". Interesting discussion of the works of Rubenstein and Fackenheim. WCB Rausch, David A. A Legacy of Hatred - Why Christians Hust Not Forqet The Holocaust. Chicago: Moody Press, 1984. Special emphasis on the meaning of the Holocaust for Christians in America. WCB Rubenstein, Richard and Roth, John K. Approaches To Auschwitz, The Holocaust and Its Legacy. Atlanta: Knox, 1987 Highly recommended. Chapter 10 has an excellent "overview" of theological issues connected with the John �Holocaust. Valuable bibliography. WCB Rubens tei n, Richard. The cunning of History - The Holocaust an d The American Future. NewYork: Harper and Row, 1975. As usual, Rubenstein advances some big ideas to think about. Recommended! WCB Wiesenthal, Simon. 1976. A short story religious and Probably very issues raised The Sunflower. New York: Schocken, followed by many comments of individuals, secular, dealing with forgiveness. useful for class discussions of the moral by the Holocaust. Grand Haven Public Library Meaning B - Historical Approaches, Methodological Disputes and Arguments A.bout Huaan Behavior A.bzug , Robert. Inside The Vicious Heart - Americans And The Liberation of Nazi Concentration Camps. New York: Oxford University Press, 1985. Shocking photos from U.S. Army archives and some reminders about the ubiquity of prejudice. WCB Alexander, Edward. "The Incredibility of The Holocaust", Midstream, 49, 1979, pp. 49-58. Alexander adds another dimension to our understanding of the Holocaust: another reason Jews didn't believe what ~ as happening (in early 1940) was the long-standing Jewish habit of "hallucinating moderation in their enemies ... ". "What defeated us, was Jewry's unconquerable optimism, our eternal faith in the goodness of man, our faith that even a German, even a Nazi, could never have so far renounced his own humanity as to murder women and children .... " Arendt, Hannah. "Social Science Techniques and The Study of Concentration Camps", Jewish Social Studies, Vol XII, 1950, pp. 49-64 . A fascinating challenge to social scientists: how are y0 11 going to study this when what the Nazis did is outside the realm of what we think we know about human behavior? Askenasy, Hans. Are We All Nazis? Secaucus, N.J., Lyle �Stuart, 1978. An angry and disturbing book. Must reading for anyone who dismisses the question out-of-hand. Ferris State Bankier, David. "Hitler and The Policy-Making Process On 7~.= Jewish Question", Holocaust and Genocide Studies, Vol. 3, No. 1, 1988, pp. 1-20. - Bankier tries to build a bridge between functionalists and intentionalists. Some interesting evidence. Bauer, Yehuda. The Holocaust In Historical Perspective. Seattle: University of Washington Press, 1978. Contained in this little book are 4 essays, some excellent comments on two things in particular: why people tended to disbelieve the Holocaust (in essay #1). Essay #3 contains a brief overview of what happened from country to country to the Jews. GVSU Browning, Christopher. Fateful Months - (Essays on The Emergence of The Final Solution). New York: Holmes and Meier, 1985. An important little book which makes a strong case for the decision of the "final solution" as late as 1941. WCB Browning, Christopher. "Genocide and Public Health: German Doctors and Polish Jews, 1939-1941." Holocaust and Genocide Studies, Vol. 3, No. 1, 1988, pp. 21-36-.Browning illustrates the runaway logic that goes with blatant racism: the Jews should be ghettoized (i.e., ~2lt~e2ted, malfed and congested). Then, surprisingly, epidemics spread. The the doctors must prescibe "the final solution". Bullock, Alan. "Hitler and The Origins of The Second World War", Proceedings of The British Academy, Vol. 53, 1967, pp. 259-288. - -One of the earliest essays (known to me) to worry about what revisionist historians might do to excuse Hitler from any blame for starting WWII. Bullock does call for striking some middle ground between what he sees as developing extremes . Cocks, Geoffrey. Psychotherapy In The Third Reich, The Goring Institute. New York: Oxford University Press, 1985. �An interesting study of a group of professionals who survived and even thrived during the Third Reich. Fascinating exploration of the compatability between the tenets of psychotherapy and Nazism. WCB Darvidowicz, Lucy s. The Holocaust and The Historians. Harvard University Press, 1981.-- - - Some interesting comments on historians of the Holocaust by a hard-line intentionalist. GVSU Duras, Marguerite. The War. New York: Pantheon, 1986. The first story of this "set" is the most penetrating of the Holocaust literature that I have read. Shows the greater impact a personal experience has to a recitation of numbers. WCB Fleming , Gerald. Hitler and The Final Solution. University of California Press, 1982. Berkeley: Forceful presentation of the "intentionalist" position. A valuable introduction by Saul Friedlander discusses recent issues among historians on this topic. WCB Fox, John P. "The Holocaust and Today's Generation", Patterns of Prejudice. Vol. 17, No. 1, 1983. A major contribution! Fox surveys major problems and perspectives in studying the Holocaust. He concludes with something I think should be quoted: [We need to] .... recognize two of the fundamental lessons of the Holocaust, the basic and indeed constant irrational nature of man and the frailty of what we like to call or think of as modern civilization, and to come to terms with these concepts in contemporary society when searching to bring greater stability and even rationality into the present and all the problems it presents: the maintenance of the rights of religious and racial minorities; the maintenance of the rights of the individual as against that of the state; the maintenance of the interests of society as a whole against those of a particular individual or group, ... Friedlander, Saul. "From Anti-Semitism to Extermination", A Historiographical Study of Nazi Policies Toward The Jews and An Essay on Interpretation. Yad Vashem Studies, 16, 1984, pp. 1-50. Very useful essay in helping us sort out various approaches to the Holocaust. Friedlander points out that scholars fail when they try to place the Holocaust into some sort of a generic "totalitarianism". The case �of Nazi anti-semitism is special! Friedlander discusses what the intentionalists and functionalists can contribute to our understanding of this. Gordon, Sarah. "Hitler, Germans, and the 'Jewish Question'". Princeton, N.J., 1984 Vigorous presentation of the intentionalist view. GVSU Graham, Loren R. "Science and Values: The Eugenics Movement in Germany and Russia In The 1920s". American Historical Review, 82, No. 5, December 1977. pp. 11331164. Explores one important idea relevant to the Holocaust: external social and political forces often "drives science. Heller, Celia. On The Edge of Destruction. Columbia University Press, 1977. New York: Heller is a sociologist who dissects the history of antisemitism in Poland. Chapter 1 has a compact history of this in Poland. Valuable references to social science literature on prejudice. WCB Howe, Irving. "Writing And The Holocaust", The New Republic. Oct . 27, 1986, pp. 27-39. Brilliant essay on the literature of the Holocaust. Provocative! James, C.L.R. The Black Jacobins. 1963 (org---:--i938). New York: Random House, This book is not about the Holocaust, but it is about vjrul~nt racism in Santo Domingo and the rebellion led by Tovissant L'Ouverture. Hitler and the Nazis couldn't have "improved" on the kind and degree of torture inflicted there by the slave owners. Helps with a comparative perspective. GVSU Norbert. "Normalizing the Holocaust? The Recent Historians' Debate In The Federal Republic of Germany", Holocaust and Genocide Studies, Vol. 2, No. 1, 1987, pp. 61-80. Eaiape, Kampe reminds us that politics can enlist the services of history. A critique of Gennanrevisionist historians who would like to excuse Hitler on grounds that, after all, he was only reacting to Bolshevism. As Kampe points out, intellectuals brought Gennans their racism and now peddle "revisionism". �Katz, Jacob. "From Prejudice To Destruction, Anti-Semitism 1700-1933. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1980. Wel l -written essay on anti-semitism in modern Europe with special attention on Germany. Hope College Post - Holocaust Dialogues. ·-·-- University Press,-1983. ft&.& .... " ' , New York Includes a comparative analysis of Armenians in Turkey, Indians in America and argues that the Holocaust is unique. Calvin College Klarsfeld, Serge (ed.) The Holocaust And The Neo-Nazi Hythomania. New York: Beate Klarsfeld Foundation, 1978. Hard evidence to refute those who deny this event. Richard Korherr was Inspector of Statistics for the ss. on 3/31/43, on direction of Himmler, Korherr documents that more than 3 million Jews had been sent to the death camps by that date. Mercy College of Detroit Kren, George H. and Rappoport, Leon. Crisis of Human Behavior. 1980. The Holocaust and The New York: Holmes and Meier, Explores the Holocaust as a "new crisis" in human history. The last chapter and the bibliography essay are most provocative. GVSU Kren, George H. "Psychohistorical Interpretations of National Socialism", German Studies Review, Vol. I, No. 2, Hay, 1978, pp. 150-170 Kre~ argues that psychohistory is necessary when traditional means assume human rationality. Useful overview of psychohistories and a good bibliography. Littell, Franklin H. "Holocaust and Genocide: The Essential Dialectic", Holocaust and Genocide Studies, Vol. 2, No. 1, 1987, pp. 95-104. Littell points to many similarities between Holocaust and Armenian genocide. (See section on Genocide). MacMillan, Ian. Proud Monster. Press, 1987. San Francisco: North Point A remarkable novel of "prose miniatures" of characters on both sides of the eastern front. The author has a wonderful eye for detail and knows a lot about the Holocaust. By the way, "Proud Monster" is the tank of a �proud German soldi er. GVSU Harrus, Michael R. The Holocaust In History . University Pressof New England, 1987. Hanover: This is a major work of particular value to those with some background on the subject. Marrus makes judgments on major issues, including the meaning of the Holocaust, the debate among historians, resistance, what people knew, etc. Excellent bibliography and end.notes. WCB Miller, Judith. "Erasing The Past", Europe's Amnesia About The Ho loc aust . The New York Times Magazine, Nov. 16, 1986. pp. 30-llY:- -Discussion of Europe's desire to forget. Valuable inquiry into the debate between leading German thinkers, including major historians. Mogilanski, Roman. The Ghetto Anthology. A Comprehensive Chronicle of The Extermination of Jewry in Nazi Death Camps and Ghettos in Poland. Los Angeles: American Congress of Jews From Poland and Survivors of Concentration Camps, Inc., 1985 . Valuable reference book containing detailed information of h undreds of ghettos - killing and work centers. Maps, photos and a bibliography in Polish and English. WCB Hosse, George L. Toward The Final Solution: A History of European Racism. New York: Howard Fertig, 1978. One of America's leading German historians sees WWII as a racial war. Hitler plunged Europe into war so that he cou l d annihilate the Jews. Hope College Orwell, George. 1984. ( org. 1948) New York: Harcourt-Brace-Jovanovich Much of his writing offers deep insight into politics. 198 4 is relevant to totalitarian government in general and the Nazis in particular, especially in the abuse of language, the use of war and the abolition of rival institutions, including family and church. For those who want to understand how people can be pressured to do things they don't want to do, read his short story: "Shooting An Elephant". WCB, GVSU Prager, Dennis and Telushkin. Why The Jews? Simon and Schuster, 1985. New York: A unique and interestinq appraisal of antisemitism. Basically, it is argued that the uniqueness of Jewish �religion, laws and customs has something to do with the problem WCB Rhodes, James. M. The Hitler Movement - A Modern Millenarian Revolution. Stanford, California. Hoover Institution Press, 1980. Rhodes breaks new ground in suggesting (borrowing from Norman Cohen and Eric Vogelin) that the Hitler movement was a millenarian-gnostic revolution, that is, the Nazis believed their reality was dominated by fiendish powers and they experienced revelations or acquired pseudoscientific knowledge about their historical situation that required a modern battle of Armageddon. 1st chapter presents an analysis of other major studies of Nazism and a useful annotated bibliography. GVSU Rothkirchen, Livia. "The 'Final Solution' In Its Last Stages", Yad Vashem Studies On The European Jewish Catastrophe and Resistance. Vol. 8, 1970, pp. 7-29. More evidence of the degree of Nazi racial hatred. Documented here is the killing that went on even in the very final days of the war. Sanford, Nevitt and Comstock, Craig. Sanctions For Evil. San Francisco: Jossey Bass, 1971. Prompted by the My Lai Massacre, this book also covers the Holocaust and .American slavery. A valuable book with essays by outstanding social scientists. Good bibliography. Highly recommended. GVSU Schachter, Stanley. "Bettelheim and Frankl: Contrasting Views of The Holocaust", The Reconstructionist, Feb. 10, 1961, pp. 6-11. -Another discussion of the victims; but this one explores the Jewish concept of kiddush hashem (voluntary martyrdom) which might help explain the passivity among so many Jewish victims. Schleunes, Karl A. The Twisted Road£ To Auschwitz - Nazi Policy Toward German Jews. 1933-1939. Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1970. One of the major works in the "functionalist camp". Schleunes makes a strong case for the Nazis-stuabledinto-the-extermination-of-the-Jews theory. GVSU Snodgrass, W.D. The Fuhrer Bunker Editions, 1977. Brockport, N.Y., BOA An amazing set of poems by the prize-winning poet based �on the last days in Hitler's bunker. Based, in part, on an interview with Albert Speer. Fascinating! WCB Steiner, John M. Power Politics and Social Change In National Socialist Germany ----X-Process of Escalation into Mass Destruction. Atlantic Hignlands, N.J., Humanities Press, 1976. An interesting book by a man with a most unusual vantage point: steiner survived Auschwitz and survived to become a scholar of Nazi Germany and the ss. He has personally interviewed more than 200 former SS members. Important insights on bureaucratic behavior. Hope College Library Strom, Margot Stern and Parsons, William S. Facing History and ourselves: Holocaust and Human Behavior. Waterstown, Mass., 1982, Intentional Educations, Inc. ~ survey of a high school course on the Holocaust and Genocide. Sensitive and well done. WCB Wistrich, Robert. Hitler's Apocalypse - Jews and The Nazi Legacy. New York: St. Martins' Press, 1985. A "hard liner" who takes issue with people like Schleunes. Wistrich shows that Hitler's racial views drove him at every turn. Interesting assessment of anti-semitism today throughout the world. WCB �V. Perpetrators Someone once remarked in a tone of sorrow "we know so much more about those who did the terrible things than we do about their victims." Yes, we do, and isn't it more important that we do? The most disturbing thing about this knowledge is that most of the perpetrators look like you and me. Do you agree? Alexander, Leo. "War Crimes And Their Motivation", The Socio-Psychological Structure of The SS and The Criminalization of A Society, Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology, 39, No. 3, 1948, pp. 298-326. One of the earliest attempts to account for SS behavior. Using a Durkhemian concept, Alexander shows the affinity between common criminals and the SS: not only did the ss recruit criminals to perform some of the most horrible tasks, they were together in the sense of being beyond the law. Arendt, Hannah. Eichmann In Jerusalem. Viking Press, 1964. New York: The One of the most famous and controversial books on the subject. Hs. Arendt covered the Eichmann trial in 1961 and presented to the world the idea of the "banality of evil". GVSU Astor, Gerald. The Last Nazi - The Life and Times of Joseph Hengele. New York: Donald I. Fine, 1985. Another book on one of the most infamous of the Nazis. Astor agrees with Arendt - most of us could commit terrible crimes if the conditions were "wronq". Thus, Kengele is not the last Nazi. There will never be a last Nazi. - Grand Haven Public Library Bartov, Omer. The Eastern Front, 1941-45, German Troops and The Barbarisation of Warfare. New York: st. Martin~ Press, 1986. This important work sheds • uch light on a cliche of WWII - that the German military behaved very well. This may be true of the western ca.mpaiqn - but certainly not in �the east. Bartov studied 3 German divisions who fought in Russia and found great barbarism due, in part, to the terrible conditions at the front; B} the social background of the junior officers (same as Nazis} and C) th e political-racial indoctrination of the troops. Consider: 57.8% o f all Russian POWs died in German captivity - the reverse figures are 36%. Good bibliography. Recommended! WCB Charny, Israel W. "Genocide and Hass Destruction: Doing Harm To Others As A Hissing Dimension In Psychopathology", Psychiatry, Vol. 49, Hay, 1986. Charny asks an excellent question: why do we refer to the Nazis as normal? Normal peoiple don't committ mass murder . Charny suggests a theory which takes into account disorders of incompetence, vulnerability and personal weakness (fairly common} and a newer recognition: disorders of pseudo competence wherein the reaction to life's anxiety by those who bring about a stat e of imcompetence in others is a disavowal of their own imcompetence, weakness, etc. Dicks, Henry V . Licensed Hass Murder - A Socio-Psychological Study of Some SS Killers. New York: Basic Books, 1972. Dicks is a British psychiatrist and psychoanalyst who interviewed 8 SS men convicted of brutal mass murder. In general , Dicks agrees with the conclusions of Arendt and Milgram. GVSU Dimsdale , Joel. Survivors, Victims and Perpetrators - Essays On The Nazi Holocaust. Washington: Hemisphere Publishing Company, 1980. An excellent set of social science studies on the areas inoi c ~ted in the title. Students will find this a gold mine for ideas for term papers and bibliographical suggestions. Used in the course. WCB & GVSU Eisenbach, Artur. "Operation Reinhard" (Hass Extermination of Th e Jewish Population of Poland) Polish Western Affairs, Vol. 3, No. 1, 1962, pp. 80-124. Detailed description of extermination of Jews in Poland. Considerable documentation. Interesting quotes from Himmler . Friedlander, Henry. The Holocaust: Ideology, Bureaucracy and Genocide. Milwood, New York. Kraus International Publications, 1977. A set of papers from the San Francisco Conference on the Holocaust. Comprehensive and very well done. Relevant �here are the excellent papers on the professions, the bureaucracy and the universities. WCB Haney, Craig and Banks, Curtis and Zimbardo, Philip. "Interpersonal Dynamics In A Simulated Prison", International Journal of Criminology and Penology. 1, No. 1, 1973, pp. 69-97. Vol. Better known as the "Zimbardo experiment". This simulated experiment of a prison environment dramatically showed how quickly guards and prisoners adapted to their roles of authority and submission. Very important. Hilberg, Raul. The Destruction of the European Jews. York: Holmesand Meier, 1985(student edition). New Hilberg has attained the status of the pre-eminent authority on this subject. His major contribution has been to teach us how the modern bureaucracy assists those who would build a machine of mass destruction. Based on the comprehensive, three volume edition. WCB Grunberger, Richard. Press, 1970. Hitler's ss. New York: Delacourte A brief (120 pp.) overview of the ss. GVSU Hirschfeld, Gerhard. The Policies of Genocide Jews and soviet Prisoners "orwar in Naz1Germany. Boston: Allen and Unwin, 1986. Excellent essays by distinguished historians. Major conclusions: the German Army in the East was involved in wholesale murder. Between June 1941 and May 1944, 580,000 - 600,000 Soviet POWs were given over to the Einsatz commandos. Mainly sides with functionalists. Compare with Bartov. WCB Bohne, Heinz. The Order of The Death's Head - The Story of Hitler's ss. A major study of the ss. Bohne discusses the controversy and misunderstanding surrounding the SS in the introduction. GVSU Katz, Fred E. "Implementation of The Holocaust: The Behavior of Nazi Officials" - Comparative Study of Society and History, 24, 1982, pp. 510-529. Valuable insights into Nazi behavior, includinq the processes of "routinization" and "packaged behavior". JOarsfeld, Serge. Memorial To The Jews Deported From France, �1942-44 . New York: Beate Klarsfeld Foundation, 1983. In some ways this is the most incredible book in my collection. An example of what the Nazi bureaucratic mind could produce (and preserve!). Here are the names of each of the more than 75,000 Jews sent eastward from France for extermination. Each of the 85 or so convoys is listed, dated complete with the name, date of birth and place of birth of each deportee. Criminal arrogance - or the inevitable consequence of fanatical racism? WCB Koehl, Robert Lewis. The Black Corps - The Structure and Power Struggles ofthe Nazi ss. University of Wisconsin Press, 1983. major work on the ss. The concluding section provides a most interesting overview. Comprehensive bibliography. WCB A Koehl, Robert. "The Character of The Nazi SS", Journal of American History, 34 (September, 1962) pp . 275-283. A valuable overview of major interpretations of the Koehl charts the "topsy-like" growth of this organization. ss. Krausnick, Helmut and Buccheim, Hans, et. al. Anatomy of Th ss State. New York: Walker and Company, 1965. - A fair and informative study of the German scholars. ss by four prominent Hope College Kren, George M. and Rappoport, Leon H. "The Waffen SS" - A Social Psychological Perspective. Armed Forces and Society, Vol. 3, 1976, pp. 87-102. Analysis of how Waffen ss grew on non-traditional grounds, recruiting men who rejected bourgeois values and were highly motivated to adventure and group sol i darity. Released from normal social restraints and heavily indoctrinated into racial views, these men could wage their cruel war. Lanz• ann, Claude. Shoah. New York: Pantheon Books, 1985. The complete text of the 9 1/2 hour film, Shoah. I list the book in this section because of some remarkable interviews with some perpetrators. WCB Lifton, Robert Jay. Books, 1986. The Nazi Doctors. New York: Basic �One of the most important Holocaust books. Lifton started out to study Joseph Mengele and soon decided to deal with the much broader phenomenon: Nazi doctors. Interesting effort to explain the psychology and sociology involved. WCB Hanvell, Roger and Fraenkel, Heinrich. The Imcomparable Crime - Hass Extermination In The Twentieth Century: The Legacy of Guilt. New York: G.P. Putnam, 1967. Interesting. Contains photoplates of damning Nazi documents and much information about the death camps, including cruel women guards. Calvin College Hilgram, Stanley. "The Compulsion To Do Evil" - Patterns of Prejudice, Vol. 1, 6, 1967, pp. 3-7. Further discussion of his own famous obedience experiments. Informative! Hilgram, Stanley. & Row, 1974. Obedience To Authority. New York: A crucial book to understanding the Holocaust. people will harm others if pressured to do so. epilogue for a comparison with Hy Lai. Harper Ordinary See the GVSU Hiller, Arthur. The Obedience Experiments - A case Study of Controversy in Social Science. New York: Praeger, 1986. A major contribution! An analysis of Hilgram's experiments and many similar ones conducted throughout the world. Exploration of ethical and methodological objections to Hilgram. A tremendous bibliography on the subject. GVSU Muller - Hill, Benno. Murderous Science - Elimination by Scientific Selection of Jews, Gypsies and Others, Germany 1933 - 1945. New York: Oxford University Press, 1988. (org. 1984). A damning analysis of the racism which ran throughout the German scientific community. Evidence that it was the scientists who thought up the "euthanasia" program. WCB Quarrie, Bruce. Hitler's Samurai - The Waf fen SS in Action .. Patrick Stephens, Wellingborough, 1983. �The book title refers to the ancient Japanese military code which required unconditional loyalty which Hitler demanded of the ss. Many photographs. See also the same author's Hitler's Teutonic Knights for • ore photographs o f the proud men of the ss. WCB Sichrovsky, Peter. Born Guilty - Children of Nazi Families. ?-!::.~•! Y:)rk: Basic Books, 1988. The sins of the parents are passed on to the children. If perpetrators denied to themselves and repressed their own guilt, is it any wonder that they had qreat difficulty in discussing what they did during WWII with their own children. As the childr~n grew and found out more, many assumed a great deal of bitterness and guilt. The "debate" between Rainer and his sister, Bridgette, is fascinating. Tenenbaum, Joseph. "The Einsatzgruppen", Jewish Social Studi es , 17, 1955, pp. 43-64. Some detailed information about the Special Task Forces (killing squads} which went into Poland and Russia. They killed large numbers of people - possibly several million. Weingartner James J. Hitler's Guard - The Story of The Leibslandarte ss Adolf Hitler, 1933-45. Carbondale: Illinois Press, 1974. S. The story of the ss Division commanded by the brutal Sepp Dietrich and answerable only to Hitler (not Hirnrnl er) . GVSU �VI. Victims and Survivors The f ocus of this section will be on the social/psychological dimensions of those who became the victims of the Holocaust, especially on the development of a social network in the death camps which helped a few to survive. Of course, the same social network helped to seal the fate for others. Arendt, Hannah. "Social Science Techniques and The Study of Concentration Camps", Jewish Social Studies, Vol. XII, 1950 , pp. 49-64. Ms. Arendt raises two problems which I think will plague students of this subject. 1) The non-utilitarian nature of the camps (e.g., it confronts what we think we know about egoism and self-interest); 2) The camps surpassed our sense of reality - "normal men do not know that anything is possible." Interesting. Bettelheim, Bruno. The Informed Heart. Free Press, 196~ Glencoe, Illinois: Bettelheim's well-known and extremely controversial argument that adaptation to Buchenwald required a regression to childish dependency on guards. GVSU Bettelheim, Bruno. surviving - .And Other Essays. Vintage, 1980 (essays written from 1952 on). Included here Bettelheim is controversial death camps. listed below. New York: are some major essays on the Holocaust. one of the most provocative and of those who dissect human behavior in the Recommended to be read with Des Pres Borowski, Tadeusz. This Way For The Gas, Ladies and Gentlemen. New York-:-Penquin Books, 1976. Borowski, one of Poland's qreat young writers, survived Auschwitz, yet took his own life in 1951 at the age of 29. Great writing and amazing insights into this place of horror. WCB �Cohen, Elie. Human Behavior In The Concentration Camp. York: W.W. Norton, 1953-.- - - New Cohen spent more than a year in Auschwitz and later received a medical degree in psychiatry. One of the earliest works on the social psychology of the death camps. Costanza, Marys. The Living Witness. Art in the concentration camps and ghettos. New York: Macmillan, 1982. Remarkable drawings by victims, including children, of their experiences . WCB Des Pres, Terrence. The Survivor. University Press-;-i976. New York: Oxford A well-known work on the subject. Fascinating insights into life in German and soviet death camps. Des Pres has had a long-standing argument with Bettelheim about interpreting what went on there. Good bibliography. WCB Des Pres, Terrence. "The Bettelheim Problem", Social Research, Vol. 46, 4, Winter, 1979, pp. 619-647. More interesting arguments in the battle with Bettelheim about interpreting behavior in the camps. Donat, Alexander. The Holocaust Kingdom. Rinehart-Winston, 1963. New York: Holt- Account of Maidanek and other death camps. Chapter IV has a valuable assessment of the camp social system. An eye witness. WCB Dunin-Wasowicz ! Krzysztof. "Forced Labor and Sabotage In Nazi Concentration Camps" in Gutman, Yisrael. The Nazi Concentration Camps. Jerusalem: Yad Vashem, 1984.-Prisoners sometimes were assigned work where sabotage was possible and exciting. Interlibrary Loan Feig, Konnilyn G. Hitler's Death Camps - The Sanity of Madness. New York: Holmes and Meier, 1981. A major study of the 19 "major" camps by a wo• an qreatly influenced by Kogon's Theory and Practice of Hell. Evaluation of evolution of these camps. WCB Gopnik, Adam. "Comics and Catastrophe", New Republic, June 22, 1987, pp. 29-34. -An appraisal of the cartoon in history and of �Spiegelman's Maus in particular. Glicksman, w. "Social Differentiation In The German Concentration Camps", pp. 381-408 in Fishman, Joshua A. (ed.) Studies In Modern Jewish Social History. New York : KTAV Publish ing Hou se, Inc. YIVO Institute For Jewish Research, 1972. ~ valuclble contribution to our understanding of social stratification at Auschwitz. This study shows how economic activity affected social organization. Gutman, Yisrael. "Social Stratification In The Concentration Camps", in Gutman, (ed.). The Nazi Concentration Camps. Jerusalem: Yad Vashem, 198~ - Incis i ve study of social systems in some death camps. Kogon, Eugen. The Theory and Practice of Hell. Farrar, Straus and Cudahy, 1950. - New York: -- One of t he most famous of all Holocaust books, Kogon spen t 7 years in Buchenwald and wrote his study between June and December, 1945. His study was supposedly "approved" by 15 other "high-ranking" prisoners. Deta i led information about the camp. Langer, Lawrence. Versions of Survival - The Holocaust and The Human Spirit. Albany: State University of New York Press, 1982. An examination of such major death camp authors as Des Pres, Bettelheim, Frankl, Levi, Wiesel, Gertrud Kolmar and Nelly Sachs. Highly recommended. WCB Lasansky, Mauricio. The Nazi Drawings. Winchell Co . , 1960. Philadelphia: Indescribable drawings of the death camps by one of America's foremost artists. Lederer, Zdenek. Ghetto Theresienstadt. Fertig, 1983 (org. 1952). New York: The WCB Howard Detailed account of this camp of deceit - i.e., the camp the Nazis used as a "show piece" by one who survived . WMU Lee, Barbara Schwartz. "Holocaust Survivors and Internal strengths, "Journal of Humanistic Psychology, Vol. 28, No. 1, Winter , 1988,pp. 67-96. Discussion of literature of survivors, principally Bettelheim, Des Pres, Frankl and Wiesel, together with interviews. She has found that survivors are healthy �and functioning well. Levi, Primo. The Drowned And The Saved. Books, 1988. -- -- New York: Summit Levi ' s last book, written at the time of his suicide in Apri l , 1987. One reviewer said: "None of his books are less than substantial and some of them are masterpieces, but they could all, in a pinch, be replaced by this one . . . " Levi, Primo. Moments of Reprieve--A Memoir of Auschwitz. New York: PenguinBooks, 1987 (Org. 1979). Wonderful little stories by a master story teller. Bittersweet tales of people Levi knew and the "survival system they built. WCB Levi, Primo. Survival in Auschwitz. Books, 1961. New York: Collier How people with talent use their wits to survive. Perceptive and compassionate. WCB Mandel, David. "One Man's Holocaust" March 6, 13, 1983 . David Mandel's story of Auschwitz. visits our class . Muller, Filip. Chambers. Grand Rapids Press, This man regularly Eyewitness Auschwitz. Three years in the Gas New York: Stein and Day, 1984 (Org. 1979). Yes, Muller spent almost three years in the "burning pits"! .An incredible story of human depravity in "Hell's inmost circle." WCB Pawelczynska, .Anna. Values and Violence in Auschwitz. Sociological .Analysis (Translated from Polish). Berkley: u. of California Press, 1979 . A .An unusual work. Chapter nine has some interesting information about the socio-economic system in Auschwitz . Sensitive and poetic. HOPE COLL Pingel, Falk. "Resistance and Resignation in Nazi Concentration and Extermination Camps," 30 - 72 in Hirschfeld, Gerhard, The Policies of Genocide. Boston: Allen and Unwin, 1986-.- An excellent overview of the evolution of Nazi Camps and an analysis of those who resisted and those who didn't. �Plant, Richard. The Pink Triangle -- The Nazi war Against Homosexuals.~ew York: Henry Holt, 1986. The book title refers to the triangle that homosexuals were forced to wear on their prison uniforms. All prisoners not immediately killed had to wear a triangle designating their status. This was a factor in the evolution of a social system within the camps. WCB Ramati, Alexander. And the Violins Stopped Playing. York : Granklin Watts, 1986. New A story of the "Gypsy Holocaust" from a diary of a young man who lost his wife, family and many friends at Auschwitz. Another gruesome Mengele story is revealed here. WCB Robinson, Jacob. Psychoanalysis In A Vacuum. Bettelheim and the Holocaust-.- New York: Yino Documentary Series, 1970. Bruno Yad Vashem Another lively feud between Bettelheim and a critic concerning how to interpret the victims. Hebrew Union College, Cincinnati Spiegelman, Art. Maus (A Survivor's Tale). Pantheon, 198_6___ New York: Spiegelman is a cartoonist and the son of a survivor, interesting and non famous "cartoon" book on the Holocaust. The Jews are mice; the Germans are cats. Hence: MAUSCHWITZ WCB Weiss, Aharon. "Categories of Camps -- Their Character and Role in the Execution of the Final Solution ... Gutman (ED . ) The Nazi concentration camps (See Gutman). A clear overview of the subject. Wiesel, Elie. Night. New York: Bantam Books, 1960. One of the most famous and perceptive of all the books about Auschwitz. Used in this course. GVSU, WCB �VII. Resisters This short s e ction focuses on those who acted against the Nazis . a~ ~~w~ The range of behavior here is very broad inasmuch hod little or nothing to lose (e.g., death camp prisoners or partisans in Poland), while others (see Hoffmann and S~holl) could have remained in positions of relative safety. traitors? Were the officers who plotted to kill Hitler or stupid? or something else? Hoffmann, Peter. German Resistance to Hitler. Press, 1988. Harvard U. A short but comprehensive review of the courageous few who dared to oppose the Nazis. Fascinating account of the military plots against hitler. Good bibliography. WCB Scholl, I nge. The White Rose--Munich, 1942-3. Conn . , Wesleyan, 198_3___ Middletown, The poignant account of a few courageous students (and a prof.) who destributed pamphlets and defaced walls in opposition to Hitler. Most were caught, "tried," and executed by beheading. WCB Levi! Primo. 1986 . If Not Now, When? New York: Penguin Books, novel based on true stories told to Levi about Jewish partisans in Eastern Europe. Interesting and insightful. A WCB Kowalski, Isaac. Anthology On Armed Jewish Resistance. 1939-45. Vol. I. New York: Jewish Combatants Publishers House, 1984. A large collection of documents which document Jewish resistance to the Nazis in Eastern Europe, Western Europe and the Balkans, contains 800 maps, drawings and photographs. An interesting gold mine. WCB NOTE: Much information about resistance, especially within the death camps, can be found in specialized books on Treblinka, Sobibor and Auschwitz. See Feig in Sect. VI. �VIII. Those who helped As the Holocaust literature continues to rapidly grow, we are made more aware of the thousands of people who risked their lives to assi st the Jews. This literature ranges from diaries to historical description to efforts to find solid psychological evidence for a "personality type" of altruism just as their • igbt be a certain personality type associated with perpe tr ators. This section is not to be considered as similar to the one on "resisters . 11 Bierman, J ohn . 1981. The dynamics are quite different. Righteous Gentile. New York: Viking Press, This is but one account of the heroic swede, Raoul Walenberg who may have saved as many as 100,000 Jews at the close of WWII. GVSU Friedlander, Saul. Counterfeit Nazi--The Ambiguity of Good. London: Weidenfeld and Nicolson, 1969. It is difficult to decide exactly where to list this book. It depends on why Kurt Gerstein joined the ss. I am willing to concede that he wanted to obtain evidence concerning the use of "Zyklon B" to kill prisoners in extermination camps. An amazing story. Principia College; Elsah, Illinois Goldberger, Leo. The Rescue of Danish Jews. Moral Courage Under Stress .~ew York:-New York University Press, 1987. Jews by an European nation. It is important to realize that there are good reasons for this. An account of the most successful rescue of Joffrey, Pierre. A Spy for God -- The Ordeal of Kurt Gerstein. New York-:-Harcourt-Brace, 1971. A dramatic presentation of the problem of interpreting this man. Grand Haven Public Library �Hallie, Philip. Lest Innocent Blood Be Shed. Harper Torchbook. 1979 (originally)-.