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May, 29 2001 19:34 |
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I was reading a book by Rifka Leah Klein about the Holocaust! "The Scent of Snowflowers". Tremendous! Just at the end, while she is in the shelter and her husband and uncles must stay in the bedroom, the house suffers a direct hit. She cries: "Shema Yisroel", and feels a hand on her mouth and a voice in her ear: "Hashem Elokenu Hashem Echod!". She looks into the eyes of the girl, about whom she was certain that she was a Nazi and vice versa. These people have survived the holocaust as adults. What can I recount? What do I remember? Is anyone still interested? Let me just jot down some historical facts. Both my parents were Dutch nationals, born in Amsterdam. My father, Sholom [Sally] Vorst z"l, was the youngest of a family of six. My mother, Clara van Stedum z"l, was the youngest of eight. Since my eldest uncles and aunts were considerably older, some of my cousins were already married and some had children. My parents were sole survivors. My father's mother died before he was nine, on 26 Kislev 5679 (30.11.1918). She had always been of poor health and the privations of the war (W.W.1) were too much for her. She must have been in her early fifties. Although the Netherlands were neutral, people had to stand in line for food and its scarcity was felt very much. Little children were not allowed to stand in line. Once when he was keeping a place for his father, my father was asked about his age and nearly lost his place, but someone took care of him and, after a while, announced: "There comes your Zeide!" Tante Perle, his father's sister, looked after the younger kids, after her sister-in-law's untimely demise. My parents were engaged for several years. Meanwhile their parents died. Her father died on 30 Kislev 5692 (10.12.1931), his father on Iyar 1st, 5693 (27.4.1933) and her mother on 16 Teveth 5694 (3.1.1934). Perhaps the parents opposed the match, as my father was six years younger, but I heard, that they did not want to marry during the year of mourning. Anyway, I can attest to the fact, that they loved each other dearly. Their wedding was on 27 Shevat 5695 (31.1.1935). Straight after the wedding, they left for Palestine. My eldest sister, Rivqa, was born on 27 Tishrei 5696 (24.10.1935), in the "Raphael" hospital in Ramat-Gan, which exists no more. Two months later they returned to Amsterdam. The reason is not known, but rumors have it, that there were health problems. My father had no illusions about the Jews' safety in Europe and wanted to leave. He had a plan, that he should proceed to U.S.A. and after having found work, would sent tickets for my mother and sister, but there were no funds and my mother was afraid to be left alone. Also, she was then already expecting my brother, who was born on 13 Kislev 5697 (27.11.1936). Meanwhile there was much work to do, helping Polish, Czech, Hungarian and German refugees, especially procuring them false documents, to continue to England and U.S.A. When the Nazis overran Holland, our family had grown to six, with me, and my sister, Channa, who was just six weeks old. I soon learned, that when the alarm sounded, it was elementary, to get off the street. The shells, that were fired against the planes, used to explode just over our roof. One could easily be hit by shrapnel. But since we lived at the second floor and I had to ring the bell, in order to have access to the staircase, I just scrambled through the open window of the neighbours, as I had seen Binyomin, my brother, do. My father had owned a printing press "Hadapas". I don't know, what happened to it, whether it was confiscated or had already ceased to exist before.I own a prayer book "Siddur Hegyon Nephesh", that he printed and have seen a booklet with "Zemirot Shabbat" and Mishna Tractate Brachot, with Dutch translation and commentary. I also own a small "Birkath Halevanah", (Blessing pronounced before full moon), printed as an advertisement for his printing shop. During the occupation, he worked at different jobs, one of them in a tailor's shop, sewing German uniforms, which was dangerous work, for several times the material was sabotaged by the communist resistance and the Nazis retaliated cruelly. He was employed, briefly, at the Distributiekantoor Amsterdam, Amstel 1. I have a letter, of August 2, 1940, that he was employed at HFl.5.- per day. The office was open to the public from 10 to 18 hrs, but he had to be present from 9 till 19 or 20 hrs. He tried also other offices, but it lasted never more than one week, because when he did not show up on Saturday, he was fired. It served its purpose, however, for he received ration- books, which were needed to buy food. Meanwhile, I started going to kindergarten. My mother took me to be registered and while she was talking to the mistress, I had disappeared. They found me playing with the other kids in the sand. So I started going to "Kennis en G-dsvrucht" ("Torah ve-Yir'ah"), hand in hand with Binyomin. My mother used to prepare sandwiches, which she put in a round tin and I took it to kindergarten. While passing over a bridge, the tin dropped and rolled into the canal. I was very worried, that I had lost my lunch, but the mistress found some sandwiches for me. Rivqa, who was born in October, too late, to be included in the 1941 class, was taught at home and skipped next year into second. I was very proud of my big sister, who was going to school. Once, I was standing at the curb, waiting for her to come from school. Seeing, that the street was clear, I crossed and continued up to Rivqa's school. Of course, everyone was horrified, that I had crossed the street alone and I was told off. I did not go to kindergarten for long, because, when whole classes started to disappear, people kept their children at home. Every Shabbos, we used to go and visit my mother's sisters, the elder one was working with the Jewish Council. My father told every time, that they were helping the enemy and selling out their brethren. Instead of "Joodse Raad" (Jewish Council), he called it "Joods Verraad" (Jewish Treason). In the end, none were left to visit, when all were deported to Westerbork. We were spared until May 1943, as we lived in a cul-de-sac, where the Nazis didn't dare enter in the dark. The resistance saw to it, that the street-lights should always be off. One well directed rock took care of the bulb. That way a fighter, running for his life, had where to turn. Since the Jews were arrested at home in the evenings, the Nazis could not locate our apartment. One day, it must have been a Shabbos, my father had gone for a walk with Rivqa. When they came to a crossroads where they could turn right or left, for alternate routes home, my father asked, which way she chose. She chose to go to the right. When they got home, they learned, that all who were found on the other route, were shoved into trucks and never seen again. One day there was a razzia on, with a machinegun on every streetcorner. I remember, that my father prepared a blanket for each of us, with one's name and birth-date inked on it. He had absolutely no illusions about our fate. But he never lost hope, that some might survive and took into account, that we might be separated. Unlike most people, we took very little with us. My father took his tallis and tefilin and a small Haggada (text for Passover service). When he died in 1957, he was laid to rest in that same tallis, that Mummy had bought him for their wedding. I used his tefillin for some years, as they were in a better condition than mine. The Haggada, from which he recited the Seider two years later, is still in my possesion. We were taken to the New Synagogue, which the Nazis had since long appropriated, to be registered. From there we were taken by trolley to the station. My father wanted to show the guard, that he was not tricked. So he told him, that he had bought one-way tickets, as he had no money for the round-trip. He could have saved himself, like Chiel, who jumped off the train three times after he was caught. But Chiel was a bachelor and my father was not going to abandon us. |
Glossary |
"Shema Yisroel H. E. H. Echod!" - the Jewish Credo viz. "Hear, Israel, The Eternal, our G-d, The Eternal is One! "z"l - zichrono livracha- may his memory be a blessing (said of a defunct righteous person). Zeide - grandfather (yiddish). Distributiekantoor - office for distribution of food coupons. Shabbos - Sabbath (Saturday). tallis - (tallith) prayer shawl. tefillin - phylacteries worn during morning prayer (not on Sabbath or Jewish festivals). Seider - the solemn meal of Passover, commemorating the Exodus from Egypt. |
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(to be continued) Look for the next installment! |
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