“I looked out of the open window, over a large area of Amsterdam, over all the roofs and on to the horizon, which was such a pale blue that it was hard to see the dividing line. As long as this exists, I thought, and I may live to see it, this sunshine, these cloudless skies, while this lasts I cannot be unhappy.”
~ Anne Frank.
These words were written by Anne Frank in February of 1944 – a young girl’s description of life from an attic overlooking Amsterdam. For many individuals today, Anne Frank’s diary represents their only glimpse of Nazi assault on the Netherlands – a narrow window onto that which was the Holocaust in Europe.
The Holocaust was an incredibly complex moment marked by atrocity in human history. The Netherlands had maintained during World War I, a policy of neutrality. On May 10, 1940, the German army began its invasion of the Netherlands. Despite valiant efforts made on the part of the Dutch military, the Netherlands fell to the Germans after only five days of fighting. After the bombing of Rotterdam, the Dutch capitulated.
The Dutch resistance and underground network served many functions including hiding Witnesses who were being sought by the Nazis and those who had recently escaped from neighboring countries. The underground also played a role in the transport and distribution of food. This included not only food for the body but spiritual food in the form of literature and readings.
The Dutch provide for us lessons in the value of belief, of community, and of involvement. After World War II, the Netherlands gave up its identity as a neutral state and has become an active participant in world affairs. They are charter members of both the United Nations and NATO.
Dad wrote in his wartime letters that “the true heroes sacrificed their lives for our freedom. We cannot let them down.” There may be a time when we are powerless to prevent injustice, but there must never be a time when we fail to protest.
Remembering history one day at a time…
COMES A Soldier’s Whisper Dedication Video youtu.be/EJ1H9N-gIU0
Photo/Text: Paper presented at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, April 6, 1999.
comesasoldierswhisper.com/