-- New York: An amazing account of the French village where many Jews reached safety. This is used in this course. Provocative bibliography. WCB and GVSU Oliner, Samuel P. and Oliner, Pearl M. The Altruistic Personality -- Rescuers of Jews in Nazi Europe. New York : Free Press, 1988. A major effort to develop a theory which explains this special form of altruism. Contains an excellent bibliography on altruism in the social science literature. WCB Sauvage, Pierre. "Ten Things I Would Like to Know About Righteous Conduct in Le Chambon and Elsewhere During the Holocaust". Humboldt Journal of Social Relations. Vol. 13, No. 1-2, 1985-6, 252-9. Born in 1944 in Le Chambon and alive today because of the good people there, Sauvage asks some good questions about righteous conduct. Should be read with Hallie and Tee in this section. Tee, Nechama. When Light Pierce The Darkness. oxford Pre~l986 (in paperback). New York: A remarkable book based on interviews with 500 christians who saved Jews in Poland. The remarkable part, perhaps, is that many did so despite their own profound antisemitism. Valuable bibliography. WCB Zuccotti, Susan. The Italians and The Holocaust. New York: Bc\sic Books, 1987. This book is not a "saver" book per SP, but the Italian Holocaust was largely one of helping Jews survive. WCB �XX. Those Who Stood By and Did Little or Nothing This section, as most others, confronts our understanding of human behavior. We must understand the pre;uciice of the time, as Joseph Goebbels certainly did when he stated: "If there is any country that believes it has not enough Jews, I shall gladly turn over to it all our Jews." (He said this in 1939). There were no takers. In this country, the following parody of the Marines's Hymn was widely known during WWII: From the shores of Coney Island, Looking out into the sea, Stands a Kosher air-raid warden, Wearing V for victory, Who chants: Let those christian saps, go fight the Japs, In the uniforms we've made ... NOTE: FDR's New Deal administration was often referred to as the "Jew Deal". For these and more examples, see chapter 1 of Wyman noted below. See Robert Abzrig, for General Patton's anti-semitism and that of other "liberators". While most of the world stood by, this section focuses on American apathy. Laqueur, Walter. The Terrible Secret. Suppression of the Truth about Hitler's "Final Solution". New York: Penguin Books, 1980. This disguished historian chronicles the ways in which the world shielded itself from the 'open secret' known since 1941 that masses of Jews were being exterminated. WCB Lipstadt, Deborah E. Beyond Belief--The American Press and The Coming of the Holocaust 1933-1945. New York: The Free Press, 1986. �Lipstadt chronicales the indifference, disbelief and prej ud ice which was widespread in the American press, government and gener al public. If the Holocaust was beyond belief, t he reporting of i t almost was, valuable endnotes. WCB Horse, Arthur D. While Six Million Died. A Chronicle of American Apathy. Woodstock, N.Y . : overlook Press, 1983. The subtitle says it all. Useful bibliography. WCB Penkower, Monty Noam. The Jews Were Expendable. Free World Diplomacy and the Holocaust--:--Oetroit: Wayne u. Press, 1988 (paperback edition). Nine essays on specific examples of indifference . The epilogue is highly recommended. Excellent bibliography. WCB Wyman, Davids. The Abandonment of the Jews. America and the Holocaustl941-l945. NewYork:-rantheon, 1984. A painful but perceptive account of American and allied indifference, extending even to our failure to bomb Auschwitz after we knew the truth. Excellent bibliography. WCB �x. Women in the Third Reich Among the reasons for the Nazi loss of WWII was the underu ti lization of women. Their role was defined as mother ~nd loyal wife--not as warrior or munitions maker. The Nazis considered women to be intellectually inferior to men but indispensable to the perpetuation of the Aryan race. Sybil Milton has suggested that "the study of women and the Holocause has barely begun," but the Koonz study in particular belies this assessment. Bridenthal, Renate; Grossman, Atina and Kaplan, Marion. Biology Became Destiny--Women in Weimar and Nazi Germany. New York: Monthly Review Press, 1984. When collection of fourteen essays which cover a wide variety of topics. A goldmine of bibliographical suggestions and term paper topics. WCB A Koonz, Claudia. Mothers In The Fatherland. Women, the family and Nazi politics. New York: St. Martins' Press, 1987. A major work. Koonz has an eye both for broad generalization and detail. Very well written. Many ideas for research papers and a useful bibliography. Highly recommended. WCB �XI. Phenomenology of Everyday Life This small section focuses on an important area of social science which is a healthy antidote to the under=~~nding some people have of the Holocaust. Many movies and books suggest that the Nazis marched into power as the German people swooned. This is misleading as we learn when we examine the daily lives of Germans who lived through this period. Allen's book was one of the first of this genre and it conveys the daily struggles in a small German town and the changes that took place as people confronted the "facts" of daily life: the unemployment, the price of potatoes, the intimidation on the street, the arguments at the dinner table, the looks of the neighbors. In short, this literature presents us with the daily struggle people had with these "facts" and their meaning. simply marching in. And it wasn't a matter of Hitler Was it Nietzsche who defined hell as a theory ruined by a fact? Allen, William Sheridan. The Nazi Seizure of Power - The Experience of A Single German Town, 1920-1935. New York: Franklin Watts, 1965. An inportant book that has attained the status of a "classic". This work sheds light on the everyday life of people and the "feelings" of the Nazi takeover. WCB Engel • ann, Berht. Third Reich. In Hitler's Germany Everyday Life In the New York: Pantheon, 1986. -- - A tascinating account of the times by a man born in 1921, later living a "double life" in the Luftwaffe and imprisoned in Daucbau, but who somehow managed to live through it all. WCB �Henry, Frances . Victims and Neighbors - A small town in Nazi Germany rememb ered . South Hadley, Ma.: Bergin and Garney, 1984. Henry is an anthropologist who remembers her life in Nazi Germany as a little girl . She returns to the town and writes of the cruelty and compassion that took place there. WCB Peukert, Detlev J.K. Inside Nazi Germany - Conformity, Opposition and Racism in Everyday Life. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1987. Highly recommended: Written by a Germany scholar who understands so ci al structure, social psychology and variety in human life. Many suggestions for student term papers topics. WCB �XII. Hitler I am by now personally convinced that there are at least three necessary (but perhaps not sufficient) factors behind the Holocaust: 1) longstanding German antisemitism; 2) the "terrible" loss in WWI (perceived in Germany as terrible, at least) followed by Versailles, the Weimar government, catastrophic inflation and a depression which combined to undermine Ge rm an trust in traditional institutions and traditional means; 3) a clever man, Hitler, who was the "wrong man a t the wrong time," able to exploit this climate of frustration and uncertainty. His ability to galvanize great numbers of his own people was a crucial part of the Holocaust. However, interpreting Hitler is very perplexing. isn't due to any shortage of information. And it We have a great amount of detailed information--much of it eye witness and documented . There is one basic generic problem and one specific problem in undertanding this man. confronts social scientists: about one man? The generic one how much can one generalize If each man is unique, the science of behavior is put to question . scientists have sai d since: Aristotle long ago said what science is to generalize. specific problem refers to Hitler's bizarre behavior. The How do we deal wi th a man who, to paraphrase Hannah Arendt in only a slightly different context, had a sense of being able to do anything? What do we do with a man who defies what we think is �explicable human behavior? EXAMPLES: Hitler ordered his troops to stop short of Dunkirk when he could have inflicted great losses on the British. "Barbarossa". He named his Russian campaign Fredrich Barbarossa, for the record, was a medieval German leader known for his critical defeats--and Hitler knew it. In the closing days of the war, Hitler ordered his own military leaders to destroy Germany. these and many, many other examples that could be named are very hard to explain. Such bizarre behavior is probably one of the principle reasons why Hitler is so fascinating to so many and why there is not end in sight to the conflicting interpretation of this man. that: Robert Waite concludes his book with the observation " ... we may doubt that we shall ever be able to 'explain satisfactorily', fully, and finally why it was that Hitler did what he did." NOTE: some of the most interesting data on Hitler comes from the notes and diaries from those intelligent few who escaped or somehow survived long enough to tell about it. Among these are Hitler - Memoirs of a Confidant (Otto Wagener); New Haven, Yale U. Press, 1985; H.R. Trevor-Roger (ed.) Hitler's Table Talk , 1941-1944. London: 1973; Herman Rauschning, Hitler Speaks, London, 1939 and Albert Speer, Inside the Third Reich : New York, 1970. Despite the self serving features, Speer reveals a great deal in this book. Binion, Rudolph. Hitler Among The Germans. Elsevier, 1976. New York: �A fascinating piece of psychohistory. An investigation into Hitler's unassimilated trauma - his mother's death. Hillsdale College Library Bullock, Alan. Hitler - A study in Tyranny. Harper and Row, 1962 (Orig. 1952). New York: One of the best and most respected of all the traditional historical studies. A probing look at Hitler's personality in chapter 7. WCB Friedlander, Saul . Reflections on Nazism - An Essay on Kitsch and Death. New York: Harper and Row, 1984 (Orig. 1982). An essay on the fascination shown in our movies, plays and novels to the subjects of Hitler, death and destruction. See Rosenfeld in this section. WCB Hitler, Adolf. Mein Kampf. Boston: Hougnton-Mifflin, 1962. (Written in Landsberg Arn Leck Fortress Prison, 1924. First published in 1927). A book everyone knows about, but few have read. Long and tedious, it reveals Hitler's overwhelming racial phobias. Contains one remarkable passage: " ... if 1215,000 Jews had been held under poison gas [in 1914] the war would have gone differently." Most everything Hitler did was discussed here. WCB and GVSU Hoyt, Edwin P. 1988. Hitler's War. New York: McGraw - Hill, a clear and well-written account of the major military blunders of WWII orchestrated by Hitler. WCB Jackel, Eberhard. Hitler's Weltanschauung. Middletown, Conn. Wesleyan U. Press, 1972 (Orig. 1969). Many influential interrrrpreters of Hitler (e.g., Walter Rauschning) treated him as a nihilist/opportunist who only craved power. Jackel interprets Hitler as having a coherent world philosophy (however sick it might be) which he acted upon. GVSU Langer, Walter C. The Mind of Adolf Hitler. American Library, 1972.- New York: New This has great historical value. Langer was commissioned by the oss in 1943 to write a study of Hitler's mind to help in the war effort against Germany. Declassified in 1972, this edition has afterthoughts by Langer and a concluding section by Robert G. L. Waite. WCB �Lewin, Ronald. Hitler's Mistakes. New York: William Morrow, 1984. It's is hard to believe that anyone could chronicle Hitler's major mistakes in only 166 pages, but Lewin does. Interesting! WCB Rosenfeld, Alvin. Press, 1985. Imagining Hitler. Bloominton: Indiana U. This book isn't about Hitler, "but about the ghost of Hitler." Rosenfeld examines the "hold" Hitler has over novelists, poets, playwrights and movie makers. An avid reader of fiction, Rosenfeld is troubled by "fiction's infidelity to history." An important book because most people know Hitler only through moviees, novels, and plays. WCB Waite, Robert G.L. The Psychopathic God - Adolf Hitler. York: New American Library, 197.,.--:- new probing look into this bizarre man. a controversial book because Waite takes chances and dares to discuss Hitle r' s sexual perversions" and many other personal proclivities. Fascinating. GVSU and WCB A Weinstein, Fred. The Dynamics of Nazism. Leadership, Ideology and the Holocaust-.- New York: Acaemic Press, 1980. This book isn't very well known, but I much. The author does a very good job dynamics between Hitler and the German revea l ing study of how Hitler "milked" of tradition. like it very of showing the people. A the German sense WCB �XIII. Genocide Although Genocide, the Holocaust and the Nuremberg Trials have been joined in the minds of many, I keep them distinct here beacause of differences in their history. I respect and honor those who insist that the word Holocaust be reserved for naming the destruction of the European Jews by the Nazis fr om 1939-1945. The term genocide was coined by Raphael Lemkin in 1943 to refer to any synchronized attack on the political, social, cultural, econimic, religious and moral aspects of life of the captive peoples. As Kuper documents in his book Genocide, there have been several cases of genocide in this century, including the Holocaust. A recent movie titled Genocide and materials circulated with it have done much to link the Holocaust with genocide. The concept of genocide was certainly before the jurists at Nuremberg, but they didn't have time to properly digest and develop such a new concept. Therefore, one shouldn't throw them together as though they always had been linked. Dadrian, Bohakn H., "The Methodological Components of the Study of Genocide As A Sociological Problem - The Armenian Case". Recent Studies in Modern Armenian Histo r y. Cambridge, Ma.: Armenian Heritaqe Press, 1972. Some i nteresting comments on comparing the Arllenian and Jewish Holocausts. Gr~b~an, Al ~x and Lavdes, Daniel. Genocide. Critical Issues of the Holocaust (companion to the movie Genocide). Los .Angeles: Simon Wiesenthal Center, 1983. A valuable overview of the Holocaust as Genocide . �,.. Subjects range from historical background to evolution of the concept of Genocide to meaning and implications. WCB Horowitz, Irving Louis. Taking Lives. Genocide and State Power. New brunswick, N.J.: Transaction Books, 1980. An essay into the nature of a new type of mass destruction conducted with the approval of the state apparatus. GVSU Kuper, Leo. Genocide. It's Political Use In the Twentieth Century. New haven; Yale, 1981. A general survey of the major instances of Genocide in this century. WCB Kuper, Leo. 1985 . The Prevention of Genocide. New Haven: Yale, major indictment of the U.N. failure to enforce the 'Genocide Convention' and the lack of public education on the subject. WCB A Rubenstein, Richard. Press, 1983. The Age of Triage. Boston: Beacon Always provocative, Rubenstein compares the Holocaust with the Armenians, Stalin's elimination of Ukranians and the enclosure laws of England and suggests they all reveal genocide against unwanted people in the age of overpopulation and high unemployment. Good bibliography. WCB �.... Irv. Nuremberg Trials This is another extraordinary chapter of the Holocaust atory. Hitler." One British official exclaimed: Imagine indeed. "Imagine trying But the Americans led the way {naively in the opinion of many world leaders) to try top Nazi officials. Interesting problems and issues are raised here. Conot, Robert E. Row, 1983. Justice At Nuremberg. New York: Harper An informed and comprehensive survey of what a participating judge called "the greatest trial in history". Useful bibliography. Luban, David. "The Legacies of Nuremberg." Vol. 54, No. 4 (Winter 1987) 779-829. & WCB Social Research, An interesting essay on the legal and moral problems raised at Nurember--and their legacies. Smith, Bradley F. The Road To Nuremberg. London: Andre Deutsch, 1981. The story of "how the allies finally agreed to try the Nazi leaders--rather than summarily shoot them." WCB Tusa, Ann and Tusa, John. Athenurn, 1986. The Nuremberg Trial. New York: A lucid, comprehensive account of this large and complex event. Very well written. WCB � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Adriana B. and Peter N. Termaat collection Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Termaat, Adriana B. (Schuurman) Termaat, Peter N. Description An account of the resource Collection contains genealogical, personal, and family papers and photographs documenting the lives and interests of Adriana and Peter Termaat. The bulk of the materials are related to family history and genealogical research carried out by the Termaats, including research notes and materials about places in the Netherlands that were significant to the Termaat and Schuurman families, such as the city of Alkmaar. Other materials in the collection are related to the Termaats' experiences on the eve of and during the Second World War, especially the German occupation of the Netherlands and the Termaats' participation in organized resistance to the Nazis. Also included are materials that document the family's post-war life in the United States, including their public efforts to recognize, commemorate, and honor people and events significant to World War II. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1869 - 2012 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/719">Adriana B. and Peter N. Termaat collection, RHC-144</a> Subject The topic of the resource Netherlands Netherlands--History--German occupation, 1940-1945 World War, 1939-1945 World War, 1939-1945 -- Underground movements -- Netherlands Dutch Dutch Americans Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-144 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource Text Image Type The nature or genre of the resource application/pdf image/jpeg Language A language of the resource eng nl Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-144_Termaat_WRI_Lecture-Notes-GVSU-Syllabus-1988-Baum-The-Holocaust-and-the-Social-Sciences Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Baum, William Title A name given to the resource The Holocaust and the Social Sciences Syllabus Description An account of the resource Syllabus written for HP 231 The Holocaust and the Social Sciences, Fall 1988, including an annotated bibliography on literature on the Holocaust. Subject The topic of the resource World War, 1939-1945 Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945) Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/719">Adriana B. and Peter N. Termaat collection (RHC-144)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/8c6a6ef4fceaf7322a08d927c573513a.pdf 825e07e5ae1fec012feecfb1f9a89102 PDF Text Text The elation of victory has become the memory of the elderly. There boiled in us a powerless rage; and the normally stolid people, do have the propensity for a wild outburst of fury. Once the 5 long years of enemy occupation were over with its violence, its terror and the total desbuction of freedom the longing for the liberation had become a fervent hope that from that day on happiness and savoring of freedom would continue for the same amount of time. It was not to be. This unhappy composition of humam nature has as its result that no suffering, no violation of mind or body, no destitution nor fighting the good fight, is properly recognized and honored. Payment has been in blood, tension and risk, but in exchange come~ only a few days of elation and the hope that all will soon improve must be payment en~ugh. The great anticipation becomes sufficient reWfFd No architect builds a house without ca culating the forces of gravity. It should be no different when we build our societies, The essential needs of the human being, the characteristics of his mind and organs his relation with his envirement , all these are easily subjected to scientific observation. mnitil now man has been occupied with availing himself of all the abundance of the 1',net and dazzled by the material results of his scientific advances. But now civilization has reached a point where it U~eatens to destroy mankind. The unprecedented dangers of warfare with modern weapons, the imbalance between riches and poverty that has given birth to Marxisme and Communism and the retreat from morality in public and private life, we need not describe in detail. We have put so much emphasis on intei lect and so little on moral sense. One of the qualities of the intellect is its inability to understand life. Moral sense is so much more important than intellect, When that disappaears from a nation, everuthing else begins to crumble • But how is it to be done on a great enough scale to reverse the flow of materialism in our civilization; how do you change the motives of men? Obviously from the top down. Having received a Hi gh School or College diploma , does not mean that you are educated • At be·s t you have been opened up a permanent wish, even hunger , for more information, more good thoughts, more ideas. There is low road, the minimum road which will provide a living or get by socially. The other, the high road leads you to read a couple of books every month for the rest of your life, to conceive and carry ~ut fresh ideas and work at them. And you, young men and women who are in your junior and senior years, cab be a solid guide to freshmen and sophomores, simply by your attitude and your behavior . �Having had a solid formal education has been through life a good foundation. High schools and colleges should introduce subjects that will tie in with the later needs of the graduates in the real world. We will have to teach them history and geography simultaneously as both these subjects are intertwined Specialization will be beneficial but it also may make communication between the technical ( the so~called beta's) and the salespeople ( the alpha's) • Bothalpha and beta are based on the system of higher education in The Netherlands, where at an early stage is being determined which school will be attended. The Netherlands' resistance operated behind enemy lines, atacking them whereever possible, preferably where they were most vulnerable. Writing about their exploits, based as it is on historical events requires some research and one's own experience. Like most men who have experienced extensive combat, resistance members are notoriously closemouthed about their exploits and generally unwilling to talk about themselves. Since however it is germane to the overall story (history) the more factual material as can be gathered and made relevant, do belong to be put in writing. Frightened people do frightful things In the night from March 11 to 12 , 1938 /\.ustrian authorirties invited the German in: Heim ins Reich ( Back to the fatherland) ~nschluss ( one state) ; the prodigal son coming home; the correction of a historical mistake. On April 10, 1938, one moneh later a referendum was held and 99.75 %of the voters approved what had happe:imed. Europe would pay a high price: 70 of the Gestapo was composed of Austrians • On order of the Cabinet in London in September 1944, all resistance groups would be bound together into a unified fighting force. Those in the Resistance from the beginning clearly saw the danger of infiltration of such a force by traitors or by individuals who before D-day had been laying low or worse had been cozying up to the occupier. There fears became in many an instance true. ~dd to this the total inexperience in intelligence work and in the field of panning and executing the hard and stern work of striking there where it counted, and you have a situation where efforts were wastmd and mresulted in very many unnecessary casualties. Enemy infiltration became also an ever present danger. �Returning refugees; memories endure. In 1945 Britain sent back to their homelands, and death, 70,000 Cossacks and Jugoslavs. Nobody wants to see a repetition of that For most of todays boatpeople the impetus is that of wanting a better life. There is nothing wrong with that. It is the same impetus impetus that brought the forebears of most living ~mericans to the U.S., Many of these "boat" people also risked their lives in crossing the Atlantic; no one turned them back at Ellis island because of an inability to prove persecution back home. The unduckable problem to day is in the numbers . ¢Faced with so many, western countries, even ~merica have long abandonned any pretense of indiscriminatingly accepting everyone. Most have decided that you can gain admission quickly if you are rich, useful, related to a citizen of the country, or a refugee escaping specific persecution. If not you must take your place in a queue as an ordinary immigrant. El DI Seek purpos-e and duty as an ideal. Power and fame fade always. Nothing in life just happens; you have to have the stanmila to meet obstacles and overcome them and to struggle without ceasing. the questions are simple What happened and why did it happen? What might have happened, and why did i~ not. under the evanescent surface, only a few countries remain in ~sia. that are in control of themselves: these are Indonesia and Thailand. Octavias Ceasar told Cleopatra's story to the Romans in their four principles 1. foreigners are inferior 2. women are inferior 3. a man dominated by a woman is no longer a real man 4. such a man is unaccountable for his crimes: the fault is the moman's. �Thomas Jefferson, asserted that whenever a man has casts a longing eye on public office , a "rottenness " begins in his conduct . Too often since 1945 , loudly confident Americans, have so got up the noses of other nations, that they have achieved the precise opposi~te of their intentions. quote: the strong one is mighty_ alone. marriage is a bond of servive and honors are a cult by themselves events command; we perform make it your hobby my sons, to watch the show go by. and know yourself_ there is but one first aid - help yourself in hindsight, how it all fits together, all of life. there is danger everywhere down here and that too is necessary. poverty: the school of vice and joyous ia who can find joy the currant does not know itself your mind has to be tormented and exalted, before you can see God that is hard Death and life are in the power of the tongue; and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof. Proverbs 18:21 Plato: Education does not consist in telling people new things it consists in extracting from their memories what they already know. In the 19J0ties, it proved much easier to recruit committed antifascists in Europe for espionage work than for fascisme to recruit its very limited band of supporters abroad. �They had just stepped away from the road when they saw an army truck roll kl by, filled with soldiers with their rifles at the ready. They could not make out what unit they were from J ......:.f- M ~ J ~~ From the road the meadow was sloping down to the river. They kept running until they reached the bank. Crouched behind the summer diEke they kept running towards the city and only stopped when they saw the i:la:m!:e lumber mill. The willows on the other side had some branches deeply ha~ ng till they reached the water. Th~ river seemed wider than it appeared durin~ the summer. The water was high, swollen by the rains that always c~me in abundance during the fall. Its current was swift with treacherous whirlpools in the middle and near the stretch dams built into the river on the outside of its many vurves • They could hear the water scour the low dikes. The moon light was reflecti ~ 1 in the myriad little waves and the depth of the water seemed uncertain. It was hard now to measure the distance to the other bank. Though the oppositebank looked quite uninhabited , they knew that even if they managed to swim across, they would later have to proceed across the only bridge that crossed the river in the hiiddle of the city. There would undoubtedly be guards onE the bridge and even if they managed to bring their small weapons and ammunition wrapped in oil cloth across safe and dry, the thought of running into the guards seemed out of the qµestion • In the summer in bright daylight you could cross the river swimming, even when the melting snow from the t1.lps had swollen the the stream and speeded its course. You only had to swim diagonally with the flow and not fight it to cross straight. ot ~nd crossing here, and then proceed north to the brige and cross the river again when the bridge was in sight was too risky. The current could smash them into one of the bridge piles, and even in the pale moonlight they would be visible from the bridge or its heads and draw fire from the guards. -L..-r, · � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Adriana B. and Peter N. Termaat collection Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Termaat, Adriana B. (Schuurman) Termaat, Peter N. Description An account of the resource Collection contains genealogical, personal, and family papers and photographs documenting the lives and interests of Adriana and Peter Termaat. The bulk of the materials are related to family history and genealogical research carried out by the Termaats, including research notes and materials about places in the Netherlands that were significant to the Termaat and Schuurman families, such as the city of Alkmaar. Other materials in the collection are related to the Termaats' experiences on the eve of and during the Second World War, especially the German occupation of the Netherlands and the Termaats' participation in organized resistance to the Nazis. Also included are materials that document the family's post-war life in the United States, including their public efforts to recognize, commemorate, and honor people and events significant to World War II. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1869 - 2012 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/719">Adriana B. and Peter N. Termaat collection, RHC-144</a> Subject The topic of the resource Netherlands Netherlands--History--German occupation, 1940-1945 World War, 1939-1945 World War, 1939-1945 -- Underground movements -- Netherlands Dutch Dutch Americans Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-144 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource Text Image Type The nature or genre of the resource application/pdf image/jpeg Language A language of the resource eng nl Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-144_Termaat_WRI_Lecture-Notes-Advice Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Termaat, Pieter Title A name given to the resource Notes and advice to young people Description An account of the resource Notes by Pieter Termaat about the Dutch resistance movement and advice to young adults. Subject The topic of the resource World War, 1939-1945 -- Underground movements -- Netherlands Netherlands -- History -- German occupation, 1940-1945 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/719">Adriana B. and Peter N. Termaat collection (RHC-144)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/ec630aa7a3f34864fe76d218a3e1e735.pdf 90cdddd29d054028bd9557d475f26d47 PDF Text Text GVSU From the middle of the 1930ties, the seemingly parallel lines of development of Germany, Italy, Spain and Japan were being forged into diplomatic contacts to bend these lines to a point certain where they would converge and then intersect. Together they pursued ~eo-political goals from the A~lantic to the Urals and in the Pacific a mare nostrum for ZJapan. In Europe a defense system was pursued from the North Cape to tne Spanish border; Norway, Denmark. Holland, Belgium and France would have to be taken after wnich tne ultimate goal - - - - - - ~of congering England would De reached. The German High Command , at·ter the det·eat in WWI I where a cease fire in 1918 made the allied armies come to a halt short of enterl.ng Germany, set the goal for the next war. Japan after winning a war against Russia in 1904 - 1905 Decame the first Asian state to defeat a European power and conceived a stat,egy to conquer Korea, Mansjuria · - •• and in particular the Netherlands East Indies. ere raw materials were availabie l.n abundance , as ..._ -.- WPr.> labor • The conquest of the west of Europe would lay a protective shield in front of Germany's heavy war ind.~try in the Ruhr , and wnen WWII started. Heil.and and Belgium bor.e"~unt of tne newly developed air forces, besides for Germany being the jumP-off point for the attack on England, and for the Allies a point of entry into Europe for Germany's defeat. - - - -- - On September 10, 1943 Hitler's right hand man Joseph Goebbels wrote 1n nis diary : 11 The FUhrer expects the Anglo-American invasion attempt to come in The Netherlands. We are the weakest there, and the population would be most inclined to give the necessary local support for such an undertaking, As everybody knows, tne Dutch are the most insolent and obstreperous people in the entire west." - - -- - - ~Quote, unquote. - - - - -- For Germany, Italy, Japan and Spain it was clear that they would have only one chance to achieve their goals: a oordinated and fast attack. In a mi~ ary conflict a strong economic base is more vital in the long term than military superiority. Stretching militarily beyond what taeir economies will sustain, nations are looking for a fall. History gives us concrete examples: the Hapsburg monarchy went unier througn deficit financing and inflation; Spain's Philip II with a large deficit• attacking Holland , Belgium and England, with the Duke of Parma's landing Army contained by the Dutch shallow draft war snips, while the larger Dutch and English war ships defeated the foolish toP-heavy ships of the Armada ,. with all the refined tools of torture froma Torquemada aboard. And we ourselves are hard put to fulfill the mili~ary obligations which came to us at the brilliant victories over the Axis powers, in 1945 • � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Adriana B. and Peter N. Termaat collection Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Termaat, Adriana B. (Schuurman) Termaat, Peter N. Description An account of the resource Collection contains genealogical, personal, and family papers and photographs documenting the lives and interests of Adriana and Peter Termaat. The bulk of the materials are related to family history and genealogical research carried out by the Termaats, including research notes and materials about places in the Netherlands that were significant to the Termaat and Schuurman families, such as the city of Alkmaar. Other materials in the collection are related to the Termaats' experiences on the eve of and during the Second World War, especially the German occupation of the Netherlands and the Termaats' participation in organized resistance to the Nazis. Also included are materials that document the family's post-war life in the United States, including their public efforts to recognize, commemorate, and honor people and events significant to World War II. