Speak up for Life
Unforgettable Places and People to Remember
by
Book Cover & Preview Text
Chapter 3
WESTERBORK INTERNMENT CAMP
The remains of Westerbork internment camp can be found in the northern province of Friesland in the Netherlands. The large grounds are tucked away in the fields near the two small towns of Hooghalen and Assen. The camp was founded in 1939 as a refugee camp for fleeing Jewish people after Kristalnacht. The ‘Night of Broken Glass’ (Kristalnacht) occurred in 1938 from November 9 to 10. Nazis in Germany burned and vandalized Jewish synagogues, homes and businesses. One hundred Jews were killed that night while 30,000 men were sent to concentration camps. Some Jewish people fled to other countries like the Netherlands. By April 1940, there were 750 Jewish refugees living in Westerbork, including some from the infamous St. Louis Ship. In 1942, Nazis turned the refugee camp into a detainment camp for Jewish people on their way to concentration camps in Germany and Poland.
When the Nazis took over the Netherlands, they forced Jewish people out of society just as they did in Germany. At first the Jews were to wear the Star of David for easy identification. Soon their jobs, homes and lives were taken from them. They were sent to camps like Westerbork in the north and Vught in the south. Vught is another camp that is tucked away in the fields and forests of this small country. Many of the Dutch resisted and helped hide Jewish people in homes and in the country throughout the war. Examples like the ten Booms and Anne Frank show the strength of the Dutch resistance. There was always danger and betrayal but some lives were saved.
When Bert Dorenbos from Schreeuw om Leven (Cry for Life, a pro-life ministry in the Netherlands) was a preschooler, he remembers standing with his Mom and watching the trains go by every Tuesday at 1pm. They would see the trains leave Westerbork full of people but two days later they returned empty. In this way 90,000 Jewish people received a one-way ticket to Auschwitz concentration camp. Today, there still exists film footage recorded in the 1940s at Westerbork that show families with luggage coming off the train when they arrive at Westerbork and going back on later for the cramped and deadly ride to Auschwitz. The film shows people sitting and registering their names, birth dates, and where they were from, as if they were moving to another location. However, they never returned. Anne Frank was aboard the last train that left Westerbork; soon after, the Netherlands was liberated. The trains finally stopped.
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NEWS FLASH!!!
Anne Frank!
By Stan Elliott
Anne Frank was born on June 12, 1929. Her family was Jewish. She moved with her family from Germany to Amsterdam in 1933. On July 5 1942, she went into hiding for the next two years. Her family was caught by the Nazis and taken to Westerbork where she boarded the last train to Auschwitz concentration camp. She was later moved to Bergen-Belsen where she died of typhus. Her father is the only one who survived and later published the diary that Anne wrote while in hiding.
Source: Anne Frank DK Life Stories by Stephen Drensky
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Dive Deeper!
Resources and Links
1. “Westerbork Concentration Camp”, accessed January 2022 https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/westerbork
2. “Kristalnacht” Holocaust Encyclopedia, accessed November 2022
https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/kristallnacht
3. “Voyage of the St. Louis”, Holocaust Encyclopedia, accessed November 2022
https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/voyage-of-the-st-louis
4. “Camp Vught”, accessed November 2022
https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/vught-concentration-camp
Scripture and Questions
Genesis 3
Genesis 37 and 39
Proverbs 24:10-12
Micah 6:8
1. Can you think of any passages in the Bible where a safe place or something good was flipped to something evil or wrong? Also consider where something evil turned out for good. How can we find guidance or comfort in these passages?
2. What active or passive role would you hope to play in a land where such injustice is occurring? (Consider Bert Dorenbos’s mother and the ten Boom family.)
Formats
Book Details
About the Book
Life is precious.
Speak up for Life presents places in recent history that endured unprecedented attacks on life. Looking into some of the atrocities that have happened to God’s people and how easily life can be threatened can teach us how to live wisely in these uncertain times. Discover special people like Corrie ten Boom, the Midwife of Auschwitz and Kenny Blacksmith and how they lived and responded in the face of danger and hardship. Through vivid photography and beautiful artwork, unfolds true life stories that will challenge readers to speak up for life, stand in the gap, and be Jesus’ hands and feet in our culture today. Gently introducing controversial issues that are not often connected, each chapter immerses readers into a rich variety of resources. Dive deeper into studying Scripture in order to live an abundant life that brings God glory and carries His healing to the nations.
Janice Huse, www.janicehuse.com
Securely based on a scriptural foundation, it provides a clever format in which to present true stories of real life heroes of the faith. They are of different ages, ethnicities, and backgrounds, but devoted to a common faith which is proven during adversity. Their stories are masterfully interwoven, well-illustrated and documented, and enhanced with the author’s personal reflections. The pervasive theme uniting these heroes is their life testimony of sacrificial love and protection of life as represented by, “the least, the lost, the broken, and the forsaken.”
Allan Parker, President of The Justice Foundation https://thejusticefoundation.org
The message of this book is clear, and compelling. Life matters! Human life must be valued and protected in culture and law from conception till natural death. Compelling pictures and stories make this accessible to high school students and adults.
About the Author
Sheryl’s animated storytelling is enjoyed by children of all ages. Her desire to see children thrive led her to earn a degree in Family and Social Relations and later her Bachelor of Education. Sheryl completed a Children’s Literature Writing course and started freelance editing in 2007 while living in The Netherlands. She enjoyed travelling to places like Israel and is now residing in Eastern Ontario. She provides her children with an eclectic home education and loves the outdoors, painting, and bringing smiles to children with her stories.