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1869 - 2012 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/719">Adriana B. and Peter N. Termaat collection, RHC-144</a> Subject The topic of the resource Netherlands Netherlands--History--German occupation, 1940-1945 World War, 1939-1945 World War, 1939-1945 -- Underground movements -- Netherlands Dutch Dutch Americans Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-144 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource Text Image Type The nature or genre of the resource application/pdf image/jpeg Language A language of the resource eng nl Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-144_Termaat_WRI_Lecture-Notes-322 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Termaat, Pieter Title A name given to the resource Lecture Notes Description An account of the resource Lecture notes by Pieter Termaat about the rise of fascism in Europe and the lead up to World War II. Subject The topic of the resource Fascism Germany -- Social conditions Social conditions Germany Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/719">Adriana B. and Peter N. Termaat collection (RHC-144)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/61c5db2c80dc63b88439d28c4da87bbf.pdf 5ef334244767c60a48f8646958f1ff00 PDF Text Text OUR FATHERLAND Prologue ''Tomorrow at )lawn, stand fast", read the coded message from Major Sas, Netherlands' military atta~ in Berlin to Army Head Quarters in The Hague. Our strict \ neutrality violated? Yes. Just another broken promise from Hitler. Naively, too many in responsible positions underestimated the evil that existed across the border. Half a dozen broken promises between 1935 and 1939. Under the surface of the fast developing events ran the deep feelings of our people; the shock of the attacks, the unexpected speed of the defeat after the torching of Rotterdam, and the slow adjustment to the status of an occupied nation. And then, the at first difficult to discern, but irresistible tightening of the screw of oppression. Then the moral angle. Where do I call a halt? Are we sliding from bad to worse? Where is the fine line between right and wrong? Between good and evil? Some people were confronted at an early moment with a moral choice, some for the sake of principle, others because circumstances had placed them in a particular situation, at a certain time, which demanded a fast and clear-cut decision. But in those five years of occupation, too many were never confronted with a sharply defined cho~ce. As for the Resistance, one also had to judge each situation as it took place at that time. In the afternoon of Tuesday, May 141 1940 the military surrender of the Netherlands, with the exception of the province of Zeeland and the Netherlands' East and West Indies, 'b~came .a fact. Further resistance in the face of the overw e ~ blOJY _Of the fall of all oF . -·-·---- ---- - - L.:. -~ -- western Europe from the North Cape iri Norway --to the Spanish border in 10 short weeks, �2 appeared useless. The Nazi's were there. How were they to be thrown out? An early expectation of that was unrealistic. But to get along meant to perish as a free and I democratic nation. No resistance of some kind meant to perish. For the mc!n'ient resistance / ' from ~thin seemed the only and long road left to be liberated. Awareness that resistance would face repercussions was painfully acute. Very limited at first, growing stronger as the barbaric tyrant forced tragic decisions on o_u r people, the varied resistance groups, unprepared, inexperienced, began to fight back with determination and against great odds. Many generations had passed since they had to face so sharply a choice between survival and extinction. For the past, its benefits, its tradition and determined striving for freedom, we were grateful. Not since the murderous Spanish Inquisition had a generation been faced with so clear a choice of destiny. All that we were as a people was laid as a trust upon our generation. To fight the good fight for a free country, perhaps in ruins, as a sure foundation on which our children would build the country anew as had our ancestors. Freedom, true justice and honor, with our inherent strength, had always prevailed. In our generation, the times past, and the times to come focused together, when history and prophesy called our generations to our sacred duty to God, Queen, and Fatherland. Our personal active participation in the Resistance started right after the Netherlands' capitulation, which was caused by the destructive bombing of Rotterdam on - May 14, 1940. We could then only anticipate that the occupation, just started, would not be over soon. �3 My dad was an aide-de-camp with an Infantry Regiment, engaged in the count~/ / / attack against the German breakthrough west of Arnhem. !n 1940 the population of the Netherlands had pas·sed the nine million mark, of which 150,000 were Jews, a ratio of about one and a half percent. Ninety percent of the Jewish minority lived and worked in Amsterdam, while the remaining 10% were to be found across the eleven provinces. In our hometown of Alkmaar, there were about fifty Jews, on a population of approximately 34,000. We started the Underground started in August, 1940 with press releases from England. It would continue until May 8, 1945 at a rising cost in lives. Nobody escaped the pressure of a pure material choice, forced upon the people through the ever tightening clamp of war-economy on food, clothing, transportation, and the ever diminishing opportunity for relaxation and respite. The net, in which we were caught, pulled ever tighter as gold, silver, gold, copper, bronze (coins and artifact), radios, bicycles and food, obtained on 'hunger trips', was confiscated. The dark shadows of self esteem, stolen by being chased by the slave haulers, and forced to hard labor at hunger rations far from home, became a way of life. _ _ - ' Gradually the resistance grew. It began to express itself in seveE._al forms. At the same time many varian~es of collaboration became manifest. Only few acted on principle, most were based on opportunistic grounds, because Germany at that time seemed to be on top. �I I 4 / In the occupied countries of Europe, the Nazis ruled in several cµfferent ways, I / adapting tactics which all served their - purpose. Naive underestimation of( the real designs / of nazism, fascism and corporatism was the rule. It was wishful thinking to not hear, see I and understand. Nazi Germany instituted the draft in 1933, grabbed the Rhineland in 1936, joined Austria with 99.75% of the vote in 1938 and its "homecoming" in the Third Reich, and annexed the Sudeten territory in Czechoslovakia in 1939. These acts, _aggravated by England's and France's complicity, were as many violations of good faith as any astute observer should need to arrive at the only possible judgement: 'Who is next and what can be done about it'. Nov. 9, 1938: The infamous Kristall Nacht takes place. Fifty years later, on November 9, 1988 I have the honor to address the congregation of Temple Emanuel, and the 'Congregation Ahavas Israel' in Grand Rapids, Michigan in commemoration of this unforgettable event as follows: "It is with great sadness that we commemorate together the infamy of fifty years ago, of what has become known as 'Kristan Nacht' or 'Night of Glass'. It happened less than a year before Poland was partitioned between Germany and Russia. In March of 1938 Hitler's armies had been invited into Austria, and that country was in its entirety integrated. Austria had among its population 185,000 Jews; many of whom were arrested and sent to the concentration camp of Dachau. But among these were 20,000 - Jews with Polish nationality, who tried after the German-Austrian unification (Der L Anschluss ), to return to Poland. The Polish government refused to take them back, and SS �5 General Heydrich had these 20,000 people loaded on trains and dropped off at the Polish border where they, exposed to the elements, wandered about in a no-man's land. After some six months an accord was struck between Germany and Poland, whereby each country took in half of these helpless refugees. The inhumane conditions in which these twenty thousand people lived for six months aroused widespread sympathy in Europe, but little practical help - for two reasons. To reach them deep inside Europe during the tense situation already existing between Germany and Poland was virtually impossible. In the second place,~ western European governments were hesitant, even loath allowing Jewish refugees into their countries. Hitler's mad ravings over the radio had intimidated many of these so-called statesmen. During that horrible fall of 1938, Dutch journalists covered the news along the border with Germany, and bitter indeed were their memories. For example, they saw a six months old baby lying on the luggage counter in the Customs building at the border post of Oldenzaal, without its parents. Not being able to get away themselves, the parents had apparently put their baby in a train compartment destined for Holland. And there it was, between the luggage, crying. But the Government's dictum stood: 'it did not want any more refugees', and the smuggled baby was sent back to Bentheim, across the ~order. After the war, the prominent journalist Bakker received a phone call. An English speaking lady wanted to come and see him. The young woman he met was unknown to him. She showed him a picture of a healthy set of twins and said: 'Without your help these children would never have been born.' Confused, the reporter looked up. Then she said: 'Kerkrade', and that's when Bakker made the connection - a small Dutch restaurant close �6 to the border, and two young people cowering in a corner; across the road a German border guard waiting to take them back. They had fled from the gruesome violence of Kristan Nacht and had fled to the Netherlands, trusting on its noble tradition of asylum. An officer of the ~tate Police arrived to hand them over. The man cursed from indignation at this task. Bakker asked him to delay the matter and called the Department of Justice in The Hague. Twice they turned his request for asylum down. The restaurant owner advised the young couple to throw a couple of stones through the window of the Police station. After al1, a Dutch jail was always preferable over going back to Germany. But the young man shook his head and said; "Ach nein, die Hollaendische Behoerden haben uns <loch anstaendig behaendelt." ("Rather not, the Dutch policemen have treated us decently"). Bakker managed to negotiate another half hour's delay, and called the Justice Department again and told them: "This is my third call, and I want you to know that I will dip my pen in poison and publish this nationwide. I have sufficient influence to bring this matter up in Congress. So, unless these two people can stay, only then will I be silenced." It worked. They were allowed to stay, and after the war Bakker sat there as he fumbled with a picture of the twins. It was alas but one exception to the Dutch government's rule. Among the first Jews to be rounded up for the no-man's land between Germany and Poland were the Grynszpans, whose son, Hershell, was a student in Paris. Unsettled by the fate of this parents, he shot and killed Ernst von Rath, Third Secretary of the German Embassy in Paris. It shocked the always hysterical atmosphere in the Nazi Party and - inflamed it to such an extent that Hitler gave the order to attack all Jews in their homes and business on November 9, 1938. In one night two hundred synagogues went up in flames; �7 eight thousand storefronts were devastated, and shattered plate glass littered German streets. It was later estimated that the destroyed plate glass represented half a year's production of the Belgian plate glass industry, from which it had been imported. Eight hundre~ stores were plundered and thirty five jews murdered. Thirty thousand Jewish men were arrested and put into the concentration camps of Sachsenhausen, Buchenwald and Dachau. After six weeks they were set free; but only after an additional four hundred had been murdered. A fine of one million Deutsch marks was imposed, and one fifth of their investments confiscated. Poor Jews would no longer be eligible for social care and were concentrated in work camps. Theaters, musea, public parks and swimming pools became off limits for Jews. Their children were removed from every level of schooling, and the total number of Jews in Germany, three hundred thousand (about one percent of the population and unarmed) were concentrated in Berlin and Vienna. Protest rallies were held all over Europe, but to no avail. The churches in Holland remained totally committed to helping the Jews, and the number of their martyrs, after they themselves were subjected to five years of occupation, testifies to that eloquently. The only concession before the war was that children would be admitted in limited numbers, without their parents. England would accept ten thousand; Belgium one thousand; France six hundred; Switzerland three hundred; The Netherlands one thousand five hundred and Sweden two hundred and fifty. It proved too little, too late. It had been night, and now it was day- KRISTALL NACHT- Night of Glass - had made its horrible mark in history. �8 After my years at Almere College, my parents sent me to the Pedagogic Academy in Alkmaar, where I stayed with my grandparents until my parents and brother followed me from Kampen out there, half a year later. I graduated in 1933 and continued my studies towards a Masters degree in education. Due to the financial pressures of the depression, severe budget cuts had to be made by the schools and, as a result, the maximum number of great school students per class, which until now had stood fixed at 25, was with one stroke of the pen increased to 45. Consequently, there were massive lay-offs of teachers, and for us newcomers there was no chance whatsoever to find employment. After seven months I finally landed a job with the local government. It was a very modest position of paymaster with the job description of 'Computing Unemployment Benefits', and controlling payments in cash on Wednesday afternoons. I switched my studies to Accounting and Economics at the Business Institute in the city of Leiden, which I completed in just two years, and on April 18, 1939, in spite of the increasing threats of war, Janny and I were married. August 28. 1939: Mobilization of the Netherlands 200,000 soldiers and sailors total now: 300,000 September 1, 1939: Germany attacks Poland. England and France declare war on Germany. �9 Jan. 13-April 9, 1940: The Netherlands are put on general alert. April 19, 1940: The Netherlands are in state of siege. ~ur first son was born on April 27th, 1940 and named Cornelus Barend, after his paternal grandfather. It had been a tense night at the Termaat's home. It had been a very difficult birth, with labor lasting two days. ·However now, although exhausted, Janny and Kees were doing well, and with the assistance of a registered nurse, good food and a few nights of sound sleep, the young mother would soon be back on the road to recovery. Unfortunately, this could not be said about the political situation of the country, as newspapers and radio news broadcasts were reflecting the tense international situation at the eastern border with Germany. Bridges had been mined, ready to be blown up at a moment's notice, and road blocks were in readiness. The water table had been allowed to rise slowly. For the western part of the country, which was situated below sea level, this meant flooded meadows and farm land. The western half of the country lies below sea level. An intricate pumping system, taking place in several steps, drained the excess water from the lowest level in several steps to sea level. May 10, 1940: Germany invades The Netherlands. A little before 4:00 a.m. German planes were heard flying overhead in formation. It wasn't the first time. They had been flying across Holland ever since Poland had fallen and �10 England and France had declared war on Germany. As a result, the Dutch Minister of Foreign Affairs had ordered the German Ambassador to his office, protesting strongly against this violation of our neutrality, but it had been of no avail. The German planes continu~d to fly across. Was this going to be just another attack on England? It didn't take very long to find out that it wasn't. Half way across the North Sea, the Nazi squadrons had turned their planes around, splitting up into separate formations, entering low across the Dutch dunes, attacking the airports of Ypenburg, Valkenburg, Bergen and Ockenburg, in a surprise attack, largely destroying the small Dutch Air Force. Nazi paratroopers landed at the airports around The Hague, the seat of the Dutch Government, and the residency of the Royal family. Although many parachutes did not open, too many of them did. Besides The Hague and the above mentioned airports, paratroopers also landed at the Waalhaven airport, across the Meuse River, south of Rotterdam, and on the two Moerdijk bridges, the bridgeheads across the main rivers to the south. They were right on target in order to cut off any attacks by French troops and their armor, which were moving north, through Flanders, to attack the southern flank of the German army. Smaller para units jumped at the De Kooi airfield near the naval base of Den Helder, and near IJmuiden, where one of the major canals, which was also a major water transport connection with Amsterdam reaches the North Sea. Around The Hague Dutch Army Reserves consisted of a well trained battalion of Grenadiers and untrained Reserve troops, barely six week under arms. Between 4:00 and 5:00 a.m. of May 10th, German troop carriers landed one thousand troops for the attack and consolidated of the three airfields around The Hague. Fifty seven �11 of the carriers immediately sank up to their axles in the soft soil, and for the next three days became the target of the attacking Dutch troops, which either killed or captured the entire German attack force. ~n the meantime however, heavy German bombers (Heinkels) attacked strategic bridges in . Rotterdam, Dordrecht and Moerdijk at high cost. The Dutch air defense destroyed five hundred of them, including the previously mentioned transpo~ planes, which during the five-day war had become stuck in the soft soil and sandy beaches. These losses would hurt Germany for years to come. Most of the enemy planes were piloted by instructors. Nevertheless the German air force kept flying into The Netherlands through the same air corridors for five days. Losses on the Dutch side were considerable, as one hundred and twenty eight officers, two hundred and seventy nine non-commissioned officers, one hundred and sixty four corporals and one thousand four hundred and ninety one soldiers lost their lives. Six thousand nine hundred soldiers were wounded and two thousand one hundred and fifty nine citizens killed. Shot as traitors in the field were two officers, one non-commissioned officer and two soldiers. The Navy lost one hundred and twenty five men. Army officers counted for four percent of the army's strength, six percent of which were killed in action. The reason behind the German Headquarter's estimation to defeat the Dutch armed forces in 24 hours, was that they had counted heavily on the success of their airborne landings around The Hague. This would be a first in military warfare of vertical attack. - According to German military sources, the 22nd Luftlande Division (Airborne troops) sustained very heavy losses, both in men and material. Twelve hundred para troops were �12 captured, and at order of General Winkelman, C.I.C, Army Chief of Staff, these were immediately transported to England, an action which threw Hitler into one of his tantrums. The German air attack force used the instructors from the air force training school to fly t~e attack planes. They were not easy to replace. German losses in bombers and fighters amounted to one third of the force sent into combat. Transport planes lost fifty percent of their total force. Such losses were felt for years to come and were a factor in the delay of the attack on England in September of 1940. General Winkelman decreed that the defense industry was not allowed to work for Germany. Gas and oil use for the German attack on Western Europe amounted to three hundred thousand tons. They captured one and one half million tons in Holland, Belgium and France, of which half a million in The Netherlands alone. Elsewhere, German troops had crossed the rivers Rhine and Ijssel and established bridgeheads despite heavy casualties. They wondered why the dead float? Why the wounded sink?" The mid-country railroad center of Amersfoort lay now in the line of attack. As a result, the Chief of Staff ordered the complete evacuation of that city and its surrounding areas to the city of Alkmaar in the northwest. Forty thousand people arrived by trains and buses, hoping to find shelter with the local citizens. It was a chaotic and pitiful scene, as bus loads and train loads of people arrived with only the clothes on their backs. Janny and I opened our doors to a family with five of their ten children. The remaining five children were placed with our neighbors across the street. Unsettled by the �13 events however, they naturally gravitated towards their parents. Most of the evacuees dared not imagine what could happen if the war machine would roll over their city. The fear that they might lose their homes, their businesses and all their personal belongings worried them greatly. The, situation at our home had become chaotic, to say the least. Seven guests were sleeping in the one and only guest room, in a home with only one bathroom. And all this, while Janny was slowly trying to recuperate from a difficult childbirth. To complicate matters, I was called up for air reconnaissance duty in the city, but thanks to my mother and our family doctor, who stopped by on his regular house calls to check on Janny and Kees, we made it through until a larger home was found for our seven guests. Next, we received a young mother with one child, whose husband had been drafted and could not be contacted. After one month our guests were able to return home. Their city had been spared serious destruction. Due to the strong counter attacks by the Dutch, the German plans to take over Holland in twenty four hours failed, and the battle continued from Friday into the following Tuesday. Frustrated, the Germans forced the issue by bombing Rotterdam on May 14, resulting in the loss of nine hundred civilians and the destruction of twenty four thousand homes, two thousand five hundred stores, one thousand two hundred businesses, five hundred restaurants, seventy schools, twenty one churches, twenty 1:_ank buildings, twelve movie theaters, four hospitals and two concert halls. To prevent destructions of other open cities, which already had been targeted by Nazi �14 squadrons, Holland at last capitulated. Our country was now occupied territory, as were Norway, Denmark, and Belgium. France was soon to follow, and the British expeditionary force was evacuated, stripped of all armaments. Immediately, the German army began to prepare_for the attack on England. Inland shipping vessels were requisitioned for use as landing boats in this attack, known as the 'Battle of Britain'. However, after the Battle, none of these ships were ever returned to their rightful owners. Queen Wilhelmina and the Royal Family, as well as the Dutch Cabinet left for London, England, from where they continued to govern the East and West Indies. Only Queen Wilhelmina and Prime Minister Gerbrandy stayed within the city of London during the entire war from 1940 to 1945. The other cabinet members preferred the luxurious estate of Crowe Court near Worcester. In a country dominated by the commercial middle class, any authoritarian tradition had remained weak. An absolute monarchy had never developed, and during the 19th century and the first decades of the 20th century a parliamentary democracy had evolved, and without major upheavals. Conquest was indeed a shattering experience for the Dutch people. Reverend Welter, the minister of the gospel to the Royal Court expressed the overall feelings best in his poem: �15 ''No, you did not flee but followed, when God called; I don't ask what you went through, a battle, so intense, so painful. We kneel down with you and beside you, with our eyes and hands raised to God; Please give Holland back to the House of Orange, and the House of Orange back to Holland. And come what may, we pray, stay silent, the night is black, the day draped in black, but iord, Your will be done." On German orders all windows had to be covered with black paper shades, so that no glimpse of light would shine through. (Kees told us years later of his fear of uncovered windows. Likely from impressions received at the age of two). Children were not allowed to fly kites any more out of fear that they might signal to British planes flying over! Really! The Wehrmacht, the soldiers belonging to the regular army units, were astounded by, what they called, 'the luxurious life style' in Holland, compared to the pre-war economy that had been ravaging Germany for some time. Bakeries and tobacco stores were swamped with soldiers. It should be said however, that they paid for what they bought, at least for the time being. When the Dutch prisoners of war returned home in July 1940, we heard many stories, about empty store windows, women without stockings, and badly worn shoes. Surely, the depression years had hit Holland too, and hard, but the availability of food and merchandise had been ample. However it was not going to last. Within a few months of the occupation we were beginning to notice the first shortages as certain food items and other products were rationed, which aggravated, as people started to stock up in anticipation of worse times to come. �16 Rationing, in principle, is a flexible system, which can be controlled by determining quantities and valid time periods, both of which can be either increased or decreased. Retailers will only be able to stock their merchandise by delivering the ration coupons, receive~ from the consumers, back to the wholesaler, who in tum can replenish his stock by delivering the ration coupons to the government inventory warehouses. As a result, a retailer who sells items without receiving ration coupons, cannot restock, etc. This would have been too simple however, and the administration of the ever expanding rationing system for manufacturers, stores and farmers became very burdensome and very time consuming. It qualified by and by as a national food stamp plan, expanded to include also non-food items. The following is a list of the first rations in 1940: Bread, Flour, Coffee and Tea; Butter, Margarine, Cooking Oil, Rice, Noodles, Corn, Flour, Soap and Detergent; September: Meat and Cold Cuts; October: Coal, Cheese (4 ounces per person per week); November: Grits, Eggs, Baked Goods; December: Cooking Gas and Electricity; When I arrived home one day, it must have been around lunch time, I found Janny and Kees gone. Concerned, I called both sets of parents, but no one seemed to know where �17 they had gone. Our neighbors had seen her leave the house earlier that day with the baby in the carriage. Finally, at the end of the day, she showed up, exhausted, but happy nevertheless. Frightened by the shortages, she had gone out and visited every store that had wool for sale, a commodity which was still available in ·nominal quantities without ration coupons. Bit by bit, she had been able to fill the baby carriage, hiding it underneath the baby. Tired as she was, her toughness and persistence proved to be providential in the years ahead, and for what would then be our two children. Our modest savings soon began to run low, but not until I had managed to buy a case of twelve bottles of peanut oil at a friend's wholesale business. Meanwhile, the German tactics showed a clear goal: By all means, keep the population calm. After the battles during the month of May, life continued somewhat peaceful, keeping the occupied country calm. Before the war I had served in the National Guard and as a member in leadership position in the N.J.V., a national youth movement of which Her Royal Highness, the Crown Princess Juliana, was honorary Chairwoman. The N.J.V. became the first organization to be banned by the Germans, and among the rank and file of its membership were the first Resistance commandos to be executed in 1940. Shortly after the fall of Holland I met Sam Wolf, the son of the Rabbi of Alkmaar. Like myself, he too had been a member of the National Youth Organization since 1932. Sam was depressed. The Amsterdam newspapers had publicized the death of some �18 prominent Jewish people. We were all aware that there had been many suicides, but except for vile language, until this moment nothing had been openly undertaken against the Jews. This too, however, proved to be just another tactic to lull the people into a passive frame of mind. Janny and I had joined the 'Nationaal Jongeren Verbond' (National Youth Union) in 1932 following the initiation of the West Friesland Chapter. At that time there were chapters in all parts of the Kingdom of the Netherlands with a combined membership of 1,500. These chapters formed a catalyst among loyal citizen groups on national holidays and attracted students who would give historical and patriotic lectures throughout the year. We felt at home because of the shared moral and patriotic high ground. In those crucial years we worked alongside men and women who were courageous, idealistic and dedicated to a degree which until that time had seldom been seen among other youth groups. Our group had been preceded in 1927 by a youth organization, which mainly directed its efforts against the marxist propaganda for unilateral disarmament. Its transformation to the National Youth Union under the honorary chairpersonship of her Royal Highness the Crown Princess Juliana didn't come until later. Besides the goal to strive for a strong national defense, (not too long after the carnage of World War I, Europe was slowly coming to a boil once again), the organization came out strongly for the unity of our kingdom as it had existed for centuries, not only in The Netherlands, but also in the Dutch East Indies, from Sumatra through New Guinea, the islands of Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao in the West Indies, and last but not least Suriname. �19 Just prior to our wedding day on April 18, 1939, an order for pre-mobilization of specialists and strategic regiments was issued. Total mobilization followed on August 29. 1939. Recalling all too well the often critical shortages during 1914-1918, the years of The Nether!ands' neutrality in World War I, a distribution system was instituted in September of that year. Ration cards were issued under the management of the Centraal Distributie Kantoor ( Central Distribution Office) in · the Department of Commerce,. Industry and Shipping. Allocation of food supplies was administered by the Department of Agriculture. Thanks to proper foresight, the Cabinet had stockpiled such critical items as wheat, vegetable oil, rice, gasoline, coffee and tea. After the capitulation to the German Armed Forces on May 14, 1940 our youth organization was the one which stayed on a steady course and participated in the national public celebration of Prince Bernhard's birthday, on June 29.1940. Orange buttons were worn by just about everyone, and orange bunting was featured all across the country. People everywhere were wearing white carnations (Prince Bernhard's favorite flower, which he always wears), and outside the Royal Palace in The Hague and at Royal Monuments flowers were piled up. Thousands signed the palace register with their congratulations, which was later confiscated by the Nazis. In our monthly 'De Trom' ('The Drum'), we encouraged people to stay loyal to the Queen and our fatherland and to ignore the German presence as much as possible. Sometime after June 29, 1940 two members of our national board, Messrs. Van �20 Santen and Schiebergen, were arrested and our organization was awarded the high honor of becoming the first organization to be banned and we, the members, became part of the first organization, which had now been declared illegal by the invaders. Another organiz~tion, besides ours, which also received the honor of becoming illegal was the 'Order Service' (O.D.), consisting of military personnel only. May-Nov. 1, 1940: A curfew is put into effect for the coastal provinces of Groningen, Friesland, Noord Holland, Zuid Holland and Zeeland. No one is allowed outside between 10:00 p.m. and 4:00 a.m. After November 1, everyone has to be inside by midnight. I A free press and radio had disappeared immediately at the beginning of the occupation. It was forbidden to listen to the B.B.C., London and on May 13th, 1943, all radios were confiscated. We hid ours carefully. This gap needed now to be filled by writing or printing pamphlets with the latest news releases clandestinely received via the B.B.C. from 'Radio Oranje' (Radio Orange), the official broadcast of the Dutch Government in exile in London. Insidiously, in all of Europe, the Nazis had never exercised pre-publication censure (prior restraint) of the press. They simply rationed the amount of paper the newspapers - were to receive. As a result those publications not liked by the Nazis were put out of business. The rationing, however, cut so severely into the size of the remaining publications, �21 that nothing substantial was printed. All this took place very gradually, step by step. However, to resist step by step proved futile. The steps were nearly always too small to provoke any major reaction from the publishers. But, as with the rationing of all our other needs, ~he iron ring around our necks, personally as well as a nation, became tighter with every turn of the screw. Starting in the fall of 1940, men were recruited to work in Germany, in factories and on farms. In 1941, many of them were sent to help build the Atlantic Wall from the North Cape on the Barent's Sea to the Pyrenees in Spain. It all started on a voluntary basis. Being unemployed at home, as a result of the depression, made regular wages very tempting. However, in the spring of 1942 this type of employment became compulsory, for German manpower had eroded swiftly, either through heavy military losses in Russia or casualties of bombings at home, and slave labor all across Europe was initiated. Many men refused to go. Winter 1940/1941: No light is allowed visible to the outside, as windows are covered with black shades. Store windows are kept dark. Street lighting and lights on trains and busses are minimal. When travelling, one notices quickly that very few people read the paper. Headlights on cars and bicycles are kept down to a narrow slit. Flashlights are not available; it's substitute was a hand-driven dynamo with a bulb, called 'knijpkat'. �22 Before the start of the winter the Germans order all pigeons destroyed, nationwide, for fear that they might carry messages to England. Obviously, the Germans didn't understand that a pigeon had to be brought over from England first, in order to return messag~s. The-winter evenings were very long and very cold, especially during this first war winter. By the middle of December, 1940, rivers and canals were frozen solid and stayed that way until the end of February. Powerless and angry, we had to stifle our emotions. Braving the bitter cold, for two and one half months transported underground newspapers to our contact in Broek op Langedijk by skating over the Hoornsche Vaart and the Ringvaart (both canals). Among the papers I transported were 'Vrij Nederland' (Free Holland) and many more regional papers. Fortunately, I never encountered evidence of the enemy. To control he multitude of waterways and the low-lying soggy land was apparently just a bit too much for them. The bridges which were blown up by the Dutch military at river crossings had not been repaired, and in the spring of 1941, old hand-drawn ferries, pulled along a cable, were put back in service. From 1940 until August 1944 the daily rations in terms of calories for adults had been reduced to about half the pre-war intake. During these four years, the average ration amounted to less than 1500 calories per day. Although it did not qu~e represent a famine level, it did lead to a progressive decrease of physical energy and lowering of resistance to disease. �23 At that time refrigerators or freezers were not in use. People's ability to stock up was limited to non-perishables. Thus we began stock home-canned foods, which had never been a common practice outside farming communities. Then there was a psychological factor at work. \Yhatever goods were made available on ration cards were purchased, whether or not they were needed within the next week or two. A perfect example was the purchase of cigars, cigarettes and pipe tobacco. Non-smokers would purchase whatever smoking articles became available and either gave them to family members or friends or used them as barter or sold them at higher prices. From September 1939 until May 1940, when the occupation by enemy forces became a fact, only sugar and peas had been rationed, although in adequate quantities and with reasonable frequency. What was making things worse for the Dutch people was, that only very recently they had begun to recover from the aftermath of the terrible depression during the years of 1929 to 1938. Because of this depression, household items, furniture and other basic necessities had already become depleted by the time the war started. During the first eight months, ending December 1940, the German authorities rationed yet another 22 items, affecting 70% of the average family's consumption, and by November 1943, 95% of the diet was rationed. Every person, 14 years of age, and older had to carry and I.D. card with picture and fingerprint. Meanwhile the list of rationed products keeps growing: �24 March: Milk and Surrogate Coffee Potatoes All articles made from copper, nickel and chrome must be surrendered. All Preserves November: Cocoa Every day items, such as soap and towels also become very scarce. Jan. 19, 1941: We receive 12" snow in one night, something almost unheard of in the Netherlands. Feb. 22-23. 1941: Four hundred Jews are put on transport to Buchenwald. Dutch Nazis are attacked by the population. Feb, 25, 1941: Streetcars and city services in Amsterdam go on general strike. Initiated by the Amsterdam dock workers. The strike quickly spreads to the cities of Haarlem and De Zaan. Heavily armed police cars cruise the streets. There is shooting taking place and numerous people are killed. The system of hostage taking had started soon after the capitulation and continued all through the five years of occupation. Well-known citizens were arrested with the purpose - of intimidation of the population. Some were tortured and killed. If somewhere an act of sabotage occurred, a number of hostages were shot and their names splashed on the front �25 page of their hometown newspaper. For the survivors it meant years of internment. The first group of about 300 hostages had been arrested in July, 1940 - two months after Rotterdam burned. It was publicized as a retribution against the internment of all Germar.i citizens present in the Netherlands East Indies~ These acts went so much against our ingrained feelings of justice, that the resistance of the people grew stronger day by day, as did the realization of the risks and sacrifices that we would encounter. The women, serving in the Resistance, are fantastic. They act as couriers, transported weapons, distributed underground newspapers and microfilms, and were active with illegal newsprint. They assisted in falsifying documents, helped those in hiding, used secret radio equipment and distributed stolen ration cards to tens of thousands of fugitives. March 13. 1941: The first execution takes place. On March 13, on the Waalsdorper Vlakte, near the Hague, eighteen resistance fighters die by firing squad, which act will become known as the "The 18 Dead", after a poem by Jan Campert, a Senior at the Amsterdam University's Medical School. It proved to be prophetic, as, later on in the occupation, Jan himself was captured and executed for his resistance activities. �26 THE SONG OF THE EIGHTEEN DEAD A cell two meters long for me, but not two meters wit:{e, that plot of earth will smaller be Whose whereabouts they hide. But there unknown my.rest I'll take My comrades with me slain, Eighteen strong men saw morning break We'll see no dawn again. Oh bright and lovely land farewellr Farewell free dunes and shore/ I vow that from the hour you fell I thought of ease no more. What can a loyal man and true, At such a time essay, But bid his wife and child adieu And fight the useless fray? My task was hard, my duty stern, It brought me toil and strife, But yet my heart would never tum Back to my easy life. Freedom was once in Netherland Both honored and maintained, Until the savage spoiler's hand Its dwelling place pro/an 'd. �27 Until that lying boastful one Lengthened his tale of shame When Netherland was ovenun And we his serfs became. Honour he claims, but knows it not, he glories in our grief And so"ows on our people brought, That false germanic thief. Berlins Pied Piper pipes a tune Seductive, false and sweet, But sure as death is coming soon, My love no more I'll greet. Nor ever sup with her again, Nor by her side will lie, His seeming kindnesses disdain That fowler cruel and sly. Remember always, you who read, These friends who with me die, Kinsmen and all for whom we bleed, Keep green our memory. As we have seen in days now gone These words to you we say: 'The darkest night precedes the daw74 All clouds must pass away'~ �28 The early morning light I see Gleams through that window high, Dying, 0 God, a light make me, My failures justify. All men will e" though they may plan; Thy mercy, Lord, I pray, That I may quit the world a man Before the squad to-day. Jan Campert In Germany, the extermination camps of Buchenwald, Mauthausen, Auschwitz, Treblinka and many more, process their victims evermore efficiently. Unauthorized possession of firearms or other war materials will be punished by execution, as will the hiding of Allied air force personnel. April 1941; Bicycle tires are becoming very scarce, in a country where virtually everybody uses this as a common means of transportation May 8, 1941: It is still cold, but the first swallows have returned. What was still an exception in 1940 - offering aid and helping to escape bailed-out allied crews - becomes an active part of the Resistance movement in 1941. �29 June 1941-1945: Twenty thousand Dutch Nazis are killed in action in Russia and Germany. July 1941: Leather is no longer available and soles on shoes are being replaced by wooden soles, tied to the feet by silk-like straps, that come loose with every step. Fall of 1941: Streets, squares, schools, public buildings, businesses and products may no longer carry names of living members of the Royal House of Orange. Major portion of the harvest is sent to Germany. November 1941: Cars are disappearing rapidly. Coal and charcoal gas motors are being built. Cylinders with compressed gas and gas balloons appear on taxi cabs. There is a squeeze on distribution, as a continuous lowering of quantities, and tightening of rations continues. The results are visible in the faces of the Dutch people, as they are beginning to lose weight. Both, Janny and are slimming down. Kees has first choice to the food supply. The black market is born. �30 Nov. 22. 1941: The "Kultuur Kamer' ('Chamber of Culture') is initiated with compulsory membership for artists. It turns into a fiasco. The Nazi regime tries to exercise total control. Dec. 1941: Hotels, bars, movie theaters and all public buildings become: 'FORBIDDEN FOR JEWS'. Dec, 12, 1941: The traitor Mussert, 'leader' of the Dutch Naz~ Party, swears the oath of loyalty to Hitler in Berlin. Bicycles are confiscated at fifty guilders per bicycle, about 20% of the value, which is little better than stealing. The goal is ten thousand. Actually taken are three thousand six hundred. And the rationing continues .... 1942: January: AH silver and copper coins are replaced by zinc coins. May: Chocolate and sugar candy gone. ~ Private persons may not transport vegetables. lYJy; Drastic cuts in the rations of butter, cheese and fats. Bicycles are only available with a special permit. September: Skimmed milk December: Apples �31 Living from September, 1942 on in a rural and fertile area, a typical meal would consist of meatballs without meat, although made from home-grown kidney beans, onions and oatmeal, it turned out very nourishing; "Hutspot", made from mashed potatoes, onions and carrots, mixed, and if available a tiny piece of bacon to add to the flavor; "Cement", named for its consistency of a mixture of mashed potatoes and navy beans; pea soup or red bean soup and cabbage. Already in 1940, the Department of Agriculture has decreed that the emphasis should be shifted from dairy farms to agriculture. Cattle breeding is to be curtailed, and meadows turned into arable land, with emphasis on the production on potatoes, rape seed, sugar beets and rye. Chemical fertilizers however are in short supply and the shrinking cattle herds diminishes the change-over. Farm power begins to depend more and more on horse power, but they too are requisitioned by the Germans, as their supplies of oil and gas start to dwindle. During 1942 some poor farmers are seduced into going east, with the promise that they will own their own farm. In reality, however, they are used as front laborers in Russia. Janny Termaat relates ... By now everything was rationed and as a young housewife (I was 26 at the time) with small children it was very difficult to make food, and other necessities of life, last from coupon day to coupon day. Children, fortunately, do not understand including our young son, Kees, who had an enormous taste for butter. After I had just finished setting the table for �32 lunch, one day, with all its pretty dishes but not much food to put on them, I had briefly returned to the kitchen to make a pot of fresh tea. When I returned to the dining room I found our son, two years old, seated in the middle of the table consuming the butter. He sure had his fill and he seemed very content. But only for the moment. Besides a terri~le case of diarrhea, he broke out in great big lumps all over his body. The doctor was called but there was not much he could do about it. Nature had to run its course and we had to live without butter that week. Janny, pregnant with our second child, receives a modest extra ration. We arrange to have the baby born in the hospital where food is more plentiful. On New Year's eve, at 11 o'clock p.m., we check into the hospital oblivious to the New Year. At 4:30 a.m., January 1, 1942, Nicolaas Pieter Jan is born, named after his maternal grandfather. FebruaQ'., 1942: A telephone cable of the German army has been cut on two different occasions, for which the city of Alkmaar is punished with a fine. Signs saying: "JEWS NOT WANTED' are posted everywhere. Under protection of darkness, the word 'not' is often blacked out. March 11. 1942: The Japanese occupy the Dutch East Indies. Because the Dutch Government has put Germans, livjng in the Dutch East Indies, in internment camps, movies or slide presentation about these colonies are no longer allowed. �33 Because of the massive unemployment, plans had been made in 1938, at the national level, to separate the Unemployment Reduction Program from the other Social Services Programs. In 1941 the Plan had finally gone into effect, and I became a federal employee. pie occupied Netherlands East Indies were subjected to forced labor on a la~ge scale, and delivered at ten cents a head by the communist Sukarno. Some one hundred twenty thousand laborers from our country had found work in Germany, because trading, shipping and fishing on the high seas had come to a standstill. In the spring of 1942 the German Nazi, Boening, issued a directive, forcin~ unemployed people to accept work in the German war factories. Large German losses at the Russian front combined with Allied bombing was putting a heavy drain on German manpower and on the rebuilding of bombed-out factories. As mentioned earlier, at the depth of the economic depression, I had switched study directions, just to get an ever so modest paying position. After eight years, I had progressed to the position of Regional Manager for the evaluation and placement of the unemplyed. Suddenly, in April of 1942, I was faced with an order from the occupation forces to select and send men to Germany over my signature. On May, 1942, I wrote a letter to the Regional Direct, which read as follows: "I hereby confirm my verbal communication that, for my conscience sake, I cannot execute the latest directive about placement of members of the Dutch labor force in - Germany. I, therefore, request that you will grant me an honorable discharge from federal p. employment. Signed: The negotiator for Traffic and communication, P. Termpiat." �34 Shortly after I received an answer, which read as follows: "In answer to your letter, you are notified that, on the basis of a directive from President Boening, no discharge may be provided to those who do request this on the basis of conscientious objection against the execution of the labor draft." After receiving this reply, I resigned. As it turned out, I had been the only one. Janny and I had unanimously decided to take this step. Having been married only three years, with two small children, the oldest, two years of age, and the youngest only four months, and no money in the bank, it had been a difficult decision, however principle won over self-interest. We fully realized the political and economic consequences, but our prayers sustained us powerfully. My career, which had been rapidly moving upward, had now come to an end, with no other financial resources to fall back on. Meanwhile the availability of food, textile, coal and other utilities, as well as cleaning supplies reached unknown low levels. From 1944 to 1945 food rations would reach a low of 350 calories a day, if available. Those, who had refused to work in Germany had their ration cards canceled because of non-compliance. Now, besides trying to find hiding places for them to protect them from being arrested, we also had to find ways to provide them with ration cards as well as I.D. cards, both of which were difficult to produce, and many a time we_had to take by force, that of which we were short. In a decent and non-violent society, this was a difficult turn around, which weighed heavily on our conscience. �35 As time went on, the number of fugitives steadily increased. Among them were flight personnel of the British Bomber Command, which had bailed out of their crippled planes. In 1943, the American Air Force began their air attacks, flying the more dangerous daytime missions. Naturally, our rescue missions were more difficult by day than by night. Vje began to receive some weapons, as they were parachuted to us at night in remote areas by pre-arranged signals. I vividly remember the first American I rescued. He was an Oklahoman. Most fliers were hidden at first, their uniforms and identifiable items destroyed. Then, after being furnished with used civilian clothing, false I.D. cards, ration coupons, as well as escape and evasion kits, the contents of which were coins, sometimes hidden in the hollowed heels of their wooden shoes, they were passed along the underground railway through the Netherlands, Belgium, France, and Spain to Lisbon, Portugal, from where they were returned to England. How many of them ever made it back to fly just once more? We could only hope, and hope was in ample supply among our forces. It was the only thing that helped us to see it through, along with iron determination . Sometimes a parachute was being kept as a trophy and carelessly used to make a woman's blouse. And sometimes a parachute had failed to open. At the point of impact we could see a piece of the parachute sticking up out of the mud, and we realized that, several feet down in the soft wet soil, a brave allied flier had perished. We were frightened by the risk we were taking, to say the least. If an Allied flier or a Jew was found hiding, all family members of the Resistance family, except for their �36 children, were sent off to the concentration camps in Germany, and their worldly goods confiscated. If a man was caught hiding because of his refusal to work in Germany, he would be sent there under armed guard. May 2. 1942: All Jews are ordered to wear the five-point yellow Star of David, with the word JOOD (JEW) printed in the center. They have to purchase them themselves at the cost of four cents plus one textile ration coupon! After that another step is taken. Jews are ordered to live in a certain section of Amsterdam. Barbed wire fences are quickly put up to surround this section, and SS guards keep a twenty four hour watch at all control points. Strikes are breaking out everywhere out of sympathy for this tiny and defenseless group of people. Who can choose his own heritage? Despite the pre-war publicity, we did not realize, nor could we imagine the horrors that were yet to come. May 15. 1942: Two thousand Dutch military officers are sent to P.O.W. camps in German. 140,000 Jews are at risk, as are the resistance fighters and their families, the resistance SWAT teams, as well as those men who refuse to work in Germany, gypsies, �37 hostages and political prisoners. July 1942: The first group of Amsterdam Jews amve in the Dutch concentration camp of Westerbork, a 'holding tank' for furt~er transportation to Auschwitz. August 15, 1942: The first political prisoners are executed. The resistance loomed high in the mind of the German Command, but in realistic terms, it was a modest-sized force, relentlessly pursued by the Nazis. One of us paraphrased it as follows: 'One can squeeze a bee between two fingers until it dies, but while dying, it will sting the hand that kills it. You might say that this is precious little, but if the bee did not sting, bees would have become extinct a long time ago.' During the course of 1942, armed resistance is getting organized. resistance fighters of every sector of the population, cooperate in damaging the enemy, whenever and wherever possible. Fall 1942: An old, historic theater at the Plantage Middenlaan in Amsterdam is put to use as a central point from where Jews are being sent to the concentration camp Qf Westerbork in the province of Drente. From there they are sent through the concentration camps located mainly in Austria and Poland. �38 Amsterdam alone lost 80,000 Jewish citizens. A despicable Dutch Nazi supporter, by the name of Puls, who is president of a moving and storage firm, collects Jewish possessions from their empty houses. These are shipped to_ Germany and marked 'Love gifts from the Dutch people.' By the end of 1942 my resistance group begins to receive requests from the Amsterdam Resistance groups to find hiding places for the few Jews who have escaped the Nazi dragnet. Ultimately, by the end of the war only some fifteen thousand will have survived, either through hiding or as wretched survivors of the extermination camps. This number represents ten percent of the pre-war Jewish population. It is obvious that, when we compare the number of Jewish survivors with the number of other fugitives, the aid to the Jews accounted for only a small part of the Resistance work, but they were the first to express their appreciation, once the war had ended. Did the Resistance, and the European population as a whole, do enough to save those hunted down? Many of us who lived are still being plagued by that thought. More could possibly have been accomplished if more people had taken heart. Wherever the Germans marched in, too many citizens collaborated. However, when the Americans, Canadians and British marched in, their excuse was: "We resisted." The record of heroism, courage, hypocrisy and compromise prompts one to wonder. Which of today's intellectuals would collaborate if the Russians were to appear in their countries? �39 Does lack of perception of the immensity of the crimes planned and committed provide sufficient excuse? I think not. Retroactive observation, weighing the pros and cons, fortified by intuition and association, do fully justify our efforts during those five years. Jan Campert express~d it so well in his poem The Eighteen Dead'. Every decision by the group to protect and rescue was made individually, one by one, often on impulse. Every day yet another person had to be taken care of. Our staff meetings, opened and closed with prayer, were held as often as possible within the rural confines of the maze of narrow waterways of our small country. These historical safe places had proven to be so decisive in the Eighty-year War against the Spanish Inquisition. In 1982, when we were decorated by His Royal Highness Prince Bernhard at the Embassy of His Excellency Dr. J.H. Lubbers, the Dutch Ambassador the United States, we received wholehearted support and cooperation from Congressman Harold S. Sawyer. Among his many actions on our behalf was a commendation from President Reagan. It mainly mentioned our aid to the Jews. Having been cited honorably by Israel and the local Congregation Ahavas Israel, the President's commendation only added to this particular aspect of our resistance work. It did not acknowledge, however, the Commandos' wide range help and support to the Allied cause, actions which lead to the death or crippling of many comrades-in-arms. To provide a more balanced view, and to ~onor those comrades, I deemed it necessary to present my view. �40 After 40 years, it is very difficult for us to understand that most of the Jews let themselves be deported without much resistance. However, one has to understand the many, often complicated causes. The hard rule of the occupation authorities and their ilk; their si!}ister cleverness to play different groups against ·one another; the tragic role of the Jewish Council, which thought it could choose between lesser and greater evil, by cooperating in selecting who could and who could not be sent away; the idea of many Jews that they were only sent out to Germany or Poland to work, and of course also the nonJewish Dutch who did not wish to get involved, and failed to help. Few indeed, were the Dutch who helped Jews hide, trying to suppress their fear for their own well being, and that of their families. Occasionally, some of those Jews were caught, either through treason or by accident, but always with the ultimate consequence for their protector - death. Anne Frank is the symbol of this perilous existence. Besides Westerbork, several other Dutch concentration camps began to appear on the scene, such as Amersfoort, Ommen, Schoorl and Vught. From the concentration camp of Westerbork alone, a total of ninety three trains, each consisting of twenty nine freight cars, loaded with Jews, departed for concentration camps outside the country. Dutch railway personnel carried out all transports. A Jewish girl, from my own Almere College, managed to throw a postcard from the train. It read: "We are going to leave Holland. Mom is going too. �41 Hope to see you soon." Three days later she died at the Mauthausen Concentration Camp. Inhumanity by the occupied forces increases. Cruelty without mercy reigns. But in the faU_of 1942 the tide of war begins to tum. British troops from all parts of the Empire defeat Rommel's army at El Alamein. At Stalingrad the German armies are halted at first, then surrounded. At German Headquarters reality comes to pass, and the possibility of an Allied landing on Europe's west coast looms and seems more and more possible. Hitler and Goebbels are convinced that the Allied landings will take place in the Netherlands. Dr. Joseph Goebbels, who had acquired a Ph.D. in 1921 at the age of twenty four, (few Nazis were that literate) was a most skillful and immoral liar. He writes in his diary (page 494 ): "The Fuehrer expects the Anglo-American invasion attempt to come in The Netherlands. We are the weakest there, and the population would be most inclined to give the necessary local support to such an undertaking. As everybody knows, the Dutch are the most insolent and obstreperous people in the entire west." In the dunes around the Hague thousands of pill boxes and hundreds of gun turrets, made of reinforced concrete, are being built, all connected by paved roads. The German thinking is clear: 'the shortest way to their war production center of the Ruhr leads from The Netherlands to Dusseldorf - 135 miles. The Netherlands and Belgium were conquered in May 1940 primarily for the attack on England, but also to protect G:rmany's war industry in the area called 'the Ruhr', where Albert Speer kept his war production in full force until late in 1944. �42 Church bells are hauled away for the German war industry, and a new sign appears clandestinely: 'WHO SHOOTS BY MEANS OF GOD'S BELLS, CANNOT WIN THE WAR'. !n The Hague and Scheveningen a steel wall is to be built as an important bulwark. To make this possible, a colossal demolition plan is taking place. Houses, stores, office buildings, even entire neighborhoods are flattened in furious tempo. Through The Hague a gigantic tank ditch is being dug, very deep and miles on end, thereby creating a crosswise excavation, which hides inventive obstacles, which are to impede the breakthrough of tanks and other attack vehicles. Among the German army units along the Dutch coast are battalions, forced to serve, from India and Russia (specifically from the Caucasian region of Georgia). Nazi mayors publicly forbid women and girls to consort with 'non-germanic' soldiers! October 14. 1942: First armed attack by the Resistance on a distribution center in Joure, Friesland takes place. That fall a characteristic incident occurs. The Military Police, still in their pre-war uniform, and one hundred percent trustworthy in their dealings with the Underground, usually patroled at night. I had just picked up a Jewish man at his hiding place in order to take him to another one. I remember that he had a valise and an umbrella with him. Between the tiny village of Broek op Langedijk and St. Pancras a Military Policeman appeared, identifying me with his flashlight. "Out for a walk, Mr. Termaat?" he asked. We �43 chatted for a while, and as we did, the policeman completely ignored my companion. It came off so naturally, that only later it hit me: he had protected both of us, me and my Jewish companion. November 1942: The start of the British offensive from the Egyptian border to the west, and the Russian offensive along a three thousand mile front from the Wolga and Don rivers to the west. But for us the allies are still far away. Targets in the Netherlands, such as airfields, harbors, ship yards, and factories, are more frequently attacked by Allied Bomber Command. Bomber sorties against The Netherlands' industrial and mining targets result in many civilian casualties. Rationing and confiscations continue. lW Au~st: All vegetables and fruits rationed November: Textile available with special permit .only Fish is not rationed, but rarely available. When a store has some, queues immediately begin to form. �44 At the same time, the meat ration of four ounces per week per person is cut to four ounces per two to four weeks per person. Prices skyrocket; precipitous drop in purchasing power; real poverty has come to most people. The task of the house wife is getting tougher all the time, as endless repair of clothing and mending of socks is being performed with only daylight to-work in. Life is continuously in a turmoil, and it seems that 'make do', 'improvise', 'look and plan ahead', 'be prepared for the unexpected' and 'make the most of what you have on hand' are the order of the day. So says Janny, as she relates the following story. We were now burning wooden shutters in order to save fuel, and this morning I had made pea soup on our potbelly stove, and to enhance the flavor I had added a small square of bacon. I had made enough to last us at least three days. But wouldn't you know, at about 5:00 p.m. we were unexpectedly visited by Piet's brother, Cor, and his Jewish 'house guest' Mr. Mau Kleinkamer. They had just escaped a raid in Alkmaar and decided to come over to our house where they knew they would be safe. Having waded through a shallow, flooded polder for about 8 kilometers, they were soaking wet, cold and obviously in need of a meal. I didn't know whether or not Mr. Kleinkamer adhered to the Jewish dietetic laws, so I said: 'I have just made a large pot of pea soup, but I've put some bacon in it. Would you mind having some?' He didn't seem to have a problem with it, because in just one meal the three days-worth of pea soup was completely gone. After dinner Mr. Kleinkamer asked if he would be allowed to d_ry his underwear? Cor had already taken some of Piet's underwear and exchanged it for his wet ones. But how about the proper, well-educated Mr. Kleinkamer? Well he decided to remove his underwear, �45 (in private of course), put his wet pants back on, and seated in front of the potbelly stove held his underwear up to dry. Feb. 5, 1943: Dutch General Seyffardt, ·commander of the Dutch Nazi Volunteer Regiment, which serves at the Russian front, 1s executed by the Dutch Resistance. Mar. 11, 1943: The 'Landwacht' (Military Dutch Nazi Organization) under command of the 'Waffen SS', receives extra rations, as well as financial aid for their families, and free medical care for all their dependents and parents. Mar, 27. 1943: The Amsterdam SWAT team, lead by Gerrit-Jan van der Veen attacks the building in which the Population Registration is kept. Despite the quiet support of the fire brigade, which tries to maximize the damage, 85% of the registers remain in tact. Crippled Allied planes sometimes come down on cities; bomb bays are opened prematurely, mistakes in navigation over populated areas, all of which results in many casualties. Apr. 1943: A new German edict: three hundred thousand former soldiers are to be shipped out as P.O.W.'s. �46 The real reason is germany's shortage of manpower in their war industry. This, however, backfires and from April 29 to May 3, 1943, general strikes paralyze industry and striki:r;ig men gather threateningly. The strikes are total in the provinces of Gelderland and Friesla:pd. The German command is taken by surprise, but they react quickly; summa,ry justice by the Gestapo and soon the first death sentences are handed out - about 200. Many of those arrested are sent to concentration camps, but the goal of the strikers is achieved, and the P.O. W. scheme is dropped. Only eight thousand are sent to Germany. The normal complexity of pre-war human existence is now shot through with a new miserable tension; the antitheses of 'good' and 'bad', who can you trust, who talks too much. The velvet glove which Seyss-Inquart had offered m 1940, to Hitler's great satisfaction, has turned into a mailed fist. May 13, 1943: As Germany suffers military setbacks on many fronts, SWAT team action against traitors is stepped up. Two Frenchmen, who turned Nazi, are shot in The Netherlands, while in Alkmaar the former Sergeant Hogeweg, now a Nazi police officer in Alkmaar, is shot down for treason. Summer 1943: Radio receivers are being confiscated.: Possession will be severely punished. �47 Systematic raids continue to take place. Jews are concentrated in a section of Amsterdam, and on May 27, 1943 this section is surrounded, the Jews are arrested, and via the Muiderpoort Depot transported to Westerbork and from there in ever increasing transp~_rts to the destruction camps in Poland and Austria. Sept. 1943: The last large group, exempt till now, which includes the Jewish Council, are put on transport. After this date, there are only one kind of 'free' Jewish citizens in The Netherlands these who are in hiding. At this time we had taken in a Jewish boy, fifteen years old, who we would only know as Ben Nijdam, his forged name. His real name, Jaap Lobatto, would not be revealed to us until after the war. Hiding people was very frightening for all parties, as Janny relates. It was late summer or early fall of 1943 in the small village of Broek op Langendijk. I was at home alone with the children and our Jewish teenage 'house guest', Ben Nijdam. I wasn't expecting Piet until late. We were having a cup of surrogate tea. Ben was sipping his tea, standing away from the window, looking out into the garden. I was having mine, seated at our dining room table in the garden room, doing the endless task of mending clothes. Suddenly, Ben dropped his cup, calling out: 'Look there!' About a dozen German helmets were bobbing behind the wooden fence bordering ou! property; stopping occasionally to look at our house. Talking among each other, they continued to walk around the free standing house. I said: 'Ben, you better get back into your hiding place!' Ben's �48 hiding place was in the attic, between a wall and the sloping roof. It had no light, and the only furnishings were a pillow and blankets. The entrance to it was covered with a large pile of branches of lima bean plants. He obeyed and quickly went upstairs, wondering what was gotng to happen, while I kept a close eye on the intruders. Then suddenly they left, just the way they had come, without ever having rung the doorbell. What were they up to? I continued my sewing, and after a while Ben decided to come downstairs again. Pretty soon it was time to get dinner ready. Since Piet would be home late decided not to wait for him. The house was very quiet and quite dark, with only the sporadic flickering of a candle. All of a sudden we heard someone walk across the pebbles on the south side of the house towards our back door. We heard the latch being lifted, but the door did not open. Ben and I looked at each other and he immediately sneaked back into his hideout. What was I to do? It had to be a friend, I told myself. I opened the door slowly and in the darkness of the night a figure rose in front of me. 'I am Herman Barners', he said. He didn't give me much time to recover, when he continued. 'What did you think was going on this afternoon?' 'No idea.' I replied. 'Well, let me tell you. The Germans are looking for homes they want to take over for their own use including everything that's in them; putting the owners out on the street. I have been appointed to show them possible houses. When the Ge~ans began to discuss the merits of this old house, I casually made the remark: 'You don't want this one. It's a pigsty. I know the people. She is a terrible housekeeper. Nicht Sauber.' Indeed, that was not �49 what they wanted. I was dumbfounded. Thanking him, I closed the door, realizing that in the pitch-darkness I hadn't even been able to make out the man's face. Again we had been saved because of some quick thinking. Ben was able to leave his hiding place and we were safe ag_~in for another night. October 1943: The Dutch Nazis, known as the 'Landwacht' is changed to 'Landstorm' and a new corps is initiated to serve as auxiliary police in the fight against the Resistance, but in the year and one half that follows, until VE-Day, they will have also terrorized their own people, especially during the war winter, when they robbed and beat up people at random. The occupation starts to weigh still heavier on the population as German reverses on the battle fields increase. The active Resistance, though still limited in numbers, acts bolder as the pressing need for shelter, food and I.D.s as well as safe passage from hiding place to hiding place becomes more pressing. We are facing the grim prospect of the fourth winter under enemy occupation with less and less of life's necessities available. A carefully planned attack by boat on the ration office in the next village of Zuid Scharwoude has come off like a charm. The only bad moment came when we had to cross under the connecting bridge between the two villages, Broek op Langedijk and Zuid Scharwoude. Suddenly, there were foot steps and voices. We stayed under the bridge while spying the street before proceeding. We had taken off from the west side and had to cross �50 underneath the bridge to the east side where the ration office was located. We unpacked the stolen coupons in the carpenter's shop of Jacob Balder nearby, and began repacking for distribution the next morning. Female couriers, the packages hidden underneath their clothing, would take them for delivery in the larger cities~ An inventory list was hidden until we had a chance to hand it over to our contact at the local IRS office. Their files would not be touched. Our district Internal Revenue Service hid many documents. We gambled that the occupation forces could hardly be interested in these offices. In October 1943, while walking the short distance from our home to the office, I passed the manse of our Reformed church, when the minister Marius Koole hailed me with some urgency. Locking the door behind us we sat down and I learned the reason for his calling me in. After three and one half years of occupation nothing surprised us anymore. Marius related how he had just received a call from a fellow minister, who now was minister in the Reformed Church of Rumpt, Reverend Koole's previous parish. It appeared that the Gestapo had raided a small monastery in the neighborhood of Rumpt, which had been providing hiding places for Jews. Several of them had managed to escape and two of them had found a very temporary hiding place in the house of the school principal of Rumpt. They were a German Jewish couple, engaged to be married. Since the Gestapo was searching and raiding the surrounding areas, it had become necessary to find another hiding place farther away, and as quickly as possible. The difficulty however, was that Rumpt was situated in the province of Gelderland, sixty miles south, one of the four provinces with territory south of the Rhine, Waal and Meuse rivers. �51 These four provinces formed a buffer zone just west of the heavily industrialized German Ruhr district and had been put under martial law. Passes were required to cross back and forth. Moreover, these passes had to be signed by German authorities. The Rhine and Meuse _rivers flow from the south to the north until they reach the alluvial hills north , of Arnhem. There they bend to the west. The Rhine divides itself into two river beds, called the Waal river and the Neder-Rhine river, which is named 'the Lek' to the west. These rivers form a natural barrier of which one, the Neder-Rhine, would have to be crossed to reach the village of Rumpt. Marius was not too hopeful whether we could be of help, but I told him that we would try. Opposite the manse was the Post Office and next to it, the carpenter shop of Jacob Balder, also a member of our Resistance SWAT team. Jacob and I sat down to talk things over. We would be able to reach the Rhine river, south of Utrecht, by train. But, considering the martial law, how were we to cross the river unnoticed? Who would be willing to venture a boat of some kind to help us cross the fast flowing river to Rumpt and back? To what extent were there German guards patrolling? How about on the train, and at the last stop before the Neder-Rhine bridge? Maybe at the first stop across the Neder-Rhine river bridge? Were they patrolling the river banks? Were there fixed defenses along the river banks? There simply were no immediate answers to most of our questions. We were facing a task wrapped in uncertainties, and time was of the essence. Finally we agreed on a plan that seemed to offer not only a possibility, but also the necessary expediency. Jacob, the couple and I would be at high ~sk, but not to try was to virtually condemn these people to a terrible fate. Jacob and I agreed to buy two round trip tickets to 's Hertogenbosch, the first sizable �52 town south of the rivers, but beyond the place where we wanted to go. Before that city, there would be only one stop, called Geldermalsen. It had only a small station which accommodated the rural area between the Neder-Rhine river to the north and the Waal river to_the south. We would try to leave the train at Geldermalsen, if we could get there. Geldermalsen is situated some seven miles from Rumpt. Would this prove to be impossible, we would then continue to 's Hertogenbosch, and on the way back, have another try at Geldermalsen. The risk of having I.D. control on the train would have to be faced, but we counted on the possibility that control might not affect all passengers, and we would use a ruse by buying two newspapers, one printed in German and the other one a Dutch Nazi publication. Furthermore, we would not sit together, and would not take a gun. If in a bind, we could at least try to pull the emergency brake and try to jump out. We boarded the train in Heerhugowaard after leaving a message for the other SWAT team embers to find a hiding place for the couple, and to look out for us in the evening. At the depot in Alkmaar we bought the newspapers, and agreed to meet in the Amsterdam's Central Station, where we would switch trains for the direction 's Hertogenbosch. The trip from Alkmaar to Amsterdam was uneventful. An armed German soldier kept pacing back and forth between compartments but never bothered anyone. Switching platforms in Amsterdam went off without a hitch and we boarded the train for 's Hertogenbosch without every seeing a German guard on the platform or on the train. After several stops we crossed the Neder-Rhine river bridge without stopping on either sid~ of it. When we got close to Geldermalsen the train slowed down and we opened a window to have a look at the small platform. A lone German soldier sauntered back and forth, visibly bored stiff. �53 When the train came to a halt, we waited for a moment until his back was turned, then· quickly we got out and hid behind the small building that served as a depot, until the train had left. The road to Rumpt was about 50 yards away, and we reached it unhindered. We set off _on foot, but after a few miles we were passed by a flat bed wagon pulled by two horses, and loaded with bales of flour. We asked for a ride and we were allowed to jump on the backboard. It was a beautiful sunny·day, and the countryside was a delight to watch as we rode by. Once in Rumpt we had no difficulty finding the school principal's house. He opened the door himself, and after we identified ourselves by mentioning Marius Koole's name, he invited us in. He was very surprised to hear how we had managed to get into this closed military district of the country. In a room at the back of the house we met the frightened couple. They were tense and nervous because of being moved around, being hunted, and not knowing what the immediate future would bring. We tried to reassure them, and it did calm them down somewhat. Then we got together with the principal and one of his teachers to plan for the return trip. They put a basket with apples before us to munch on while we planned, a luxury as we did not have orchards up north. The principal and the teacher were able to provide us with four bicycles to enable the six of us to get back to the Geldermalsen depot. It would get us there three times faster than it would if we had to walk. After dropping us off, the principal and the teacher would return on their bicycles, leading t~e extra two by hand. They insisted on buying train tickets for the couple from Geldermalsen to Heerhugowaard, but in order to cover our trail, we suggest that they better buy tickets from Geldermalsen �54 to Alkmaar. Once in Alkmaar, we would buy tickets for them to Heerhugowaard. It was agreed that we would leave at dusk. The principal and the teacher were to take the couple on the baggage carriers of their bicycles, while Jacob and I would go ahead together and leave t~e bikes in the back of the depot. Jacob and I arrived there safely with our large bags of apples, which they had given us. Luckily the guard had left and so the four of us would be the only passengers boarding. we signalled to the oncoming foursome that all was clear, and the couple joined us. the teachers purchased the tickets, shook hands, and waited for the oncoming train to stop. On boarding we found a compartment for six with only one passenger in it. Though the trains were lighted by small blue light bulbs, in order not to be detected by planes at night, we noticed that the man wore the uniform of the Dutch Nazi Youth Group. Jacob and I looked at each other, and from long standing cooperation, reacted in the same way, motioning the young couple to take the seats next to the Nazi, while Jacob and I took the opposite seats. During the ride between Geldermalsen and Amsterdam an armed soldier passed us twice but paid no attention, other then a quick glance into our compartment. Did the young Nazi's uniform satisfy him? Who knows? The young man, with his elbow on the window sill, his chin resting on his hand, kept looking out into the night until we reached Amsterdam. He never moved. We could only wonder what was on his mind. Maybe the battle reverses for the Nazis? All five of us left the train in Amsterdam. The Nazi went right to the exit, while the four of us went down the stairs t~ transfer to the platform for the tra~n to Alkmaar. At the bottom of the stairs we turned right, be we were stopped by a curt 'Halt!' It was definitely a German accent, but the man was wearing civilian clothes.... Jacob and I were carrying the �55 apples, and the man wanted to know where we got them, and where we were going. We told him that the apples were a gift from friends who lived on a farm and that we were going home. 'Too few for the black market', he said, and let us go. Meanwhile, the couple, who had walked behind us, had upon hearing 'halt', simply continued walking while yte talked to the man, a presence of mind we truly appreciated. We boarded the train for Alkmaar without having our papers checked, and upon arrival purchased two one-way tickets for the Heerhugowaard station. We arrived at 10 p.m. and were met by three SWAT team members who took the Jewish couple to their new hiding place, which they had been able to secure. The whole operation had lasted not quite twelve hours. The couple survived the war and saw freedom return to their land. During the winter of 1943/44 a very small German garrison was moved to Broek op Langedijk. These were mainly older men, and their equipment included a truck, which used smoldering wood blocks to produce gas, piped to the engine, to run it. They also had horses. Their truck was carelessly parked next to some bales of hay in the auction hall, normally used for flower expositions. The truck caught fire and a good part of the building burned down. Living only three houses further down the street, J anny and I, as well as our boys, Kees and Nico, slept right through the commotion. We later learned from the neighbors that the Germans had been running around, yelling: 'sabotage!' Peter relates .. .In order to save our precious fuel, we were living in the smallest room of the house, because it was easier to heat. Kees and Nico used to play quietly with their �56 blocks while Janny sang to them. At bedtime, I would read them stories. They each had their favorites and after reading the same ones over and over again, I got to know them by heart. Kees would catch me on a missed word. Weather permitting, the boys would play in the yar~ and their greatest pleasure was to let our two rabbits out of their cage. Kees often wanted to go to the horses, which the Germans had brought with them. and which were stables next to the bakery ·a t the corner. Even though the Germans were friendly to the little three year old, we could not allow him to go there. Besides, the neighbors had warned us, that he had told them that 'daddy had a shooter, and he was going to shoot the krauts.' In order to keep Kees and Nico on our premises, it became necessary to lock the gate to our yard. February 22, 1944 Nijmegen's city center is hit. Situated only one mile from the German border, this too is a navigational error, causing eight hundred deaths. The same type of error causes nine hundred deaths in Arnhem and Enschede, both equally close to the German border. April 11. 1944: Six low-flying Mosquito light bombers destroy the building of the 'Central Population Administration Bureau' in Amsterdam, guided by Resistance Intelligence. �57 On May 8, 1944, one month before D-Day, our home was raided by a ten-man squad of the Gestapo led by SS Commander Viehbahn. Only the fast and timely actions of our Intelligence Group saved my life, but our home was no longer a safe haven. During the year th_at followed I was forced to live somewhere else, staying away from our home al together., The traitor, a member of a communist resistance group and forced into being a counterspy, was caught by our Commandos within 6 days and ordered executed. Looking back, to be betrayed by a communist to the Gestapo, and live to tell about it, almost seems impossible. The events evolved as follows. This particular Sunday morning had started out quietly, in spite of the fact that during the night the heavily vibrating drone of allied bombers, on their way to their assigned targets, had kept everyone awake. After the last squadrons had passed however, there had been the usual lull until the first planes returned. No message had been received by the resistance of any bail-outs from crippled planes that night, at least not in our area. When daylight came, we could see the tight formations in seemingly endless squadrons fly overhead. Fighter planes, flying protective cover as far as their range would allow, looked tiny from down below, as they maneuvered their faster planes to stay with the bomber fleet. How far did their protection reach? Certainly not as far as their farthest targets. Still, maintaining their original formation, while bound for home base, we could count the missing planes, by the empty places. Frequently, some of them would be flY!_ng lower than others, and we wondered if they would make it back to their bases. Our children were up early too, and already quietly absorbed with their building �58 blocks. Stillness enveloped the village on this early Sunday morning. Janny had started our simple breakfast, a kind of porridge made out of ground wheat and water. Once a year, ever since 1942, the brothers Tijssen, wheat farmers from the town of Oterleek, had provided - us with a bag of 150 lbs of wheat A great gift; considering that they charged only . 10 guilders per bag, or some 6 cents per pound. Black market prices for such commodities had gotten entirely out of reach. One of the brothers, Jan Hendrik, had mentioned to me quietly that he supported the cause for which I worked. "Just stop by one evening. I'll have it ready for pickup. You may count on it as long as the war lasts." It truly became a matter of equilibrium as I rode my old bicycle, loaded with one hundred and fifty extra pounds of wheat, along the dike until I reached the Middenweg, through the town of Heerhugowaard, along the Stationsweg, past the farms of Gootjes and Wagenaar, where so many fugitives had found shelter, and finally along the dike of the canal to our village of Broek of Langendijk. (Both Gootjes and Wagenaar later emigrated to the U.S.). We had rationed ourselves to a few pounds per week, which we shared with our parents. It was heavy work to grind wheat with an old hand mill, but what excellent nourishment it was. My resistance to infection had gone down to the extent that the slightest scratch caused blood poisoning. Armed with a prescription from our family doctor, Willem Verdonk, I had visited some of the outlying dairy farms. The prescription simply stated that for health reasons I needed half a liter of milk every day. One farmer, by the name of Zuurbier at the Middenweg in Heerhugowaard, immediately_agreed to sell it to me at the going ration price. Later in the afternoon, after the milking was done, Janny would go and pick up the bottle of milk. Many were the farmers who helped their compatriots �59 without barter or charging them exorbitant prices. And so, on this quiet Sunday morning, our breakfast consisted of coarse ground wheat with some milk. Saying grace had become more meaningful than ever. Since one of us had to stay with the children, Janny had gone to the morning church service, while I planned to go that night. In this land of market-gardens, it had become against the 'new' law to sell directly to the consumer. However, when in season, such items as cabbage, carrots and potatoes, even though in very small quantities, were still sold, in spite of the 'new' law. The meat rations, as well as butter and margarine, had shrunk drastically, and were usually saved for the Sunday dinner, and it was for those few potatoes, and a cabbage, that we had become so very grateful. We were still able to send some of our ration coupons to friends in The Hague, where the population suffered real hunger. And so, on this quiet Sunday morning our breakfast consisted of coarse ground wheat with some milk. Saying grace had become more meaningful than ever. Since one of us had to stay with the children, Janny had decided to go to the morning church service, while I planned to go that night. In the afternoon the four of us had set out for a walk along the village street. The Dorpstraat was the only street then, and traffic was almost non-existent. Most I agricultural traffic moved along a network of canals that surrounded the village. Later that day, as I was getting ready for church, the doorbell rang. On our doorstep stood Evert Brink, one of our best friends, and a staunch Resistance man. He started right off. "Gestapo is going to arrest you. Let's clear the house ... rehearse the cover story and have the papers ready...come with me ...you will learn more later!" Speechless, Janny and �60 I looked at each other and immediately set to work. A few false ID cards, pistols, ration cards for people in hiding, micro films from air drops, and illegal news bulletins were quickly gathered, and all hiding places double checked. Young Arie Boon, our neighbor from across the street brought over a wooden box in his flat bottom boat and we packed everything ·away. Then, after one more quick check of the house, Arie Boon took off to bury the box in one of his far away island acres for the time being. Meanwhile, Janny and I went carefully over the cover story and papers. Then the most difficult moment had arrived, a tight embrace, and a hug for the children. A few moments later Evert and I were on our way, heading our bicycles in the direction of the village of St. Pancras, were we parted. Evert took the road straight ahead, direction Alkmaar, while I took the narrow bike path behind the 'Witte Kerk' (the Reformed Church, commonly known as 'the white church'), west to the village of Koedijk, which stretched along the Noord Hollands canal. Across from the canal lay the main road between Alkmaar and Den Helder. Before the war Den Helder had been our main naval base. When I arrived at the canal, the wide open country side allowed me to scan the road in both directions. There was no traffic of any military convoys in sight. A few hundred yards south, in the direction of Alkmaar was a bridge. It had short ramps on either side, and two floating ramps, which could be withdrawn under the entrance ramps to allow boats to pass through. It was typical for this part of the country. It appeared I was able to cross the bridge safely at that point to get to the main road to Alkmaar. So I Qid. turning right into the first side street, I at last reached Evert Brink's house through the back entrance, and that Sunday evening I learned the chain of events that had led Evert to warn me. �61 Earlier, that Sunday afternoon, Police Officer Jacob van Dijk had been alone on duty in Alkmaar's Police headquarters, when a young woman had entered the building, identifying herself as a member of the Gestapo. She had demanded the use of the telephone to contact her headquarters, which were · located at the Euterpestraat in Amsterdam. Jacob had offered her the phone of his desk, and as he continued his work, he was able to overhear the conversation during which she reported to have received a false identification card from a Pieter Termaat. She called for his immediate arrest, giving his home address in Broek op Langedijk. the woman left. Shortly after, at 3:00 p.m. Jacob completed his watch. It just so happened, that Jacob's mother and one of my uncles were sister and brother. Both of us were born in the town of Kampen, where we had lived through our teens. Needless to say, Jacob and I knew each other quite well. Besides, he and I belonged to the same Resistance group, covering Alkmaar and the surrounding areas. Jacob was aware of the fact that I had been living in the village of Broek op Langedijk since 1942, He also knew, that a very close friend of mine, Evert Brink, was living nearby, in the town of Alkmaar, and so on his way home he stopped at the Brink's house and told Evert what had transpired earlier that afternoon. Evert immediately left on his bicycle for my house. Treason had been committed ..... somewhere ...by someone ...., resulting in Evert's visit to our house, leaving Janny and the children behind in Broek op Langedijk, along with a welldesigned business cover and a 'clean' house, while I joined Evert at this home in Alkmaar. In neither home there was much sleep that night. On Monday morning Janny had managed to get a message to me, telling me that nothing had happened during the night. A hurried �62 conference took place, during which we had to decide what to do, or what not to do. The fact remained that the woman had warned the Gestapo. Unfortunately, Jacob's description of the woman had left us without a clue, and so the decision was made for everybody to remain in place, while the woman's description was being circulated among the members of our resistance circle. We could taste the danger, as the hours of the day crept by and the nights seemed longer yet. Meanwhile the nights for Janny were not only very long but quite eventful at that, as she relates ..... The first night after Piet's departure I hardly slept at all. The following day I was totally exhausted, and it didn't take long to fall into a deep sleep that night. It must have been somewhere between 3:00 and 4:00 a.m. that I suddenly was awakened by heavy blows on our front door. I ran to the window and peeked through the curtains, and noticed several trucks, cars and a number of men, some in uniform, others in civilian clothes, in front of our house. I knew, that if I didn't open the door soon, they would no doubt force their way in, so I quickly turned around and grabbed the first piece of clothing I could find to wear over my nightgown. It happened to be my light grey spring coat, which had 13 buttons, and to this day I remember buttoning every single one of them. The moment I opened the door, the men entered our house. Equipped with rifles some of the men in uniform posted themselves at the windows, while the rest of them made - their way to the bedroom, where they checked the bed for 'another warm spot' besides where I had been sleeping. Although satisfied that I had been sleeping alone, they continued �63 searching the rest of the house, opening each and every closet, leafing through our books, and asked question upon question, demanding answers from me while holding a flashlight in front of my face. I noticed that one of the men, obviously their leader, was not only imma~lately dressed, but was also wearing a very strong scented perfume (quite unus1;1al for a man, -especially in those days!). Little did I now what an important part this perfume would play later on in our lives. While they continued interrogating me, I told them my 'cover story' without hesitation, telling them 'that plans were in the works to built a deep freeze installation locally, once the war was over. (Which was true and indeed has been built), and that heavy financing was needed, which was not entirely available locally. As a result, Piet had been put in charge of finding possible investors for the project and as a result was of town visiting and interviewing prospects.' I must have been very convincing, because they seemed to believe my story and left. And what about our two young sons? Believe it or not, but they slept through the whole ordeal. But not so our neighbors, who had been watching the whole drama unfold from behind their curtains, because unlike me, they had been expecting the raid, as the following story became unraveled. First thing next morning I went over to see our neighbors, the Jacob Balder family. Jacob was deeply involved in the Resistance and had until only a short time ago 9 Jewish people hidden in bis home. His wife was pregnant and expecting their sixth child. Jacob wasn't home, but I told his wife that something was up in the air, and I begged her to make Jacob go underground. My pleading fell on deaf ears, because she told me that, considering her condition, Jacob had refused to go into hiding. He wanted to be near his family. �64 As I had feared not too long afterwards, Jacob was arrested, and shot in the dunes along the Dutch coast, where many of the members of the resistance faced their death. (Jacob never saw the baby, which he and his wife had anticipated so eagerly). 9n that same day, May 10, while I was visiting the Balders, I also learned the facts about the visit of the Gestapo, the previous night. Jacob Balder's daughter, who occasionally did baby sitting for us, was employed at the town hall at the time. The mayor of our town, who had decided to join the Nazi Party, had come up with a deceitful plan to try and arrest Piet for reasons described previously, but unbeknownst to us. He had made up a list of people whose homes would supposedly be searched during the night of May 9th, 1944, conspicuously leaving the Termaats off his list. It was that list, that Jacob's daughter happened to see. Excited about her discovery, she told her father about it, and as a result, the people on the list were warned, but not the Termaats. Again we had been just one step ahead of the traitors. Soon after my visit with the Balders, I rode my bicycle to my mother's house, having one boy seated in front of me, and the other behind me. On arrival I told her: 'Please don't ask any questions. I have things to do. Would you please look after the children for me?" And with that I got back on my bicycle again and via alleys and other roundabout ways, I rode to the house were Piet was hiding. I reported the happenings, said goodbye to him and left. My message on that Tuesday was: 'They were at th~ house during the night ... everybody safe ... business cover story listened to without comment....house surrounded by at least 10 men.... all were dressed in uniform, except Nazi mayor Stoutjesdijk. ...and �65 someone else, who smelled heavily of perfume. When leaving, the police van went into a southerly direction ...... The latter part of the message clearly indicated that they had made their approach north along the road Alkmaar-Den Helder, then east to 'the Langedijk and south along the only road across the dike to our house. It had become obvious, that Piet could not return home. In Alkmaar, as well as in several surrounding villages, he was too well known. It meant that he had to leave the city. A quick consultation took place. For one, he needed transportation, other than a bicycle. Since members of the medical profession were the only ones allowed cars, a message was sent to Nico Louis M.D. Pieter relates that Dr. Louis arrived that same afternoon. "I wiggled myself into the back seat of his small Renault, and the two of us drove off from the Bleau Straat, along the Bergerweg to the Westerweg, then in a southern direction, through the Heiloo forest. Once outside the city, I changed to the passenger's seat, so we could talk more easily. We planned to drive as far as Uitgeest where I was to board the train in the direction of Amsterdam. We arrived about fifteen minutes early, which allowed me just enough time to explain what had happened. 'Any unfinished business?' He asked. I told him that a resistance group, located north of Amsterdam, had been arrested. From what we had learned so far, the wife of the leader had escaped, and had found temporary shelter in a home at Lange<!ijk. The woman had escaped without I.D., money, clothing or ration cards. I had been able to furnish her with an I.D. and some ration cards. At the time, she'd told me that she could not remain where �66 she was, and was looking for a place to stay. She was willing to do household work or baby sitting. {A preliminary check had indeed verified the arrest of the group, which had included the woman's husband). My request to Nico Louis was: 'Would he follow up?' He promised he would. Meanwhile, the train had arrived and I boarded with the intention, at least for now, to go as far as Koog aan de Zaan, where Janny had a cousin living. When I arrived at Koog aan de Zaan, I got off with some twenty other passengers. As we began walking along the highway in the direction of Amsterdam, which ran parallel with the railroad track, a boy in his pre-teens stopped us, and told us that there was a Nazi roundup going on further down the highway. Without another word, all of us turned into the next road to the left. Looking back, we should at least have thanked the boy, but we had taken the warning very seriously and were only too anxious to get away. Walking along, my thoughts raced over the happenings of the last few weeks; some of the people we had seen in our village, mainly outsiders, who hadn't given us reason for suspicion. Then there had been the call from our Minister, Marius Koole, who had been contacted by one of his colleagues, the Reverend Nell, who lived in the town of Noord Scharwoude (the northern part of Langedijk). It was concerning a woman, who was hiding with a Mr. Keeman, one of his parishioners. Reverend Nell had requested help for her, following which Marius Koole had contacted me with the problem. I had given the initial help. But what could have gone wrong? Why was the Gestapo on mr trail? Janny and the children were all right, but she would undoubtedly be watched. When I arrived at cousin Peter's home, I was warmly welcomed, and given the guest �67 room. When I was ready to leave, cousin Peter had gone ahead to scout the train station in Zaandam to see if there were any round-up activities. Fortunately, there weren't any, and I boarded the train for Amersfoort, via Amsterdam. In Amersfoort I knew the family Bouma. At the beginning of the war they had been liVIng in Den Helder, the naval b~e. During the-early fighting they had been bombed out of their home and had been evacuated to the Langedijk, where we first met them. From there they had moved to Amersfoort, where Mr. Bouma had been appointed to the local college. My plan was to proceed from Amersfoort to Kampen, my birthplace, where I still had some relatives, who would undoubtedly be helpful in finding a new hiding place for me. The Bouma's however told me that, where the road to Kampen led to the bridge across the IJssel river, by rail or otherwise, I would run into a 24-hour guard. The risk of trying to cross at that point was too great. Why not stay with them for a short while until more was known? I accepted the invitation gratefully. There was a Resistance group operating in Amersfoort out of the train depot, which had their phone system operating independently from the national system. We transported mainly ration cards to a contact at the Amstel train depot in Amsterdam. Mr. Bouma turned out to be an avid walker, and while out on our walks, we sometimes passed the Cavalry barracks across from the house where my family had lived for 11 months in the year 1924. The neighborhood did not seem to have changed much. Occasionally we saw a group of prisoners from the nearby co_,!lcentration camp of Amersfoort, as they marched under heavily armed guard. Staring straight ahead, their heads shaven, their cheeks hollow from malnutrition, dressed in flimsy prison clothes, they were �68 ordered to sing. They were forced to work on a network of trenches, but were so obviously underfed, that one had to question their value of performing heavy work. Needless to say that my blood began to boil when I saw the group pass by. To talk to them was impossible even t~e slightest eye contact was being watched. The concentration camp of Amersfoort was notorious. It's camp commander, 35 year old Joseph J. Kotaella, was a brute nicknamed 'the Hangman'. He would hit his prisoners, while egging on his two large German shepherds, his constant companions. He had personally ordered and participated in the execution of prisoners. He seemed to especially enjoy watching the bodies of his victims drop, as garrote the noose tightened, and the last spastic struggle ceased. Some prisoners spent many days and nights in the open, surrounded by barbed wire, without any food or drink. By means of the Red Cross, a certain Mrs. Heemstra had, at times been allowed to take some food parcels into the camp. At such times Kotaella turned on his fake charm and requested to be photographed with her against the camp background. It was not until much later that I learned that my brother-in-law, Jacob, Janny's brother, was a prisoner at this camp at this time. The number of planes passing overhead seemed even greater here than in the Langedijk. One night, as we were sound asleep, a bomb exploded. Curled up in a fetal position, I awoke from a deep sleep by the terrible noise. It scared the wits out of everybody. All the windows were blown out, but the house was still standing. Hans Bouma, the family's youngest son, already having a broken arm from a fall off his bike, had stepped �69 in some glass causing severe bleeding, which we were finally able to stop by holding his foot very tightly. There was glass all over the floor, the furniture and the blankets. At day break we learned that a bomb had been dropped just east of the train depot, only five hundred yards from the house. The Bouma's were lucky to get off with merely glass damage. The_Bouma's lived at the Korte Bergstraat 8, and during my stay I had become acquainted with some of their neighbors. · On the night of Monday, June the 5th, one of them had invited the entire family and me over for a birthday celebration. By bartering some items from their clothing store they had even been able to lay their hands on some pastries. The following morning, on June 6th, I had left the house via the back yard to get a haircut, when the neighbor lady came running out of her house. "Mr. Termaat!" She called. "Don't go out in the street. .. the Allies have landed ... you never know what may happen ... they may get here too!" I quickly went back into the house. Mr. Bouma and I discussed this unexpected news and decided to take a walk to the newspaper building nearby, where a billboard next to its front door usually displayed the latest news items. Needless to say the unexpected surprise when we read the bulletin confirming that small scale landings had taken place on the coast of France. Amazed that the occupation forces would let this news leak out, we surmised that it had to be more than a small landing, which could hardly be covered up, since the BBC had warned everybody to stay away from Europe's coastal areas. We walked back to the house. Shortly after that the door bell rang. It was my good friend Evert Brink, who had come to bring me letters from Janny, clean underwear, as well as the latest news. Still �70 in shock by the news of the Allied landing, I blurted out: 'What are you doing here?' 'Hell, what kind of a greeting is that!' He replied. 'You knew I was coming!' 'But the Allies have landed!' I retorted. ~You're crazy!' He commented. Without wasting another word, I took him over to the newspaper building. Evert was as taken aback as Mr. Bouma and I had been. 'You cannot stay here!' He said. 'They (the Allies) are going to bomb the railroads and highways. If you stay, you will never be able to get out!' That seemed sensible enough, and so after a hasty good-bye and many thanks to the Bouma's, Evert and I boarded the train from Amersfoort to Amsterdam, where we changed trains to Alkmaar. We agreed not to talk, and each bought a German newspaper. We reached Alkmaar without any problems. Neither did we see or hear about any military activities in our area, except the regular drone of bombers flying over. My emotions ran high. I was getting closer to home, and Janny and the children were once again within reach ... the Allies had landed!...Would they land at other areas, besides France? ... Would they succeed? .... And if so, how quickly would they be able to proceed? .. .I was filled with questions, tension, wishful thinking ... and hope. But I also realized, that if further landings would not take place, it could be a long time yet before I would be able to surface, and until then I would have to keep moving around in the dark. The internal railroad telephone had been a real blessing, b~t being back on the national network made one once again alert to listening devices from radio detection units of the Gestapo. �71 We again spotted some troops from the Russian state of Georgia, as well as some from British India, imprest battalions to fill in for the heavy losses of Germany's army. They were obviously shifted around often. ~e people of the Dutch East Indies, residing irt Holland, had freely offered their share in the struggle for freedom also. It was amazing how close we had grown during these adversary times. Still, German infantry battalions continued to march through the towns, but much more disheveled looking, and not by far as cocky as four years earlier. During my absence, there had been a notice from the Probate Court in connection with the inheritance of my father-in-law, who had passed away the previous year. On the day I had been scheduled to appear, I had been in Amersfoort and unable to comply. How intensely dangerous the Gestapo was became quite clear, when they showed up at the Probate Court and arrested my two brothers-in-law. It was obvious that the Probate Court had connections with the Gestapo. Even though my brothers-in-law didn't know my whereabouts, their homes were searched, nevertheless. First the home of Jacob Schuurman, resulting in the arrest of a man whom they had kept hidden because he had refused to go to work in Germany. They also found a clandestine long wave radio receiver, which allowed them to listen to the BBC. Moving alongside the house, Jacob tried to escape via the meterwide gutter connecting his home to the house in the street behin<!_ bis. He was shot at immediately. Fortunately, they missed him by a hair. The center button of his coat had been replaced by a hole. He was arrested and sent to the concentration camp in Amersfoort. Any �72 further evidence against Jacob failed to tum up, and after four months of imprisonment a contact group of the Reformed Church managed to purchase his freedom, as even camp leaders were not beyond corruption. J.,ikewise, my other brother-in-law, Henk van Zuylen, also had his house searched. He too, wasn't aware of my whereabouts. And although the search didn't deliver any results, he was nevertheless taken to prison in Amsterdam (Huis van Bewaring), were he remained from May 17 to June 7, before he was let go. The day after, Nico Louis, the doctor who had smuggled me out of Alkmaar in his little Renault and had taken me to the train depot of Uitgeest on that Wednesday, May 20, had taken up contact with the woman courier by means of Rev. Marius Koole the very next day. She had shown up at his office that same evening. Cautiously, Nico had asked her what he possibly could do to help her. Then, she had related the same story to him, namely that she was in dire need of an I.D. card, as she was without one. Nico's quick mind was immediately put on alert. Had it not only been yesterday at the train depot of Uitgeest, that Peter had told him the story about the woman walking into the Police Station, calling the Gestapo, ordering the arrest of Peter Termaat because he had furnished her with a false I.D.? Nico kept his cool, not promising her anything. He told her to come back Friday evening, May 12. After she'd left, he'd alerted the local Resistance and that Friday evening, 5 days after her initial call to the Gestapo, she was captured and made ~ full confession. The question now was, what to do with her? Treason was proven and confessed to. She could not be kept a prisoner. The vote was unanimous and the matter was referred to the National �73 Resistance Organization. A terse order was sent back: 'Liquidate her!' Having been locked up since May 12th, the woman was transported out of town to the east near the village of Rustenburg, where the road runs across the dike. Here an injection ended her life and on May 19_th, her body was hurried in the dike. A bloody mess. Only the slapping and sloshing of the breaking waves would be heard. Then all became quiet. A report was sent to Headquarters that the order had been carried out. How long would it take before the Gestapo would catch on and begin their manhunt? Our Resistance group immediately began searching for hiding places. It was none to soon. Dr. Louis realized that the time had come for him to disappear, after all, it was more than likely that by now, the woman had informed the Gestapo of her visit to his office. In these last days of the war, fear had begun to grip the Nazis, leading to hysterical actions, such as trying to remove all records, containing all names and address of men who at any time had been unemployed, from the District Bureau of the Department of Social Affairs. This was the office where I had worked until my resignation on May 1, 1942, when I had refused to obey and execute their new laws, which would have sent men to Germany as forced labor to assist the Nazi war industry. Every evening, at about five o'clock, files containing these records were loaded on a wagon and brought, under armed guard, to the vault of the Twentsche Bank near the town square with its beautiful medieval tower. The route to the bank was not a direct one; a block from the bank, the wagon would tum into a side street. Our plan was to destroy the records before they reached the bank. In order to do that we needed gasoline, and Dr. Louis �/ 74 had just what we needed, five gallons of it, which I had previously smuggled into town and stored at his home. We would attack the guards, pour the gasoline over the files and set them afire. The point of attack was ideal - a maze of narrow side streets. The importance of our plan was clear. If successful, all data concerning the total labor force of the district would be destroyed. Faced with an almost certain visit of the Gestapo, the Louis's packed a few suitcases, loaded their car and disappeared. Nico was realistic enough to take the gasoline along on his flight. They would not return to Alkmaar until VE-Day. June 6. 1944 D-Day Hitler and his staff now expected the main landing to occur in Calais, on the narrow passage from Dover, and kept his 15th army with 100,000 soldiers at the Channel until September. But on June 6th, the Allied invasion in Normandy had begun. Low flying Allied planes flew in low formation over Europe's west coast, attacking Nazi traffic where visible. Nazi losses of military vehicles were heavy, but what hurt most was the loss of military personnel. To give them a better chance of survival, much of the traffic was conducted during the night, while men were rounded up as forced labor to dig manholes along the roads, and into the dike itself. While digging near the town of Rustenburg, a crew discovered a lady's shoe. And it was only moments later that they dug up the body of the liquidated..§py. On June 17, 1944 an ad appeared in the paper, which read as follows: �75 BODY FOUND IN RUSTENBURG The Head of the Criminal Investigation Department in Amsterdam, located at the Keizersgracht 103-105 (telephone 49055), requests on behalf of the Group Commander of the Mi~itary Police in Heerhugowaard, to be informed of the identity of the body of a woman found on June 13, 1944 on an elevated spot in Rustenburg (North Holland). Description: Between twenty and thirty years of age; height 1.63 meters; dark hair; small nose, wider at the end, blue-grey eyes; well maintained teeth, fully intact; scar on right side of abdomen, probably from appendectomy. Clothing: Short, dark blue coat with dark belt made of connected leather bands; white blouse with blue-green checks, brand 2330 Margo 17144 Frulensis mit den 7 punkten Gesla; Erpco Compagnie KoelnNeumarkt, Gegr 1901; black flat-heeled shoes, light pink petticoat, white panties, brand: 'Butterfly, Bijenkorr, pink camisole with the letter 'N' inside the shoulder strap, ankle-height woollen socks. Information urgently requested by the Criminal Investigation Department. Interestingly, no information was ever offered; the solidarity of the population showed once again. Soon after VE-Day the investigation, which had been going on during the last few �76 weeks of the war, is completed with the following information. One of the members of the Resistance group, operating just north of Amsterdam, had an affair with his wife's sister. Infuriated, when discovering the affair, the wife decided to go to th,e Gestapo and betray not only her husband, but the rest of his Resistance group as well. After giving her testimony, the Gestapo gave her two choices. Either she'd become one of their informers or be sent to a concentration camp as an accomplice. She decided to take the first option. The Gestapo relocated her to the village of Noord Scharwoude, one of the four villages of the Langedijk, where she stayed with a certain Mr. Keeman, a small exporter of produce, who was under no particular suspicion by the people in the village. It was Mr. Keeman who introduced her to Rev. Nell with the story previously mentioned. Having no connections himself, Rev. Nell called his colleague, the Rev. Marius Kool in Broek op Langedijk, who in turn introduced her to us. A quick investigation of her story confirmed that the resistance group, to which she and her husband belonged, had indeed been arrested and imprisoned. Consequently her amateurish operation led to her speedy and untimely demise. When VE-day finally arrived, Keeman was instantly killed when his motor cycle hit a tree. Suicide was suspected. On that day, in addition to the three strongholds we had held for several weeks, we - also took over the town hall. While standing in front of the town hall with two fellow officers, waiting for the first units of the First Canadian Army to arrive, Dr. Nico Louis �77 hailed us and joined our group. After some light banter we were interrupted by an MP on a motor cycle, who informed us that the father of the executed woman had been spotted in town. He apparently was armed and had announced that he was going to kill Dr. Louis, whom be blamed for the death of his daughter. We guided Dr. Louis into the Town Hall and sent out a patrol to bring the man in. It appeared that he had only partial information of what had transpired. After talking to him and pointing out to him, how his daughter, through her actions, had caused her own death, he accepted our explanation. He surrendered his gun and promised to leave town, not to return or to bother Dr. Louis again. Truly a rotten deal for a father to be faced with. By 1944 the number of refugees, men and boys between the ages of sixteen and sixty had grown to five hundred thousand. Needless to say, our task became increasingly more difficult, and we began to experience heavy losses among the ranks of Resistance fighters. But we helped wherever help was needed, no questions asked. By D-Day, June 6, 1944, we figured we had lost about two thousand fully active commandos. Latest evaluations showed that their life expectancy, from the day they entered the Resistance movement, had been three to six months. Their strength was augmented by many trusted contacts in a homogenous populations. After a month of fighting and building up the armed forces in Normandy, Eisenhower unleashed General Patton, and the Allied Forces began to make fast aEvances against strong German opposition. By the end of August the northern part of France and part of Belgium were free once more. �78 On September 1, the harbor city of Antwerp fell to the Allies, and on September 4, Hitler personally ordered the destruction of the harbors of Rotterdam and Amsterdam, which order did not go into effect until September 21. Heavy detonations could be heard twenty ~les away. So heavy were the continuous explosions, that in the Rotterdam sub~rb of Katendrecht four thousand families saw their homes destroyed. The destruction in Amsterdam was proportionate to that of Rotterdam, and that which once took decades of hard labor and persistence to built, in true entrepreneurial spirit, was destroyed in a matter of days. In Rotterdam, nine miles of wharf embankment was destroyed as were more than half of the hoisting cranes, all floating docks, all petroleum tanks ( even though they had been empty for a long time), shipyards and engineering works. Raw materials were transported in barges to Germany, were they would be used to rebuild Germany once the war was over. Ships were sunk in the main waterways connecting Amsterdam and Rotterdam to the open sea, obstructing all maritime traffic. Then there was the Field Marshall Montgomery blunder at Arnhem, when he ordered the British Airborne, ten thousand men strong, to land too far from the last bridge, needed by the Allied Troops to do any good. His miscalculation resulted in eight thousand either killed in action, or wounded and taken prisoners of war. Only 2000 survived. HRH Prince Bernhard, Commander of the Interior Forces, sounded bitter when he stated: 'My country can never again afford the luxury of another M~ntgomery success'. Meanwhile a mistaken radio news item in London named the Dutch city of Breda as the first liberated Dutch city. If true, there was only a fifty five mile gap left from Breda �79 straight north to the Zuiderzee, through which flight to Germany would still be possible. Wild panic broke out among the Germans and Dutch Nazis, as they fled all through the night towards Germany, either by foot or by any means of transportation they were able to steal. The German Command however regained contr"ol once again, as they opened the locks, flooding the low lying areas. Having to leave home as a fugitive, our first thoughts were for the family's well being. Part of that were the finances. Being self-employed in a partnership, we could count on a small monthly draw to continue. Furthermore, the L.O., organized underground, (L.O. stands for 'national organization') paid Janny a small stipend. They occasionally also provided some scarce food, such as cheese. The surrounding market gardens contributed cabbage, carrots and potatoes. These were sold in small quantities outside the rationing system. Janny only spent money for what was available on ration coupons and on what the village provided and not wanting to buy in the black market, items such as butter and meat were simply not on the menu. And that way she even managed to save some money. 1944: The rationing continues. September: All food and fuel rations are drastically cut. The remaining electricity ration is cut in half. We are forced to surrender any kind of textile products left in our homes. The city kitchen has opened her doors to the public and is allowed to supply a ration of maximum 600 calories per person. �80 December: Bread ration is cut to two pounds per week per person. Ground up bulbs (mainly tulips) are used as a substitution for flour. A total ban on electricity is announced. Homes are being tom up for firewood, kitchen doors, closet shelves, etc. The need is great for a little warmth or just to heat up a single pan. And as far as our beautiful trees are concerned, there are none left. 'Hunger trips' are a common occurrence in the farm country, as people knock on farm doors trying to buy, barter and, in some instances, 'steal'. Many people are utterly despondent, and desperate. Many die en route. September 17. 1944 OPERATION MARKET GARDEN Successful but not across the bridge, this operation imprisoned the population ~f the western Netherlands for its last, but most terrible war winter. For them freedom would still be eight months away, until May, 1945. To add to the devastation, we got hit with an unusually severe frost which lingered on. The only coal mines in Holland are to be found in the south eastern province of Limburg, but because of the railroad strike, coal was out of reach for the rest of the nation. - The strike, which had been ordered by the Dutch Government on September 17, 1944, at the time of the Allied airborne landings, was a total success. �81 As a result, however, we had to find hiding places for three hundred thousand men to protect them from being rounded up. Their families had to be paid a basic amount of money to be able to buy what little was made available on ration cards. The finances needed to keep_ the hiding places going and the care for the families of those men, who since 1940 had foughton the seas and in Normandy, had been guaranteed by our government in exile. The financing through the banking system was a major help in the underground struggle. Following the disastrous failure of the British Airborne attack near the city of Arnhem in September, 1944 food rationing was decentralized and became now a local responsibility. The size of the rations and its content depended fully on what was on hand locally. Furthermore, the German army closed off the western seaboard provinces by a 20 mile long cordon, which ran from the Rhine river, just west of Arnhem, all the way to the Zuiderzee. These provinces, the most heavily populated ones in the country, suffered terribly. The order by Nazi governor Seyss Inquart, to put an embargo on all shipments of food to the west of that cordon, was a major factor for the starvation rations. Food rationing in October, 1944 dropped to 1300 calories per person per week. In November it decreased to 950 calories, in December to 550 calories, ending in January, 1945 with only 340 calories per person per week. The north-eastern provinces of Groningen, Friesland, Drente and Overijssel managed to scrape by on 1300 calories per person per week from September 1944 till May, 1945. We weren't spared by the hunger either, which was weakening the health of our family. Infections were chronic, and on November 9, 1944 (the birthday of father C.B. �82 Termaat), Janny experienced a pre-mature birth in her four and one half months of pregnancy. Our family doctor, Willem Verdonk, feared for her life, and urged me to come out of hiding that night to be with her. Doctor Verdonk assisted us. It was a boy, so tiny in death, is features resembling those of Kees and Michie!. But there was no time to lose. I had to be gone by dawn. A box had to serve as a coffin and with our prayers, I carried him outside to the backyard, where I dug a grave. Then Janny and I said our goodbyes and I left again for my hiding place to continue the bitter struggle. Janny did not receive adequate food to regain her strength. Her mainstay was thin buttermilk porridge. A neighbor lady sacrificed some of her rations. "You need it more than I do", she said. In order to look for food, Janny's sister, Lyda, and I decided towards the end of December, 1944 to pay a visit to Oma (Grandma) Schuurman's relatives, who were still living on active farms. Riding our bicycles, we met the day after Christmas, early in the morning on the road towards the town of Purmerend. One bicycle had no tires at all, while the tires on the other one were in bad shape. We had planned to go through the Schermer polder towards Purmerend, and from there to the ferry in the Amsterdam harbor, if it seemed safe to do so. But a little ways outside of Alkmaar we experienced an unexpected obstacle. The Germans had flooded the polder to head off airborne attacks. So we rode our bicycles through the water as far as possible until we finally had to start walking. With cold, wet legs we at last reached Purmerend, and continued our journey along the canal towards Amsterdam. When we arrived at the ferry, we scanned for German u~forms. We were able to cross safely. We chose to find our way through east Amsterdam, thus avoiding the city center, which we knew was infested with Nazis. Once we reached the outskirts, we continued �83 to the town of Diemen, which was only a few miles down the road and from there we took the country road to Over-Diemen. The last farm on that country road, just east of the Amsterdam-Rhine canal, was the farm of Oma Schuurman's brother, nestled along the dike of the Zuiderzee. This was the family farm of the Hennipman's (Oma Schuurman's maiden name). Oma Schuurman, born in 1889 and her eldest daughter, my wife Janny, born in 1916, were both born on the same farm in the same room and in the same bedstead. We were warmly received, along with a hot meal. As we took our leave, we were given butter, cheese and some bacon to take back home with us. We chose the road to the west in order to cross the canal in the direction of the town of Hoofddorp, which was situated to the south of the Schiphol airport. However, when we arrived at the canal we noticed that the bridge we had wanted to cross was under construction. Only the piling, the side railings and a one foot long ledge, on which the steel beams were to be laid for the road deck, was all that existed. Neither the beams nor the deck were there. We had no other choice, however, but to get across and thus I took one of the bikes under my arm, and while holding on to the railing, walked across the ledge to the other side. Fifteen feet below me, the water with its floating ice, looked very uninviting in the gathering dusk. Coming back, I carried the second bike the same way. Next, I helped Lyda across. Safely back on our bicycles, just as we passed the Schiphol airport, we ran into a heavy fog. Finding the main road to Hoofddorp was not easy, but we did find it, nevertheless. Suddenly, from out of the fog, came a voice: "Wer da?" ("Who's there?"). We heard the bolt of a rifle thrown. Ignoring the command, we sped along the Middenweg till we reached the Roodenburg farm, which belonged to Opa (Granndpa) Schuurman's sister, who was married to Jacob �84 Roodenburg. Here too, we were warmly received. They fed us and invited us to stay overnight, since by now darkness had set in. The following morning, after breakfast, we were sent off with an amply supply of whatever the farm produced, among others several bags of beans and peas, which would go a long way to supplement the starvation diet of which we could not subsist. We thanked the Roodenburgs and left, carefully watching out for enemy checkpoints and platoons of the 'Landwacht'. These platoons were a particularly vicious uniformed group of Dutch Nazis, who roamed about roughing people up, sometimes even arresting them, confiscating whatever they carried on them. As a result, we occasionally checked with people before we decided to proceed in one or the other direction. Eventually, we decided to return to Alkmaar by making a wide circle around the Schiphol airport in the direction of the town of Velsen, where a ferry would take us across the wide and deep Noord Zee (North See) canal, which runs from the Amsterdam harbor into the North Sea. Once across, we would have a choice of several roads leading to Alkmaar. We made it safely across, but shortly afterwards we lost yet another tire. We managed to reach Limmen, a village several miles south of Alkmaar, and as dusk settled over the unlit road, we proceeded slowly with our precious load along the main road. When we reached Alkmaar we took the smaller side streets, which were so very familiar to us, until we at last reached Oma Schuurman's house, just before curfew time. Because of Janny's weakened condition, Oma Schuurman had ~aken her and our sons into her apartment in Alkmaar in February, 1945. As far as our home in Broek op Langedijk was concerned, we had gathered all our possessions into one large room and safely secured �85 it with a heavy lock. The remainder of the house was then rented out to a refugee family. My parents, Opa and Oma Termaat, were supplied with provisions by former soldiers, now farmers again. (My dad had been an aide-de-camp with the 15th Regiment Infantry). By March, 1945 however, their food supplies as well as those in Oma Schuurman's house had dwindled considerably and was reduced to a level of scarcity that begged for supplementation. Worsening the situation even more was the fact that Captain Vels Heyn was also in need of food for Resistance fighters hidden in the city. And so one day, I decided to make the four mile long walk along the back roads to the Langedijk were I knew a man by the name of Jonker, who operated a one-man transport business, using a horsedrawn flat-bed wagon with canvas sides and top. After talking to him, I found him willing to make a trip from Broek op Langedijk to Alkmaar. Several farmers on the way, who ( knew very well, were quite willing to sell us potatoes, huge carrots (in better days used for horse fodder), and cabbage at reasonable prices. I then returned to AJkmaar by myself and ventured into the city to visit a friend's house, who was the district president of the Chamber of Commerce. We discussed the various problems I was faced with, and what I had done so far to procure and transport food. It was now a matter of distribution. He was able to locate a dozen or so large, sturdy crates at no cost, as long as they were returned intact. Next, Mr. Jonker, once he had arrived in Alkmaar, loaded the crates onto his wagon and took them to Broek op Langedijk, stopping at the various farms I had suggested and fill them up with produce. I familiarized Jonker with his final destination, the house of Opa and Oma Termaat, and a day for the transport was chosen. Seated on a box, Jonker gently, and at a leisurely pace, guided his horse along. He managed to get into Alkmaar, across the Frisian �86 bridge, which was used by all traffic to and from all eastern directions and, with our help, unloaded the crates into the small barn behind the elder Termaat's house. The following days, as soon as dusk had set in, but well before curfew, an orderly distribution took place. For many it meant a lifeline during those last six weeks of occupation, and no one tried to profit unseemly from this operation. In the eastern part of Holland the battle still raged on. German anti-tank ditches needed to be dug and temporary airfields built, and thus the chase for forced labor was on. On October 7, 1944, raids on males between the ages of 16 and 60 take place in Amersfoort, Kampen and Utrecht. Soldiers seal off the streets and break into homes, carrying men and boys away like cattle, straight to waiting trains ready to take them to slave labor camps in Germany. The enemy uses any kind of tactic to make men between sixteen and sixty their target and sometimes they are caught by ruse. The moment the sirens go off and as people find shelter in their homes, the German troops move in, blocking every street. Then, as soon as the 'safe' sign is sounded, and the people are once more free to leave their shelters, the men are caught and marched to the train stations with only the clothes on their backs - destination: East. The first such raid takes place in Rotterdam on November 10 and 11, soon followed by the Hague, Amsterdam and Utrecht, the four largest cities. Rotterdam is sealed off by two German divisions, seven thousand men strong armed with machine guns and anti-aircraft guns. On November 10, between 4:00 and 7:00 a.m., the police has been disarmed and all telephone cables are blocked. Everyone has been given a written order to take warm clothing (few of them have any clothing left after four years of occupation) sturdy �87 shoes (wooden shoes were already at a premium), a blanket, a raincoat, eating utensils and food for one day. In return they are promised 'good food', cigarettes, 5 guilders a day and care for the family members who stay behind. Homes are broken into and combed for members of the Resistance, while others are driven irito the streets, marched off under armed guards and taken to large buildings. Many women assemble in front of the buildings where their loved ones are kept and in their burning hatred hurl verbal abuse at the German soldiers. When the men are being marched to the waiting trains or boats, they line up along the route, women and children, trying to get one last glance of their husband's or son's face. Men and women call to each other 'Courage', 'Orange forever'. Women cry, many pushing strollers. And then there are the elderly women losing their husbands, and young girls with their arms around their boy friends. The total catch in Rotterdam is sixty thousand men, of whom some then thousand are transported by train, two thousand five hundred by ship and some twenty five thousand on foot. And then the amazing solidarity of the Dutch people shines through. During short rest periods for those on foot, people from the neighborhoods, which they pass through, will give them what they think may be useful to them. The same thing is repeated where the barges are moored and at the locations where the trains stop. A large contingent of those on foot are forced to march to Amsterdam, where they are loaded onto small freighters and taken across the Zuiderzee to the cities of Kampen and Zwolle. In Kampen they are housed in the former van Heutz military barracks. The weather is cold and unsanitary conditions prevail. There is hunger and thirst and no medical assistance of any kind. Various kinds of �88 shock, caused by anxiety and rough treatment, begin to affect the nervous system as well as moral sensibility, but even more seriously and permanently affected is loss of personal dignity. Januaiy. 1945: 5 degree Fahrenheit In the big cities, the ties between the tram rails are broken out for fuel. No electricity, no heating gas, no food. Even the central kitchen, which has offered a thin soup, with unrecognizable content, comes to a halt. Babies and old people are the first victims. Mortality jumps three-fold. The dead are transported by push carts to the cemeteries. There is no wood for caskets and they are buried in mass graves. In the big cities, the dead are laid out on the stone floors of the old cathedrals. A Resistance SWAT team attacks S.S. Chief Rauter. The result is that two hundred political prisoners are shot. Between January 1 and May 1, 1945 a total of one thousand five hundred and seventy nine political prisoners are executed, which is three hundred and fifty one more than during the total period of 1940-1944. Meanwhile, as mentioned above, Janny had moved in with her mother. The following is her story. The final winter of the war was a terrible one for everybody. We knew that the Allied Forces were south of the rivers Rijn and Maas, but when would they come to free us? It had �89 been almost five years since the occupation and the tension was thick. The questions was: "When would we be free?" I had been alone since May, 1944. I was very weakened by the stillbirth of our third son, an9 I was glad when my mother invited me to move in with her and my two younger sisters, Lyda, twenty four years of age, and Greet, ten years old. This way, I would at least have some relief in the care of our children. At this time we were practically hiding in our own houses, trying to survive the ordeal. The Nazis were still after my husband and had even searched my mother's apartment, including the roof, but to no avail. In order to have some light in the evening we took turns riding the stationery bicycle, to which a dynamo was mounted, but most of the time we went to bed early. There, under the heavy covers, we could at least keep warm. Some times, while one pedaled the bicycle, one of the others would try to read in the light beam of the bicycle, but the moment the person would stop pedaling it became pitch dark. We kept ourselves busy with such daily chores as personal hygiene, the most necessary laundry and the preparation of meals. Toward the end we had to haul water in pails from an emergency community pump not too far away. Meanwhile, the rumors of the approaching Allies were flying and the Nazis were very jumpy. One had to be very careful not to become to daring. My brother Cor called attention to the fact that the family of Dr. J.B. van Amerongen, who made their home at the Wilhelminalaan in Alkmaar, had employed a �90 German nanny by the name of Ella Peterman, who hailed from the city of Cottbus. As it turned out, this city later became the final prison camp for Nel Lind, a young woman from Alkmaar, who, as a member of the Resistance, had been captured in Amsterdam by the Gestapo, and had subsequently received the death sentence. In the Cottbus camp, Ella Peterman had apparently been one of the wardens, but she had treated Nel Lind decently, as well as Gre Hekket, another death row candidate, and a distant relative. of ours. We were living on the Langestraat (the main street in Alkmaar) in an upstairs apartment. One afternoon, a German patrol came through the street, fully armed, carrying ammunition bands, wrapped around their shoulders, and pointing sub-machine guns at the windows. They were obviously trying to intimidate the population. We stayed away from the windows, but my husband, who had just recently joined us, awaiting the end of the war, had reached the end of his endurance. He could not take it any longer. He suddenly drew his revolver and aimed at the patrol. He was ready to shoot at them. Understandable but not smart. I begged him not to do it. For all our sake. After all, none of us would survive and we were so close to the end! He finally gave in to my reasoning and begging and had once again regained his self control. During that same week, on May 8, the Canadians came and freed us as they paraded past our apartment. We were so happy! We opened all the windows and while I played he piano, we all sang our national anthem and other patriotic songs. What a relief! Now we could begin to rebuild our lives and our country once again. Times were still very difficult �91 with everything still rationed, but we were free. Free to express ourselves, free to move about and free to walk the streets with no fear of curfew. Jbe little bit of food that is left is yet being rationed. 1945: January: Sugar Beets City kitchen ration is down to one pint per person per day. Water is only available per pail from newly dug wells in the city. January 28: A neutral Swedish ship, loaded with food, sails into the harbor of Delfzijl, a city in the far northeast part of Holland, which is now liberated. The provinces of Noord Holland, Zuid Holland, Utrecht and part of Limburg are still occupied. April 24: The city kitchen is forced to close, since food is no longer available. The German High Command refuses to allow food drops by the Allies. April 26: German Governor to the Netherlands, the Austrian born Seys lnquart, designates a few cities where food drops by Allied planes is allowed without German interference. April 29: R.A.F. food drops take place near the Hague, Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Haarlem, Alkmaar and Gouda. �92 May 2: Allied food transports by road are allowed to pass through German lines. Sprin~. 1945: Bomber Command tries to bomb the rocket sites in a park in The Hague. A mix-up in the coordination causes the bombs to drop on a densely populated area. More than 500 dead, many more wounded, three thousand three hundred houses destroyed, one thousand two hundred houses heavily damaged, twelve thousand people homeless. During the five years of war a total of between forty and fifty five million soldiers and citizens have been killed. Burning dry eyes in a drawn face, embittered to a skin tight mask, the young widow stood in front of the window of her neighbor's farm. Carrying her baby on her arm, she stared at the still smoldering ruins of the small farm house and barn, which until a short while ago had been theirs. In young married bliss their first child was born just a few months ago, but their happiness was not meant to last. The SS had swooped down in their vehicles from both sides of the road, and surrounded the farm. They had driven her husband, herself and their child out of the home, while they had searched the house throughout, breaking open the - walls, ceilings and floors. Angered by the fruitless search, they had put a revolver against her husband's head, demanding to find out the whereabouts of two American flyers who had �93 been hidden in the area some weeks prior. Then, the Dutch Nazi, standing behind the SS officer, had spoken up: That's the man, Herr Kommandant'! Next, there had been a sharp sound, and her husband had fallen to the ground of his own farm yard, his hands digging the good earth, in a final sp~m. Before they had left, the SS had torched the buildings, preventing anyone of trying to rescue anything inside. A few of the Germans had walked up to the barn and had methodically shot the cows. Our longtime friend, Jan Walter, was shot nearby. Monday. May 7. 1945: Amsterdam liberated. Enthusiastic crowds gather on the Dam Square, in front of the Royal Palace. Women, who have fraternized with the Germans, have their heads completely shaven. A German naval detachment fires at random into the crowd. Twenty two dead, sixty wounded - the compliment of a sore looser. At the start of the war no one knew what the future would bring, nor how long the occupation would last, but one unyielding conviction we maintained: 'liberation from this evil regime must come.' It would later be said that the imperviousness of the Dutch people, as a whole, to Nazi contamination must be credited to the basic characteristics of its society, rather than to external circumstances. It was foremost the fact thatjn Holland the family and the churches had not abdicated their character-shaping and opinion-forming functions to the state and political groupings. The basic family unit and the churches were �94 comparatively inaccessible to Nazi ideology and could not be made to conform. The following is a summary of the losses suffered by the Railway System: 12J2 1945 Steam Locomotives 872 126 85.5 Passenger Cars 1702 146 85.9 Luggage Cars 1236 0 100 and Cars 667 0 100 Gas-driven Vehicles 38 I 99 Loss in% Electrical Locomotives Freight Cars 26856 445 98.3 Total Losses 31371 718 97.7 � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Adriana B. and Peter N. Termaat collection Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Termaat, Adriana B. (Schuurman) Termaat, Peter N. Description An account of the resource Collection contains genealogical, personal, and family papers and photographs documenting the lives and interests of Adriana and Peter Termaat. The bulk of the materials are related to family history and genealogical research carried out by the Termaats, including research notes and materials about places in the Netherlands that were significant to the Termaat and Schuurman families, such as the city of Alkmaar. Other materials in the collection are related to the Termaats' experiences on the eve of and during the Second World War, especially the German occupation of the Netherlands and the Termaats' participation in organized resistance to the Nazis. Also included are materials that document the family's post-war life in the United States, including their public efforts to recognize, commemorate, and honor people and events significant to World War II. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1869 - 2012 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/719">Adriana B. and Peter N. Termaat collection, RHC-144</a> Subject The topic of the resource Netherlands Netherlands--History--German occupation, 1940-1945 World War, 1939-1945 World War, 1939-1945 -- Underground movements -- Netherlands Dutch Dutch Americans Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-144 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource Text Image Type The nature or genre of the resource application/pdf image/jpeg Language A language of the resource eng nl Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-144_Termaat_WRI_Fatherland-Full Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Termaat, Pieter Title A name given to the resource Our Fatherland Description An account of the resource Memoir by Pieter N. Termaat of the Nazi Occupation of the Netherlands during World War II. Subject The topic of the resource Dutch World War, 1939-1945 -- Netherlands World War, 1939-1945--Occupied territories Netherlands--History--German occupation, 1940-1945 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/719">Adriana B. and Peter N. Termaat collection (RHC-144)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/bc79cec9d36b8c39d9d262eb6272bfb0.pdf 848f5a7a4ae98f2fd836740edaa4eac1 PDF Text Text 1 ~ Economics in The Netherlands 1940 _ 1945 ( f/R-1.. r' 0 CCV f 11 ~rl..._, Its impact on our family. The two of us joined the National Youth Union ( Nationaal Jongeren Verbond) in 1932 upon the initiation of the West Friesland Chapter. At that time there were chapters in all parts of the Kingdom of The Netherlands with a combined membership of 1,500. These chapters formed a catalyst among loyal citizen groups on national holidays and attracted students with historical and patriotic lectures throughout the year. We felt at home because of the shared moral and patriotic high gro1.md. In those crucial years we worked with men and women, courageous , idealistic and dedicated to a degree at that time seldom seen in other youth groups. The group was preceded in 1927 by a youth organization which directed its efforts against the marxist propaganda for unilateral disarmament. The transformation to the National Youth Union under the honorary chairpersonship of her Royal Highness the Crown Princess Juliana came later. Besides the goal to strive for a strong national defense (Europe, so shortly after the carnage of World War I was beginning to come to a boil again) the organization came out strongly for the unity of our kingdom as it had existed for centuries in Europe, Asia and South America. Just before we married on April 18, 1939, the pre-mobilization command· was issued for specialist and strategic regiments. Total mobilization followed on August 29, 1939 .Recalling the often critical shortages during Netherlands' neutrality from war during 1914-1918, a distribution system of supplies was instituted in Se~tember. Ration cards were issued under the management of the Centraal Distributie Kantoor (Central Distribution office) in the Department of Commerce, Industry and Shipping • Allocation of food supplies was administered by the Department of Agriculture. With foresight the cabinet had stockpiled critical items such as wheat, vegetable oil, rice, gasoline, coffee and tea. After the capitulation to the German armed forces on May 14, 1940, our youth organization was the one which kept a steady course and participated on June 29th, 1940 in the national public celebration of Prince Bernhard's birthday. Everywhere people wore a white carnation ( Prince Bernhard's favorite) and at the Royal Palace in The Hague and at Royal monuments flowers piled up. Thousands signed the palace register of congratulation, which was later confiscated by the Nazi's. Orange buttons and bunting were featured everywhere • In our monthly "De Tram" (The drum) we encouraged people to stay loyal to the Queen and to ~ur fatherland and to ignore as much as possible the German presence. After June 29th, 2 members of our national board, van Santen and Schiebergen were arrested and our organization was accorded the high honor of becoming the first organization to be banned .We the members transfered to the first organization declared illegal by the invaders. This was the O.D. (order service) consisted of military personnel. From 1940 to August 1944 the daily ration for adults was about half of the pre-war consumption in terms of calories. In these four years the average ration amolm.ted to less than 1500 calories. This did not present a famine level, but did lea.d to progressive weakening of human energy and resistance to disease. O.£ At that time no refrirators or freezers were in use; mostly the temperate climate ranging from 20 to 70 Fahrenheit, did not make it necessary. So, thrown into war circumstances, your ability to stock up, besides financial considerations1was limited to non-perishables. So, we could stock home-canned foods, which were not popular outside farming communities. �2 Economics in The Netherlands 1940-1945 Its impact on our family. If r !lDRin-tlR ;;,,·c>l16L , ADfl..J/1111/l _IJ !~;'?fl{lf/t 1 , 1 11 DIV/lfdfi ' And then there was a psychological factor at work. That what was made available on ration cards, was purchased whether it was needttl or not that week or fortnight. A good example was the purchase of cigars, cigarett1_s and pipe tobacco. Non-smokers purchased what became available gave it i'o family members gr friends or used .ns,d;- it as barter or sold it at a higher price i/1v #..L. ,t.,C..c.-(. -n, ~e-'f. From September 1939 to May ,1940, when the occupation by enemy forces became a fact, only sugar and peas were rationed , although in adequate quantity and with reasonable frequency. What worked against the people was, that they had only begun of late to recover from the terrible depression of 1929 to 1938. And so clothing, household items, furniture and other basic necessities were already depleted ~ the start of the war • In the eight months ending December 1940, the German authorities added 22 rationed goods, affecting 70% of the average family's consumption. By November 1943, 95~ of the diet was rationed. After the disastrous failing of the British Airborne attack at Arnhem in September 1944, food rationing was decentralized and became a local responsibility. The size of the rations and its content depended on what was on hand locally. Further1 the German army closed off the western seab9ard provinces by a 20 miles long~cordon running from the Rhine river just west of Arnhem to the Zuiderzee. These provinces, the most heavily populated of the country suffered terribly. The order of Nazi govenor Seyss Inquart to embargo all shipments of food to the west of that cordon was a major factor for the starvation rations. In the west food rationing in October 1944 dropped to 1300 calories per person per week: in November to 950 calories; in December to 550; and in January 1945 to 340 calories. The north-eastern provinces: Groningen, Friesland, Drente and Overijssel managed to scrape by on 1300 calories per person per week from September 1944 to May 1945 • . ()t,,l,t., The h,mger reached us as well and weakened the health of,~ family. Infections were chronic. And then on November 9th 1944 (the birthday of father C.B.Termaat) .Jarm:ie had a premature birth at about 4½ months • Warned by our doctor Willem Verdonk who was in fear of her life, I came home that night out of hiding to be with her. Doctor Verdonk assisted us. It was a boy, so tiny in death, his features resembling those of Keith and M:Yte • But there was no time to lose , I had to be gone by d'awn • A box had to serve as coffin and with our prayers I carried him oupide and in the backyard I dug a grave • Then Jm:t!d:e and I said our goodb~S::1 and I left again for my hiding place, to continue the bitter struggle. ~ did not get _adequate food to regain her strength ; het mainstay was thin buttermilk porridge. A neigborlady_gave up some of her rations "you need it more than me-'' was all she said • Towards the end of December we decided that a visit had to be paid to Oma Schuurman' s relatives., still living on active farms to seek food • J&ir.flie~ s sister Lyda and I met the day after Christmas early in the morning on the road to Purmerend. One bicycle had no tires at all and the other tires were in bad shape. We had planned to go through the Schermer polder towards Purmerend , and from there to the ferry in Amsterdam harbor if! .it seemed safe. �J Economics in The Netherlands 1940-1945 Its impact on our family. ... 1"llfl.0W1V A little ways out of Alkmaar there was bad news : the Germans had flooded the polder to head off airborne attack. We rode the bicycles through the water as long as we could, but finally had to walk. With cold wet legs we reached Purmerend, and could then proceed along the canal towards Amsterdam • At the ferry we scanned for German uniforms and crossed safely. We chose to find our way through east Amsterdam, thus avoiding the center, which we knew was infested with the Nazi's. Reaching the outskirts we went the last few miles to Diemen where we took the country road to Over-Diemen. Just east of the Amsterdam-Rhine canal lay the farm of Oma Schuurman's brother, nestled along the Zuiderzee dike. We were cordially received; a warm meal was set and then butter, cheese and some bacon were given to take home. This was the family farm of the Hennipman's (Oma Schuurman's maiden name) Oma Schuurman born in 1889 and·Ju_-,.ie her oldest daughter born in 1916 were both born right thefrt, in the same room in the same bedstead. We took our leave and chose the road to the west to cross the canal on our way to Hoofddorp, south of Schiphol; Arriving at the canal we saw that the bridge we had anticipated was under construction. The pilings, the side railings and a one foot ledge existed on which the steel beams were to be laid for the roaddeck. But neither the beams nor the deck were there. There was no choice, we had to cross. I took one bike under rrry arm held onto the railing and walked over the ledge to the other side. ~-'• Fifteen feet below 1 the water with floating ice did look uninviting in ~ gathering dusk. Coming back I carried the second bike the same way, and then helped Lyda across. Again riding the biclycles we passed close to SchipholVwhere we encotmtered a heavy fog. Finding the main road to Hoofddorp was not easy, but we did find i t . Suddenly we heard a voice calling : 11 Wer da" , German for who goes • We heard the bolt of a rifle I, said nothing and speeded along the Middenweg till we reached the Roodenburg farm • Opa Schuurman' s eldeet sister was married to Jacob Roodenburg. Again the reception was cordial. They fed us and as it had become dark, we were invited to stay overnight. After breakfast we were given amply from what the farm produced: several bags of beans an:i peas • These too would go a long way to supplement the starvation diet on which we could not subsist. We thanked the Roodenburg's and took off, carefully watching out for enemy checkpoints and platoons of the "Landwacht" a particular vicious uniformed group of Dutch nazi's who roamed about roughing people up, sometimes arresting them, and confiscating what they had on them. We talked to people before proceeding in one direction or another We decided to return to Alkmaar by circling wide around Schiphol Airport in the direction of Velsen, where a ferry could bring us across the$ wide and deep canal which runs from Amsterdam harbor to the North Sea. Once across we would have a choice of roads leading towards Alkmaar. We made it safely across but shortly afterwards lost another tire. We managed to reach Limmen, a village several miles south of Alkmaar and as dusk was setting in over the unlit road, proceeded slowly with our precious load along the main road, On reaching Alkmaar we took the smaller side streets, which were ,<l{i so familiar to us and reached Oma's Schuurman's house just before curfew time �... 4 Economics in The Netherlands 1940 - 1945 Its impact on our family. ' I Because of Jarmie' s weakened condition • Oma. Schuurman took her and Keith and Nico in her apartment in Alkmaar in February 1945. after the house in Broek was closed; all our possessions had been gathered into one large room in Broek which we had then secured with a heavy lock. The remainder of the house was rented out to a refugee family • V J hJ v />/Ill£ rvrs Opa and Oma Termaatv'were helped by former soldiershwho were farmers , but by March 1945 they as well as everybody in Oma S-chuurman's house were again , .il reduced to a level of scarcity which begged for some supplement. ~ lf-,"rtif~wMm- ~Also by then captain Vels Heyn¥was in need of food for resistance fighters , already hidden in the city • " ; ., .,._~tJfl J. lt!ll.l-~ I walked one day along the back roads to the Langedijk where I knew a man by:il'd~:r,11 V Tll.AtltpoP.:r the name of Jonker , who operated a one manybusiness with a fla-t?'wagon with 'la · canvas sides and top. I found him willing to make the trip from Broek to Alkmaar. Several farmers I knew very well were willing to sell us onions, potatoes, huge carrots1 in better days used for horse fodder and cabbage at reasonable prices. I then ventured into the city of Alkmaar to a friend's house who was the district president of the Chamber of Coll'IDlerce. We discussed the problems I faced and what I had done so far to transport food • He was able to locate a dozen or so large sturdy crates at no cost as long as they were returned intact. So Jonker picked up the crates which filled his wagon and brought them to the village of Broek. There the crates were filled at various locations. When I had familiarized Jonker with the destination - the house of Opa and Oma Termaat, a day was chosen for the transport. Jonker. sitting on ~fibox gently guided his horse at a leasurely pace. ' I He managed to get into Alkmaar across thedcanal bridge for traffic t P~l..51111-i torqll eastern directions and unloaded the crates with our help into the small barn in the back of the elder Termaat's house. During the following days after dusk set in, but well before curfew, an orderly distribution was effected. For many it was a lifeline for the last 6 weeks of the occupation. No one tried to profit 'lll'lseemly from this operation. At the start of the war , no one knew what the future would bring nor how long the occupation would last. But one steely conviction we held liberation from this evil regime must come. It would later be said that the imperviousness of the Dutch people as a whole to Nazi contamination must be credited to the basic characteristics of its society rather than to external circumstances. Foremost was the fact that in Holland the family and the churches had not abdicated their character-shaping and opinion forming functions to the state and to political groupings • The primary family unit and the churches were comparatively inaccessible to the Nazi ideology and could not be made to conJ:orm/. llbl?.l/lt,/4-5 )( � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Adriana B. and Peter N. Termaat collection Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Termaat, Adriana B. (Schuurman) Termaat, Peter N. Description An account of the resource Collection contains genealogical, personal, and family papers and photographs documenting the lives and interests of Adriana and Peter Termaat. The bulk of the materials are related to family history and genealogical research carried out by the Termaats, including research notes and materials about places in the Netherlands that were significant to the Termaat and Schuurman families, such as the city of Alkmaar. Other materials in the collection are related to the Termaats' experiences on the eve of and during the Second World War, especially the German occupation of the Netherlands and the Termaats' participation in organized resistance to the Nazis. Also included are materials that document the family's post-war life in the United States, including their public efforts to recognize, commemorate, and honor people and events significant to World War II. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1869 - 2012 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/719">Adriana B. and Peter N. Termaat collection, RHC-144</a> Subject The topic of the resource Netherlands Netherlands--History--German occupation, 1940-1945 World War, 1939-1945 World War, 1939-1945 -- Underground movements -- Netherlands Dutch Dutch Americans Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-144 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource Text Image Type The nature or genre of the resource application/pdf image/jpeg Language A language of the resource eng nl Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-144_Termaat_WRI_Economics-1941-1945 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Termaat, Pieter Title A name given to the resource Economics in the Netherlands, 1940-1945: Its impact on our family Description An account of the resource Essay by Pieter Termaat describing the economic conditions in the Netherlands during the Nazi Occupation. Subject The topic of the resource Dutch World War, 1939-1945 -- Netherlands World War, 1939-1945--Occupied territories Netherlands--History--German occupation, 1940-1945 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/719">Adriana B. and Peter N. Termaat collection (RHC-144)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/e12609d26dd2e8f756da2776e6c8a0fd.pdf 9299988d7d87e5a0c7c2fb23779345f3 PDF Text Text I. ...... AN ORAL lil~'1'0RY OF ADRIAHA BARBARA TERh1AAT-i;:: ~CHUUR!\;AN ~nd Its SimilariLies to the American Experienc~ by Barbara S. Termaat Women in the United State s , History 371 Robin M. Jacoby Laura McCall, Friday 9 a.m. December 9, 1981 .. �-----, -- ·- ---- - li:TRODUC.. lOh My Oma (rrandma) was born and raised in the Netherlands. By tracing her childhood in the 1920's and 19JO's, the similarities be~ween a European and an American upbringing become apparent, These similarities are found in education, relations to parents, siblings and friends, and attitudes toward sex, work, and marriage. There is also a personal historical interest. By researching my heritage, I learned about a part of myself. ~y life has been influenced by my Oma directly and my father indirectly by her upbringing. Learning about my Oma's early life also helps me to understand several aspects of her present attitudes and beliefs, which in turn has strengthened our relationship. �I.. -1- ·" born in ~iiernen, -the j;ec.:-,erl2.:--1ds, in 1916. Both of iier parents' fa'Tlilies were farmers, Ler father from wheat farmers and her mother from dairy farmers. l-ier father did not become a farmer because he only wished to own and operate a farm on a large scale, which was not done in such a tiny, overpopulated country. He started a farm in Saskatchewan, Canada, but his plans fell through when World war I broke out. He had to return and serve in the army or not return to the Netherlands for fifteen years. .. His fiance, who was to follow him to Canada, insisted that he return because she would probably never see her-family ~gain_ if she moved to Canada. For this reason Adriana "was born a Dutch citizen and not a Canadian", While her father was serving in the war, Adriana's mother lived with her parents on the dairy farm. It was here and because of these circumstances that Adriana was born in the same room in the same bed as her own mother. ;:3oon after the \var, the family moved to Hillego.m. This was a small town whose main occupation was growing bulbs for the flower industry. Adriana remembered "the delicious fra- grance of these bulbs in the spring.". They moved again in 1919 to Warlem where her father became a manager in a transportation firm. Harlem was a much larger old town and the setting for most of her childhood memories. In 1927, when Adriana was eleven, her family moved to Amsterdam because of her father's promotion to man~ger of the main office. Her fathGr purchased a partnership in an Alkmaar transportation firm in 1928. Alkrnaar was the cheese producing center of --• �, ~olland ~~ farms. .'"l·: lriana the neighboring well a~ :~e r.,o·:eci ·.·:i ::.h ·r,er f2..-.il;: :c, ,,:,.lkmaar in J 929, her home town until her marriage. I've mentioned the movements of the .3chuurman family during Adriana's years at home because they illustrate several aspects of her family life. The family was fairly well off, comparable to the American upper middle class, because of her father's rapid raise in the business world, These promotions led the family to move often, but they never lived further than twenty miles from the coast, Adriana has .many memories asso~__ _ --:: - . -·- -=--~·- -:-=.·· • •_ - · :,;, • - - - - • .....c:. ciated with the ocean, ranging from hours ~pent on the beach and sand dunes to storm winds and rain rattling on their red clay roof. Also, the family always lived in cities, although the children were exposed to farm life through farming relatives, Several technological advances came into the home during Adriana's years at home, The first one she recalled was the - . - telephone conversation, around 1919, between her father and his brother-in-law. VJhen it was her mother's turn to speak she thought that her brother was drinking beer because she· could smell it over the phone, one with the beer, Actually, her husband was the It was something so new that her mother had confused what senses could receive messages over the phone. Technologic advances such as the telephone eased life at home and work, Educational trends were very similar on either side of the ' Atlantic Ocean. According to Goodfriend and Christie", .. class- rooms were organized in a highly structured fashion and the �- ;- . curr i cul u.i--:-, •,•;a~ ", ... ., 1n1~ex1D~e ,.1 1n rl~er1ca. 6 • • A.driar1a found the same structured env ironrr,ent in the Netherlands. started her education at age five in a private school. She Her parents did not have to pay ex"tra for the private school since each family had a certain amount of tax money for the education of each child which they could spend in either private, parochial, ar public schools, Classes went from eight o'clock in the morning until four-thirty in the afternoon. there was plenty of homework. After school Grammar school was a six-year program with only six weeks of vacation per ye~r ~ four i~ the summer and one each for Christmas and Easter. Because school was such a compact, intense program children rarely worked during their school years. On Saturday afternoons Adriana ·had piano lessons to fill out her busy schedule. Every morning the students had a religious lesson for half an hour which progressed into a Bible reading as they got older. They also had a church history course twice a week. French began in fifth grade. The other grade school courses consisted of basic academics such as mathematics, Dutch, reading, etc. There was an atmosphere of discipline and respect among students for their teachers. Students stood up when the prin- ciple entered the classroom. They responded to questions with two words1 "yes, sir'' or "no, sir". Approximately half of the teachers were women, and they were primarily in the lower grades. Adriana's favorite teacher was the woman who taught her french and geometry for three years. by her, She felt stimulated there was much encouragement to work bard and learn more. ..! �,... - Adriana has very fond ~omo~i e s o~ f.er childhood t . ~ause each child was treated as an indi~i du~l. ~he ~as never asked to help around the house (except supper dishes) or help take care of her brother and sisters while she was enrolled fulltime in school. lot too. Her parents demanded a lot, but they gave a Her father would help her with her homework, but more often he would encourage her with "Oh, you can do it.". She always had a very safe feeling at home. Only one room was heated during the winter, but the kithen was warm when the stove was on. Adriana's mother wore woolen :. - mittens when vacuuming because the metal handle was so cold in the unheated rooms. full day of ironing. coal stove. fv:onday was wash day, followed by a The meals were cooked on a kerosene or Adriana's mother always had a maid to help her with these household - chores because she had to raise _ four children born very close together and aiso entertain her husband's business associates. She was expected to look nice and neat during their visits, not the haggled housewife. Mrs. Schuurman had at least ten pregnancies. resulLed in healthy children: Only fi v e four within the first six years of marriage and the last when she was ~ 45. During the twelve- year gap between children she had~ baby die and at least four miscarriages. Adriana, who was 18 at the time of the last pregnancy, knew how physically and emotionally difficult this was for her mother. Upon hearing the news, her _response was: "Oh Mom, you are so old. I wishv I could do that for you! ". The births and deaths of the babies all took place within the home. ~hen Adriana's sister died two days after her birth, the little casket was surrounded by flowers and placed in the �-5- 1 . ' livin£ roorr,.· .s2ch chilc. ·,•;2..:c: ~2.J-:.en by their mother one by one to see their baby sister whc did not live. Because her mother was gentle. and understanding with her young children at the time of death in the family, death was not a scary experience for Adriana and her brother and sisters. Adriana was the eldest child in a family of one boy and three girls. Another sister was born 18 years after Adriana and raised as an only child, who was only one year younger, Adriana was closest to her brother, He was her best friend until she was about twelve because "theri he develo.pe·d fnto a ·boy and_ things were different.", Her two sisters were- also very close, -- -- -·-::;; , - ·•,7 Adriana never felt forced to play feminine games, in contrast to Goodfriend and Christie's statement that " ... female children have been expected to conform to more restrictive definitions of suitable behavior than those imposed on the , males,""': I believe that Adriana's parP.nts were unusually un- derstanding in the case of their daughters. Adriana was not too fascinated with dolls because they weren't alive, so her brother and she would often try to dres·s the cat. .. --=- Other games included jlli~p rope, cards, marbles, bingo, row dancing (with other girls), and hockey, Adriana was also an avid reader, especially books about far-away places such as Africa and the North Pole, Adriana's family had strong ties with her father's brothers and sisters. Family gatherings were ¼iuen-t-, considering the travel time, and remembered as big, happy events, to play with her J6 cousins, mostly boys. Adriana loved ~he reunions were held on a cousins farm where the children could swing in the .....f �hay, JUXp small ca~ a l s , and ha~e w~ :e ~ fich : s. were also spent on he~ aun~•s fan~. Sure~er vaca~ions ~he usually helped her aunt prepare meals for the hungry men in the field, but when she brough~ out their lunches she would ask all sorts of questions and so she learned how to recognize the various crops and care for the farm animals, Thus through her large family Adriana became acquainted with farm life, The family attended the Reformed Church every Sunday, even du~ing the summer on the farm when they had to take horse and buggy to town and back--sometimes twice a day, long and cold in ·the unheated church. Services were f1:embers could rent foot wanners (a piece of coal in a box) for ten cents. The foot warmers were piled high as you came in, emanating a peculiar odor. cologne, Inside, the church smelled of pepp8rmint candy and The chairs were placed on planks that covered the old gravestones. Adriana tried to decifer the names and dates to pass the time as a child, All children sat with their parents durine the service and attended Sunday School afterwards ·when they were older. Th e wo~en s a t in ~he middle of the church on chairs and the men surrounded them in pews, a custom remaining from the Middle Ages, Women held no offices within the church. one female minister during her entire childhood, Adriaria saw 4 rare sight. There was a strong women's organization in the church whose· primary function was visiting sick members of the congregation. Similar trends were found during ~his period in America-~ wom e n's ~roups functioninc in extensions of their tradi+ional roles and an obvious lack of women professionals--according to Robin Jacoby (11/16). ....,I �. .·~--- .. . . . ... -( ~ , \ / As students got olde~, rr.ore studen • £ • dropped out of school. The mandatory ace was fourteen In the r~e t~erlands and six teen in America. But the trend was for incre.1.sing amounts o"f adolescents to finish high school and attend college, especi~lly in the middle class. Even if they did attend college though, both European and American.girls found the socia~ly acceptable •. I • •' . •. •• • professional possibilities very limited--teaching, nursing, social work, and clerical work, And these were ~obs were just to fill in the gap between high school and marriage. Dutch students started high school at age 12, continuing their highly structured curriculum. Four·langua,ges 1n addi- · tion to six, seven, or eight other classes were required, -~he language requirement was a necessity in order for the students to be able to communicate with their neighboring countries. Many more people spoke English, French, and German than Dutch, Adriana took extra courses that weren't required to graduate in bookkeeping and commercial law. She completed the entire ten year education program with her parents' support, help, and encouragement. Adriana had a better education than her brother and sisters, Her brother had a business waiting for him, so he only learned_ what he needed to know for the business. One sister was not interested in school and another wanted more, along-with Adriana. Her youngest sister attended finishing school after grammar school. For the next five or six years she learned languages and art and music appr~ciation. The girls who went to finishinc; school came from families who did not expect them to earn their own living, but still receive a good education. Other options for schooling, aside from high school, were ... - ... ' �-b.J Latin school, trade schools, and household schools (cooking, sewing, household management, art, etc.). Latin school was required of students planning to attend Law School, Medical School, or the Seminary. Few women were enrolled in such a professionally-geared program. The options for women after high school were limited, especially for those who were interested in higher education. The prevailing opinion in Holland was that girls did not need more education for her task as wife and mother. But if she did not marry, she should have a means of suppor1.. Adrian'a wanted to go on and continue her education, either at Law School or the Gymnasium, but this was considered unnecessary for a girl--especially considering the economic climate in 19J2. She was expected to carry her own load after g~aduation from high school at 16. She went to work in her father's business and attended business school four nights a week for two years. Adriana had a mutual understandine with her father that she would go to work for him, even though it was not her greatest desire. She wanted to work, as did most girls her age. What was unusual was her wish to enter male-dominated occupations. Adriana was her father's ~ight hand at work. Her respon- sibilities included answering phones, typing, handling the cash flow, and eventually bookkeeping. She learned a lot about conducting a business through handling so many transactions. Her father would sometimes ask her opinion, but then not follow up on them, This frustrated Adriana because she thought she had given good advice. On other occasions he would order her to do a task and if Adriana hesitated he would say "this busi- �-9- ness is run like the army; do as your ,:;old, then ask questions.". Adriana would refuse because she "was responsible for her own actions" and would act accordingly, Then her father would smile, he was just testing her and he was proud of her response, All of ~he employees worked long hours to keep the business going during the Depression and Adriana learned how difficult it was to keep afloat during hard times. She also spent Saturday afternoons cleaning the office without pay, Adriana worked for her father for seven years, but she was nev€r considered for a management position, The business was bought for her brother to succeed her father, Adriana was only spending the interim period between high school and marriage at the company, Although Adriana was now expected to help pay for her food, clothing, etc., she was never allowed to actually handle these transactions. Her earnings went automatically to her mother. -when Adriana protested, her father said, "Your mother knows how to handle money, if you are not happy you can leave the house,", This was not an unusual practice, most girls turned their paychecks over to their families, It was a point of contention between Adreana and her parents, money, but was only given an allowance, She made good Her parents saved money for her also, and presented it as a handsome wedding present, all their linens. Adriana never handled her own money until the day she married, At home, Adriana's father always kept a certain distance from his daughters. He wasn't cold, he just didn't get emotionally involved in their lives. This was noticeable, in �-10- one respect, by the great modesty the girls had around their father and his total absense from their bedroom, looked after her physical appearance. Her mother Adriana was encouraged to be clean and neat, not too fussy about her appearance, Mrs. Schuurman didn't want her children to grow up before their time. Two exceptions for Adriana were wetting her hair with sugar water to set curls and wearing bows on Sunday. had her first permanent. At 18, she It was never an issue whether or not she had long hair because her hair would never grow past her shoulders. Her undergarments was not as confining as her mother's, but she had a full figure and wanted support. always wore sturdy, practical clothes, no variety. Adriana This was partially due to the Depression. Mary Ryan expressed that, in America, the center of teenagers' social lives were relationships with their peers, . ~specially heterosexual ties. 3 Adrian emphasized this subcul- ture in her life when she joined the National Youth Organization at 17 or 18. The Organization was patriotically oriented~ often inviting guest speakers or their own members to present stimulation lectures on politics and government. "We solved a lot of the world's problems in our meetings," The group was also socially active for its members. There were approximately fifty members, half women. They biked to Belgium, went by bus to Germany, and to the 1937 World's Fair in Paris. It was ~ere that Adriana first realized the great differences between herself (a "good" Dutch middle class young woman) and the people from foreign countries. �-11- People were sleepin~ in the s~reets. She saw drunks and more poor people than she'd ever seen in Holland, She also went underground for the first time when she rode the subway. It was an eye-opening experience, and an unusual one for a single young woman, Most of her peers did not go on unchaperoned trips to neighboring countries. Adriana was allowed to go be- caouse they stayed in Youth Hostels which had segregated dorms and curfews. And, more importantly, her parents trusted her. Adriana had several boyfriends that she met through the Organization, but they rarely paired off because dating under the age of 18 was done as a group. Their activities include~ bicycling, beach walking, skating, movies, political debating groups, singing, and church projects. The activities were kept in line by enforcing a strict curfew on the girls. The guys didn't think the activities were any fun without the girls, sothey complied with the rules. After 18, when dating was done on a more one-to-one basis, young unmarried women faced a double-standard concerning sexuality in America (Jacoby, 11/16) and in Europe. As a female, Adriana had to set the .standards to maintain her respectibility without seeming prudish, She never went out with more than one fellow at a time, or else she would be considered "fast". It was up to Adriana to learn everything she knew about her body and birth control. She learned from books because no doctors or her mother would explain the facts to her. Her sisters were too young to under~tand and Adriana was secretive toward her friends about such matters. On her 18th birthday Adriana received the only advice her mother ever gave her �- l ,~ - concerning sexu2.li ty. .r,er mother had been pregnant on her wedding day and felt it was a biG mistake, even though she was 26 years old, Adriana never forgot this. She often had sexual desires, but the fear of pregnancy always overcame her desire. She didn't trust the crude birth control methods of the time enough to let down her guard. Adriana met her future husband in the Youth Organization, They started dating when she was 19 and Pieter Termaat was 21. They were engaged a year later. Most women married men they met in organizations, church, or college, ie. close to home. Because Adriana was responsible and independent, she didn't want to burden her parents with her own financial problems by marrying right away without enough money saved up to live comfortably with her new husband. So their engagement lasted for three years, until Adriana was 23 (1939), During this prolinged engagement Adriana stood by her belief in no :~remarital sex. This caused some pressure within their rela- tionship, both within herself and Pieter. But she felt it was worth the wait in comparison to ·the possibility of a premature pregnancy when they couldn't afford it. Pieter respected her decision, which made matters slightly easier. Getting married was a fact of life to Adriana, although at one point she said she would not--perhaps in rebellion to her parents' saving her work earnings for her future marriage. But she was the first to marry in her family. didn't marry, including one of her sisters. Some women Lyda couldn't see herself alsays caring for others, she wanted something for herself. In large families there was often one girl who never �•. L _3- rrarriec, either by choice or for lac:: of prospects. But in 'iJestern culture, both iunerican and E:J.ropean, as the Depression ceased to be so harsh "more young pecple were marrying and 4 more were having children sooner", ~driana and Pieter were defini ·tely a part of this ~renc. _., COHCLUSI 01: ~iddle class women growing up ciuri~g the 1920's and 19JO's in Europe and America shared many aspects of their lives. Their education was socially influenced toward traditional professions such as nursing and teaching, and the relatively new clerical field, And when they did start to work, their families had control of their earnings. The family had a strong hold on the girls' activities, expecially before they turned 18, He~erosexual ties were very important, although many activities were done as a group, Once the young women started to date they were faced with pressures on two fronts, to retain their respectibility and still be accepted by their friends, ~arriage was considered a natural ending to their young adulthood in most cases, ··mothers. They were raised to be wives and With all these similarities and more, it is easy to conclude that the female experience did not vary much on either side of the Atlantic Ocean. � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Adriana B. and Peter N. Termaat collection Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Termaat, Adriana B. (Schuurman) Termaat, Peter N. Description An account of the resource Collection contains genealogical, personal, and family papers and photographs documenting the lives and interests of Adriana and Peter Termaat. The bulk of the materials are related to family history and genealogical research carried out by the Termaats, including research notes and materials about places in the Netherlands that were significant to the Termaat and Schuurman families, such as the city of Alkmaar. Other materials in the collection are related to the Termaats' experiences on the eve of and during the Second World War, especially the German occupation of the Netherlands and the Termaats' participation in organized resistance to the Nazis. Also included are materials that document the family's post-war life in the United States, including their public efforts to recognize, commemorate, and honor people and events significant to World War II. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1869 - 2012 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/719">Adriana B. and Peter N. Termaat collection, RHC-144</a> Subject The topic of the resource Netherlands Netherlands--History--German occupation, 1940-1945 World War, 1939-1945 World War, 1939-1945 -- Underground movements -- Netherlands Dutch Dutch Americans Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-144 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource Text Image Type The nature or genre of the resource application/pdf image/jpeg Language A language of the resource eng nl Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-144_Termaat_WRI_Adriana-Oral-History-as-told-to-Barb Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Termaat, Barbara S. Title A name given to the resource An Oral History of Adriana Barbara Termaat-ne-Schuurman Description An account of the resource Biographical history of Adriana B. Termaat by her granddaughter, Barbara, for her Women in the United States History class. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Termaat, Adriana B. Subject The topic of the resource Dutch Dutch Americans Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/719">Adriana B. and Peter N. Termaat collection (RHC-144)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/b1e90475ffe79855bfaef6adcc89e2fe.pdf 375fed9dd08ebc9ee3919cb388a0087e PDF Text Text -· 1 november 1990 Uitreiking Yad Vashem onderscheiding in het Raadhuis te Hoofddorp. Ik mag u namens allen die deze dag de Yad Vashem onderscheiding mochten ontvangen heel hartelijk danken. Dank ook aan allen die zich hier voor hebben ingezet. Wij zijn zeer onder de indruk dat u na bijna 50 jaren wilt terugdenken aan die tijd waarin wij gedurende langere of korte re tijd onderdak hebben gegeven aan J00dse Nederlandse v rouwen en mannen - en niet te vergeten kinderen - die door de bezetter werden achtervolgd. Wij willen u daarvoor danken. De dingen die gebeurden in die donkere oorlogsdagen zijn bij ons niet uit ons geheugen gewist. Integendeel, die oorlog leeft nog steeds voort in onze herinnering. Het is een wezenlijk deel van ons bestaan geworden en gebleven. We zijn niet vervuld van trots om wat we deden. Ik denk dat in onze gedachten over die jaren geen plaats is voor trots. Wat we deden was ook niet iets geweldigs, in het · hele oorlogsgebeuren van die dagen. �/ - 2 - We waren geen verdedigers van Stalingrad of Londen, geen zeelieden op de schepen die ieder moment konden worden getorpedeerd. We vochten niet aan de invasiestranden. Wij waren geen piloten die honderden kilometers over vijandelijk gebied vlogen met rondom een vuurzee van kogels en granaten. We pleegden geen overval op een distributiekantoor of gevangenissen. Wat we deden kwam niet in de krant. Het gebeurde in het verborgene. Niemand mocht het weten. Er zijn er geweest die jaren Joodse onderduikers in huis hadden, zonder dat iemand buiten het huis dat wist. Zelfs de verzetsorganisaties niet. Niet trots willen we zijn omdat het ging over zo iets onwezenlijks! Mensen die zoals wij, gewone mensen waren, die in onze samenleving hun plaats innamen, zonder ook maar op te vallen. Ze werden van de ene op de andere dag gevaarlijk. Ze waren staatsgevaarlijk, ook de kleine kinderen. Ze belemmerden de komst van het duizendjarig Rijk "De grote Sociale Staat ter Wereld" (Goebbels 12-2-41). �,- - 3 - Het had ook ons kunnen overkomen. De "Satans knechten" zoals opa Boogaard hen typeerde hadden hun plannen klaar liggen om op een gunstig tijdstip al diegenen die niet pasten in hun wereld uit te roeien. De joden waren de voorhoede! Omdat we niet mee wilden doen met het synistere spel van ve rnedering van onze medemens hebben we onze huizen opengezet o m toen het nodig werd aan Joden die onderdoken huisvesting te verlenen. Niet trots! Omdat we niet vergeten zijn wat de onderduikers mee moesten maken. Ze konden niet in hun huizen blijven. Weg uit hun vertrouwde omge vi ng. Opgesloten in kleine kamertjes. Soms dag en nacht. Regelmatig wegkruipen onder de vloer of in een geheime kast. Zeker niet op straat. Soms even vlak·bij huis als het donker was. Even een paar stappen buiten. Ze waren er niet voor opgeleid onderduiker te zijn. Ook de gastvrouw/gastheer hadden zich niet voorbereid op het hebben van onderduikers. �/ - 4 - Angst - spanning en de kans om opgepakt te worden. Er was een voortdurend tekort aan de meest elementaire dingen van ons bestaan. De gezinnen waren meestal van elkaar gescheiden. Zonder op de hoogte te zijn van elkaars toestand. Ik heb het al meer gezegd dat vooral onze vrouwen in die situatie het zwaar hebben gehad. Daar heb ik bewondering voor! Grote bewondering. Gelukkig ging het meestal goed. Onderduikers en hun gast v rouw/gastheer konden goed met elkaar opschieten. Ve l e n werden vrienden voor het leven. De meeste onderduikers waren te vinden in de kleine huisjes. Niet velen waren zo gelukkig dat ze als de kleine Mozes konden onderduiken in het paleis van de dochter van de Farao van Egypte. Hoewel zijn eerste onderduik-adres in een biezen kistje tussen het riet van de Nijl was ook niet geweldig. Mozes was denk ik één van de eerste onderduikers. Na hem zijn er de gehele geschiedenis door Joden gevlucht en ondergedoken voor de achtervolgers. �, . / - 5 - We kennen de geschiedenis van het Joodse volk. Vanuit de Bij~el werd ons verteld van de oorsprong van het Jodendom. De geschiedenis van een volk dat zich ondanks vervolging en vernedering wist te handhaven. Vanuit de gehele wereld zijn ze in onze dagen terug gekomen naar het oude land Israël. Ook nu weer zijn ze omringd door vijanden die ze naar het lev e n staan. Chaim Potok zegt in zijn boek omzwervingen: "hoe komt het dat er na dit alles nog steeds Joden bestaan? "Ik schrijf dit boek in Jeruzalem en in bepaalde steden in Amerika en Europa. Ik schrijf het in het bloedigste tijdperk v an de geschiedenis van mijn volk, misschien zelfs van de geschiedenis van de mensheid. Wie in dit tijdperk joods is, beseft enerzijds ten volle dat het einde van de menselijke soort mogelijk is en gelooft anderzijds hardnekkig dat we zullen overleven". �,--~------------~- - 6 - Wij hebben een klein stukje van die Joodse geschiedenis met zijn mysterieuze en verbijsterende aspecten meegemaakt. Aan den lijve ondervonden. Wij zijn niet trots op die kleine rol die we mochten spelen in het grote verhaal van de Joodse geschiedenis. We zijn dankbaar dat er ondanks de gruwelen van de jaren 1940-1945 10.000 joden mochten blijven leven. Vooral dankbaar ook dat de bevrijding mocht worden meebeleefd door de 4000 joodse kinderen die v anuit de schuilplaatsen tevoorschijn kwamen. ~aar het is onmogelijk om daarbij niet te denken aan de 104.000 Nederlandse Joden die werden vermoord. Deze gemeente Haarlemmermeer heeft 26 dorpen en dorpjes; er wonen bijna 100.000 mensen. We kunnen ook vandaag niet vergeten de joodse onderduikers die zijn gevonden door de Hitler knechten. We schamen ons voor het verraad uit ons eigen volk. We denken aan de gastvrouwen/ gastheren die mee zijn opgepakt en nooit meer terug kwamen, of voor hun leven lang kapot gemaakt waren. Dank u wel voor de onderscheiding die u ons gaf. Niet trots. Dankbaar dat we iets mochten doen voor onze medemens. We zijn bevoorrechte mensen! � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Adriana B. and Peter N. Termaat collection Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Termaat, Adriana B. (Schuurman) Termaat, Peter N. Description An account of the resource Collection contains genealogical, personal, and family papers and photographs documenting the lives and interests of Adriana and Peter Termaat. The bulk of the materials are related to family history and genealogical research carried out by the Termaats, including research notes and materials about places in the Netherlands that were significant to the Termaat and Schuurman families, such as the city of Alkmaar. Other materials in the collection are related to the Termaats' experiences on the eve of and during the Second World War, especially the German occupation of the Netherlands and the Termaats' participation in organized resistance to the Nazis. Also included are materials that document the family's post-war life in the United States, including their public efforts to recognize, commemorate, and honor people and events significant to World War II. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1869 - 2012 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/719">Adriana B. and Peter N. Termaat collection, RHC-144</a> Subject The topic of the resource Netherlands Netherlands--History--German occupation, 1940-1945 World War, 1939-1945 World War, 1939-1945 -- Underground movements -- Netherlands Dutch Dutch Americans Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-144 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource Text Image Type The nature or genre of the resource application/pdf image/jpeg Language A language of the resource eng nl Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-144_Termaat_WRI_1990-11-01-Address-Yad-Vashem Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Termaat, Pieter Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1990-11-01 Title A name given to the resource Uitreiking Yad Vashem onderscheiding in het Raadhuis te Hoofddorp Description An account of the resource Address at the presentation of the Yad Vashem award at the Town Hall of Hoofddorp by Pieter N. Termaat, November 1, 1990. In Dutch Subject The topic of the resource Righteous Gentiles in the Holocaust World War, 1939-1945 -- Jews -- Rescue Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/719">Adriana B. and Peter N. Termaat collection (RHC-144)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Language A language of the resource nl Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/190efc7d553280033317721b3f96b52d.pdf 82c62087f0ebcead56213d7f3f02ca5b PDF Text Text I -• • COMMENCEMENT ADDRESS HONORARY DOCTORATE OF Peter and Jean Termaat December 7, 1988 President Lubbers, Professor Baum, Provost Neimeijer and members of the Board of Control - honored guest s. My wife Jean and I are ·highly appreciative of the Honorary Doctorate bestowed on us. Foremost in our minds however, is the deeply held conviction that we may accept this only vicariously, mindful of all those who fell in the uneven battle against a ruthless and barbarian regime. It seems appropriate that our thoughts for a moment go back to the faculties and students in occupied ~olland, who .were suddenly faced with serious choices. �•• Professor Telders of Leiden University comes to mind. At the youthful age of 31 he had been appointed as a full Professor of International Law. He distinguished himself Constitutional Law, World History and Philosophy. With intensity he followed domestic and foreign policy and was widely travelled. . • further by many publ i cations, also in the fields of •• Neutrality of his country, situated as it is between Germany, France and England, was as he stated, not only a matter of law, but also of duty. Violation of neutral i ty hurt him deeply, and his feeling of justice being vi olated was translated by him in political militancy. Already on May 25, 1940 - 11 days after Rotterdam was bombed he advised the Secretary of the Interior not to appoint new judges or mayors, in order to prevent the appointment of Nazi elements. Hostages, usually prominent citizens, were taken in all major cities already within months of the start of the foreign occupation, lifted from their beds in the middle of the night in order to intimidate the population, ... ~ and to instill fear. The only result was a stiffening of . t the resistance. In 4 ed i torials in a Rotterdam newspaper, Dr. Telders stated that the Nazi commissar Seys-Inquart in the first 4 weeks had stayed within the perimeter of the International Law, but he made clear the limitations of this law, in order that ~ the people would know when and where these would be violated. .. . C ~ �I He emphatically advised government employees~ to tender their resignation unless they would be required to violate their conscience or their honor, and that would occur where the occup i ers political decisions would be in direct support of conducting the war. For Jean and for me that point was reached on Hay 1, 1942, after two years of occupation, when in writing I refused to send Dutch factory workers to labor • which indeed violated my conscience and my honor • in German war factories ,* The reply gave proof that I resigned. Dr. Telders had correctly spelled out the perimeters for resistance. I have said "us", because fully realizing the sterling qualities of faith , . . . determination and indomitablePoss1b1hty of arrest, it would have to be "our" decision. fl' courage. The reply read: 11 1 notify you that on the basis of a , I honor in my wife the directive from President Boening (A German Nazi) no discharge may be .provided to those who do request this on the basis of conscientious objections against the ezecution of the directive of the Labor Draft." In Dr. Telders 1 last editorial he warned the occupying aut horities agains t any form of unfavorable treatment of our I • Jewish citizens, a small minority - 1½% of the total population. Step by step the pressure on the Jews had increased by forcing them to wear the yellow Star of David and to concentrate them in Amsterdam, i n what was for the first time in Holland's history "a ghetto", separated from the general public. �I The spiritual principle of tolerance had given birth to the - I ... nation during the eighty-year war (1568-1648) against the ... 0 Spanish Inquisition. An independent Netherlands which would nor could honor this principle is unthinkable. The respect . for religious diversity has graced that country for centuries, and equality under the law, irrespective of descent or religion, has always been its high principle. •• C • In • 1940 the Netherlands counted 4 public and 2 parochial a Universities, all with a full curriculum and another 4 •=-- • In 1940, in all these schools, ..,•• the spirit of resistance towards the totalitarian form of r:., government began to form. --It specialized Universities. -.0 It In October 1940, 5 months into the occupation, a protest was signed by half of the faculty members and sent to the Nazi governor to warn against the violation of the principles of our government. ,- lo( ...• . • The other half was of the meaning that they had been appointed because of their achievements, though some of them stated honestly -~ that they were afraid to sign up. Professor van Loghem of the Medical faculty of Amsterdam's l~• ~ University spoke openly against the dangers of totalitarian •C influence and ended his speech by quoting from Netherlands' -r. ::r greatest philosopher, Spinoza: "Only if mankind is led by reason will freedom ensue." And we may add to this: "At the gate of the University, for always." .."'"' ,,. •,,. . (I ' . C it , -< i ...... • I �/ Leiden's University was hit by the Nazi governor, who closed 10 academic positions with Jewish tutors, among them two full professors. One of the latter was Dr. Heijers, in Europe regarded as an exceptional savant. That he was banned from his position was especially hurtful for Rector Cleveringa, for whom Heijers was a long time friend, but who had also been Cleveringa's promotor in 1919. In October 1940 all faculty members received the so-called Arian declaration, which had to be filled out, stating that one was of pure Arian descent. judge its legitimacy, caved in. The Supreme Court, asked to In the end in a compromise all 73 signed but 60 included their signed protest, which had been conceived and written by Professor Telders. Dr. Cleveringa decided to address faculty and students on behalf of Dr. Heijers. He told his wife Hiltje and her reaction was: "They are going to arrest you, but if you ar convinced that it is your duty, do it!" Leiden's auditorium was filled to overflowing and in a second auditorium those present could listen in by loudspeaker. Two-thirds of his speech was dedicated by Cleveringa to his mentor Heijers; factual, laudatory, unusually talented, who had touched deeply, not only the minds, but the hearts of the thousands of his students as well. "And now a foreign enemy removes him from his position �r . among us in direct violation of our constitution, which allows every citizen to be named to every position, independent of his or her religious conviction or ethnic background. which all:European nations A~ticle 43 of the "Land-war Regulations 11f binds the occupier to ere signatories . ~ honor the laws of the land he s~bjugated "sauve empichement :i absolu" (Except for absolute hindrance). There simply is no reason or hindrance to leave Dr. Meijers where he was. We can now, without falling in extreme measures, bow for superior force. Meanwhile, we will wait, and trust, and hope to keep in our thoughts and in our hearts the figure and the personality of him whom we cannot fail to believe, that he belongs here and if God wi ll, will return." Tuesday, November 26, 1940 - six months into the occupation the student body struck. The occupier closed Leiden's University, the second one after Delft. arrested on November 28th. Dr. Cleveringa was Calmly he defended himself: "You have violated the "Land-war Regulations" and I have said that we bow for superior force alone." He was jailed but set free after eight months. At the University of Utrecht Dr. Koningsberger spoke to the student body, which stood during his speech. He concluded with these words: "Whoever wants to report me to the occupation forces or to the Dutch Nazis, I leave the text of what I have just said here on the desk." �A student stepped up to the desk and tore up the notes. The six Universities had a combined student body of 14,600. 11,000 of these men and women refused to sign the declaration of loyalty to the occupier when ordered to do so in April, 1943 - three years into enemy occupation. The cost of principle is high. The 3,500 students who did sign finished their studies ahead of the resisting students. They grabbed the advantage to move ahead of the principled ones. Should at any time an occasion arise where a high moral choice has to be made, what will it be? This we know: "A personal decision, based on simple and honored principle, does count, and will maintain your integrity. � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Adriana B. and Peter N. Termaat collection Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Termaat, Adriana B. (Schuurman) Termaat, Peter N. Description An account of the resource Collection contains genealogical, personal, and family papers and photographs documenting the lives and interests of Adriana and Peter Termaat. The bulk of the materials are related to family history and genealogical research carried out by the Termaats, including research notes and materials about places in the Netherlands that were significant to the Termaat and Schuurman families, such as the city of Alkmaar. Other materials in the collection are related to the Termaats' experiences on the eve of and during the Second World War, especially the German occupation of the Netherlands and the Termaats' participation in organized resistance to the Nazis. Also included are materials that document the family's post-war life in the United States, including their public efforts to recognize, commemorate, and honor people and events significant to World War II. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1869 - 2012 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/719">Adriana B. and Peter N. Termaat collection, RHC-144</a> Subject The topic of the resource Netherlands Netherlands--History--German occupation, 1940-1945 World War, 1939-1945 World War, 1939-1945 -- Underground movements -- Netherlands Dutch Dutch Americans Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-144 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource Text Image Type The nature or genre of the resource application/pdf image/jpeg Language A language of the resource eng nl Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-144_Termaat_WRI_1988-12-07-Address-PNT-GVSU-Honorary-Doctorate-v2 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Termaat, Pieter Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1988-12-07 Title A name given to the resource Commencement Address Description An account of the resource Address delivered by Pieter N. Termaat on receipt of his and his wife's honarary doctorates by Grand Valley State University. Subject The topic of the resource Grand Valley State University Dutch Americans Degrees, Academic Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/719">Adriana B. and Peter N. Termaat collection (RHC-144)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/823b677a5ed3d856f7f1f4489b5632e1.pdf e53d9c701d0a27e583b149dc4a7ad85b PDF Text Text SERVICE OF COMMEMORATION KRISTALL NACHT November 9, 1938-November 9, 1988 Temple Emanuel Grand Rapids Rabbi Lewis, honored guests: It is with great sadness that we commemorate together the infamy of fifty years ago of what has become known as "Kristall Nacht" or "Night of Glass". It happened less than a year before Poland was partitioned between Germany and Russia. In March 1938 Hitler's armies had been invited into Austria, and that country was in its entirety integrated. Austria had among its population 185,000 Jews, many of whom were arrested and sent to the concentration camp of Dachau. But among these were 20,000 Jews with Polish nationally, who tried after the German-Austrian unification, to return to Poland. The Polish government refused to take them back, and SS General Heydrich had these 20,000 people loaded on trains and dropped off at the Polish border where they, exposed to the elements, wandered about in a no-man's land. After some six months an accord was struck between Germany and Poland whereby each country took in half of these helpless refugees. �The inhumane conditions in which these 20,000 people lived for six months aroused widespread sympathy in Europe, but little practical help for two reasons. To reach them deep inside Europe in the tense situation already existing between Germany and Poland was virtually impossible. In the second place, all western European governments were hesitant, even loath to allow Jewish refugees into their countries. Hitler's mad ravings over the radio had intimidated many of these so-called statesmen. During that horrible Fall of 1938 Dutch journalists covered the news along the border with Germany, and bitter indeed are their memories. For example, they saw a 6 months old baby laying on the luggage counter in the customs building at the border post of Oldenzaal, without parents. Not being able to get away themselves, they had apparently put their baby 1n a train compartment destined for Holland. luggage, bleating. And here it was between the But the Government's dictum stood; it did not want any more refugees and the smuggled baby was sent back to Bentheim across the border. After the war, the prominent journalist Bakker received a phone call. An English speaking lady wanted to come and see him. young woman he met was unknown to him. She showed him a picture of healthy twins and said: "Without your help these children would never have been born," Non-plussed he looked up. She said: "Kerkerade." The �Then Bakker could make the connection - a small Dutch restaurant close to the border and two young people cowering in a corner. Across the road a German border guard waiting to take these refugees back. They had fled from the gruesome violence of Kristall Nacht and had fled to the Netherlands, trusting on the noble tradition of asylum. An officer of the State Police arrived to hand them over. The man cursed from indignation at this task. Bakker asked him to delay the matter and called the Department of Justice in The Hague. down. Twice they turned his request for asylum The restaurant owner advised the young couple to throw a couple of stones through the window of the Police station. Dutch jail was always preferable over going back. A The young man shook his head and said: "Ach nein, die Hollandische Behorden haben uns doch anstandig behandelt." ("Rather not, the Dutch policemen have treated us decently.") Bakker managed to negotiate another half hour's delay, and called the Justice Department again and told them: "This is my third call, and I want you to know that I will dip my pen in poison and publish this nationwide. I have sufficient influence to bring this matter up in Congress. So, unless these two people can stay, only then will I be silenced. It worked. They could stay and after the war Bakker sat there and fumbled with a picture of their twins. rule. It was alas but one exception to the government's �, Among the first Jews to be rounded up for the non-man's land between Germany and Poland were the Grynszpans, whose son Hershell was a student in Paris. Unsettled by the fate of his parents he shot and kil~ed Ernst Von Rath, Third Secretary of the German Embassy in Paris. It shocked the always hysterical a t mosphere in the Nazy Party and inflamed it to such an extent that Hitler gave the order to attack all Jews in their homes and businesses on November 9th, 1938. In one night 200 synagogues went up in flames; 8,000 storefronts devastated and shattered plate glass littered German streets. It was later estimated that the destroyed plate glass represented a half year's production of the Belgian plate glass industry, from which it had been imported. 800 stores were plundered and 35 Jews murdered. 30,000 Jewish men were arrested and put into the concentration camps of Sachsenhausen, Buchenwald and Dachau. After six weeks they were set free, but only after an additional 400 had been murdered. A f i ne was imposed of one million Marks and one fifth of their investments confiscated. Poor Jews would no longer be eligible for social care and were concentrated in work camps. Off limits were now for Jews, theatr e s, musea, public parks and swimming pools. Their children were removed from every level of schooling, and the total number o f Jews in German, 300,000 (about 1% of the population and unarmed) concentrated in Berlin and Vienna. �Protest rallies were held all over Europe, but to no avail. The churches in Holland remained totally committed to helping the Jews, and the number of their martyrs, after they themselves were subjected to five years of occupation, testifies to that eloquently. The only concession before the war was that children would be admitted in limited numbers, not their parents. England would accept 10,000, Belgium 1,000, France 600, Switzerland 300, The Netherlands 1,500 and Sweden 250. It proved too little and too late. It had been night, and now it was day - KRISTALL NACHT - Night of Glass had made its horrible mark in history. � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Adriana B. and Peter N. Termaat collection Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Termaat, Adriana B. (Schuurman) Termaat, Peter N. Description An account of the resource Collection contains genealogical, personal, and family papers and photographs documenting the lives and interests of Adriana and Peter Termaat. The bulk of the materials are related to family history and genealogical research carried out by the Termaats, including research notes and materials about places in the Netherlands that were significant to the Termaat and Schuurman families, such as the city of Alkmaar. Other materials in the collection are related to the Termaats' experiences on the eve of and during the Second World War, especially the German occupation of the Netherlands and the Termaats' participation in organized resistance to the Nazis. Also included are materials that document the family's post-war life in the United States, including their public efforts to recognize, commemorate, and honor people and events significant to World War II. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1869 - 2012 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/719">Adriana B. and Peter N. Termaat collection, RHC-144</a> Subject The topic of the resource Netherlands Netherlands--History--German occupation, 1940-1945 World War, 1939-1945 World War, 1939-1945 -- Underground movements -- Netherlands Dutch Dutch Americans Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-144 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource Text Image Type The nature or genre of the resource application/pdf image/jpeg Language A language of the resource eng nl Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-144_Termaat_WRI_1988-11-09-Speech-P-Termaat-on-Kristall-Nacht Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Termaat, Pieter Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1988-11-09 Title A name given to the resource Service of Comemoration: Kristall Nacht Description An account of the resource Address delivered by Pieter N. Termaat at Temple Emanuel, Grand Rapids, Michigan on November 9, 1988. Subject The topic of the resource World War, 1939-1945 Kristallnacht, 1938 -- Anniversaries Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/719">Adriana B. and Peter N. Termaat collection (RHC-144)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/3afa998199f05e7f27005ae727af04d8.pdf 6c948a5bcd343a7c68e32e2bf85c17ec PDF Text Text ''We remember" Honoring American born veterans Central Refonned Church Grand Rapids, Michigan May 5, 1985 by the Termaat family Pieter Termaat, my Dad, was scheduled to speak to you today. However, he and brother Michiel are in the Netherlands to commemorate the liberation of our home town, Alkmaar. Dad asked me to substitute for him. / Keith B.Terma.at On this , t he 40th commemoration of Victory-Europe Day, I consider it an honor to address the American born veterans, who, when Japan, Germany , and Italy declared war on our country, stood ready for our common defense. They succeeded beyond imagination in keeping our shores free from enemy invasion. As the years pass and human events as glorious as these victories fade away, these veterans, some of them among us, erected a monument of courageous achievement unique in the history of our country. Across the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans they brought freedom to entire nations and halted the operation of satanic extermination camps across the world. One of those freed was a 5 year old boy on Victory-Europe Day, who wrote the following after attending one of the liberation commemorations in Nijmegen, the Netherlands, in September, 1984: · �NIJMEGEN. September 16, 1984 War planes scudded in low across the horizon, et first heard but not seen. The sound thundering, as the child in me stood helplessly exposed in the gloom. Then I sew them, Fokkers in formation! Then bombers, some two tailed, silhouetted against the overcast sky. Memories came rushing t,ck from my youth, when I had cowered against e hedge unprotected against that ·sound. It had been made by Allied war planes on their way to Germany. And also by planes that brought us food. But now, today, here in Nijrnegen, my fear faded as it became still ••• ••• as again men dropped from the sky, silently, amazingly quickly and virtually helpless to guide the course of their parachutes. Forty years had passed for the men of the 82nd Airborne Division, yet some, even though in their sixties, jumped again. This time the sound of cheers end applause replaced the explosions of anti-aircraft batteries and sharp reports of small arms fire. As before, they landed where their chutes took them, in trees and fields and on top of others already on the ground. Eighty-second Airborne members who had not jumped this time, motored in convoy with World War II military vehicles. Netherlanders stood by the road-side as they had before. Old women cried. Men fiashed the victory sign and thumt::6-up to the veterans who freed them forty years ago. Wave! Urged by their mothers, the children waved as I had in another time and another town. In the reviewing stand, old comrades exchanged stories and asked questions. Some had not known that the bridge at Nijmegen was 'the last bridge to be taken, and held, in Operation Market Garden. That the Waal river had been the war-front from September 1944 until May 1945. Now they knew that Netherlanders starved North of the Waal because the Nazis robbed the population of food during that terrible "hunger winter" of 1944. They heard that Jan van Hoof, of the B.S.( Binnenlandse Strijdkrachten,the Nether land's Internal Forces) had swum the swift current and struggled up the main bridge support. How he disabled the Nazi explosive charge to enable the Allied bridgehead across the Waal. �The night before, the veterans of the 82nd Airborne had been decorated by the grateful citizenry of the city of Nijmegen. They were awarded the bronze Erasmus medal for persiste~e in freeing the Netherlands from tyranny. While dining, it was whispered •General Gavin is here!" The respect was still there for the man who led them. Men, now fathers and grandfathers in the autumn of their years, still maintained a distance. , For many, Market Garden had been the peak event of lives lived in the ordinary pursuits of the middle class. Most had never been back ... until now. They came to reconnect with that awesome and dangerous event. Some had difficulty walking, others remained vigorous. Some came alone, others brought wives, and several, grown children. The care-worn and the cheerful, the well-to-do and those of modest means, the !rail and the healthy, came beck. They came to honor their buddies who lay buried in the soil of the land they liberated. And also to celebrate and party with today 1s Netherlanders. Surprised at the gratitude the people freely expressed for what had been, for each man of the 82nd Airborne, simply " doing my job ". I was that five year old boy on Victory-Europe Day. For me, these days helped make me whole. My youth in the Netherlands now connects more with my life as an American. In a real sense I was treed this September in Nijmegen. K. B. Te rma.a t 10/1/1984 �Even now, after forty years, I stand in awe of the massive and spontaneous reaction of that liberated nation as their people poured into the streets in honor df American born veterans. To the Dutch, those veterans were truly the means in God's hand to liberate those who had suffered so much and so long and who had been captives and slaves in their own land. '--v u- -\c-"'1--,.,..._~ _ l" ,.__, , �., Biographical Sketch I was born in Alkrnaar, Noord Hol ]and just 13 days before the Nazi invasion of the Netherlands. My early nanories include the CaT{)any of Nazi horse stationed near our fEITlily hane, the Nazi search for my Father in our hane, the taking of civilian men at Nazi gunpoint, the Allied airdrops of food, ft!,1 first ever white breed and weiners, and the victorious entry . of the liberating Ol.nadian forces into Alkrnaar. The memory of the sound and sight of l'ffissed military aircraft is particularly vivid for me. My participation in Nijrregen's 40th anniversary of ~eration Market Garden , which freed the South of the Netherlends in September 1944, rmved me to write this article. Kei th(Kees) B. Tennaat October 1, 1984 � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Adriana B. and Peter N. Termaat collection Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Termaat, Adriana B. (Schuurman) Termaat, Peter N. Description An account of the resource Collection contains genealogical, personal, and family papers and photographs documenting the lives and interests of Adriana and Peter Termaat. The bulk of the materials are related to family history and genealogical research carried out by the Termaats, including research notes and materials about places in the Netherlands that were significant to the Termaat and Schuurman families, such as the city of Alkmaar. Other materials in the collection are related to the Termaats' experiences on the eve of and during the Second World War, especially the German occupation of the Netherlands and the Termaats' participation in organized resistance to the Nazis. Also included are materials that document the family's post-war life in the United States, including their public efforts to recognize, commemorate, and honor people and events significant to World War II. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1869 - 2012 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/719">Adriana B. and Peter N. Termaat collection, RHC-144</a> Subject The topic of the resource Netherlands Netherlands--History--German occupation, 1940-1945 World War, 1939-1945 World War, 1939-1945 -- Underground movements -- Netherlands Dutch Dutch Americans Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-144 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource Text Image Type The nature or genre of the resource application/pdf image/jpeg Language A language of the resource eng nl Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-144_Termaat_WRI_1985-05-05-Speech-Keith-Termaat-Honoring-American-born-veterans Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Termaat, Keith B. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1985-05-05 Title A name given to the resource We Remember: Honoring American born veterans Description An account of the resource Address delivered by Kieth B. Termaat at the Central Reformed Church in Grand Rapids, Michigan on May 5, 1985, the 40th commemoration of Victory-Europe Day. Subject The topic of the resource World War, 1939-1945--Peace Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/719">Adriana B. and Peter N. Termaat collection (RHC-144)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives