Survival Story

It’s 1939, Isidore Erwteman is a 24 years old Sephardic Jew living in the city of Amsterdam. He is a Master diamond cutter. This means he has mastered all of the skills he needs to cut raw diamonds into gems. This includes the most important first cut. The first cut is when you polish or cut a looking hole into the uncut diamond so you can see into it. Through this hole the cutter can see the value of the stone and the best way to cut the diamond to maximize the value. This cut has the highest importance because the cutter needs to know that the biggest possible diamond is not getting ruined in the process. Master diamond cutters are uniquely qualified to value and purchase uncut stones and then have the ability to cut them into polished gems. This is where the most profit is and this is why Isi took the time to get certified. Now he is using these skills to make his living.

Isidore regularly takes a train to Belgium to buy uncut stones and brings them back to Amsterdam to cut. On these trips he keeps up on world events by reading the newspaper. Belgium is the southern neighbor of the Netherlands. It is a different country with different laws and a different language. Isi did not have a problem with this. This is because he has the ability to speak many languages. Dutch, Hebrew, French, German, and English are his first languages This means he could think in those five languages. He could change languages seamlessly and sometimes did using a word from another language that better expressed his thought. He also understands other languages as he is frequently exposed to them.

The trips are making him more aware than most of world events. When he is done he returns to Amsterdam. He cuts the diamonds and gives them to Benjamin (Benny) Leeda to sell.

In Amsterdam diamonds are bought, sold and traded at a place called The Diamond Dealers Club. The club is for members only and the trades that are made there impact the price of diamonds for the world. Mr Leeda is suppling the best diamonds and is highly respected in the club and is a wealthy man. Benny has three children. He has two sons Solly and Donny and the oldest is Hendrika, the only daughter and she is beautiful. Isidore falls in love with her and courts Hendrika. He becomes friendly with the entire family.

Isidore is on top of the world. He is making a very good living and he is in love with a beautiful woman. There is one problem. Because he travels so much he is aware of what is going on in Germany, the Netherlands eastern neighbor.  He knows about Adolph Hitler and his fascist ideology that proclaims the superiority of the Aryan race over all others – in particular the Jews. He hears Hitler calling for Germany’s total conquest of Europe and the world. Isi was 17 years old when Adolph Hitler was named Chancellor of Germany. This new Nazi German regime (which called itself the Third Reich) excluded Jews from German economic, political, social, and cultural life. June 30th 1934 The Night of the Long Knives starts. Over three days Chancellor Adolph Hitler, urged on by Hermann Goring and Heinrich Himmler, ordered a series of political extra-judicial executions intended to consolidate Hitler’s power. At least 85 were killed and more than 1000 political rivals were arrested.

Isidore was also aware of what happened on the night of November 9–10, 1938. This is when the Nazi regime coordinated a wave of antisemitic violence in Nazi Germany. This became known as Kristallnacht or the “Night of Broken Glass.” It was named for the shattered glass from store windows that littered the streets after the violence. The violence was supposed to look like an unplanned outburst of anger against Jews. In fact, Nazi leaders actively coordinated it with Adolf Hitler’s support. On the night of November 9, they ordered members of the Nazi Party’s paramilitaries (the SS, the SA, and the Hitler Youth) to attack Jewish communities.  

In the hours and days that followed, organized groups of Nazis wreaked havoc on Jewish life in Nazi Germany. They burned hundreds of synagogues. They vandalized thousands of Jewish-owned businesses, shattering the glass in storefronts. They damaged Jewish cemeteries and homes. Nazi leaders told the police and fire brigades to ignore the attacks. Police forces did not protect Jews or their property. Fire brigades did not put out fires in synagogues. Hundreds of Jews died during Kristallnacht and its aftermath. 

The next morning, the Nazi regime ordered the police to arrest about 30,000 German Jewish men. These men had not committed any crime. The police arrested them simply for being Jewish. They were sent to such concentration camps as Dachau and Buchenwald. The arrests shocked and terrified Jewish families and communities. The Nazi authorities released many of these men if families could prove they had plans to leave Germany. Other men died in these camps. 

This is what is happening in the world around Isidore while courting Hendrika Leeda. The Netherlands is neutral and has signed a treaty with Germany that claimed that Germany would not invade Holland. Germany and the Netherlands are neighbors. He knows the dangers of what Germany is doing and is intuitive enough to know that he needs to stay aware. 

On September 1st 1939 Germany invades Poland. This is the official start of WWII. Two days later Britain and France declare war on Germany. This is expected. Back on March 31st of that year they had guaranteed the integrity of the borders of the Polish state. Two weeks after that The Soviet Union invades Poland from the East. By the end of September Poland surrenders. The Polish Government goes into exile and Hitler starts preparing for Blitzkrieg.

Isidore and Hendrika are not thinking about any of this right now. It is Oct 14th 1939 and Hendrika Leeda and Isidore Erwteman get married. Hendrika Leeda becomes Hendika Erwteman. She is 19 and he is 24. The world is their oyster.

The Erwteman’s and Leeda’s are a close knit family.  They gather often to share meals, discuss the diamond business and because of what is happening across Europe, they discuss the future of Holland and the Jews and how it might affect them personally.

It’s March of 1940 and Rika is pregnant. This adds another dynamic to the future of the family. Isi knows about Adolph Hitler and the hatred he is promoting about the Jewish people. But this is in other countries.  The Netherlands is a neutral country.  They were a neutral country throughout WWI and they are maintaining a neutral status now.  For the moment Isi feels safe. 

May 10th 1940 Blitzkrieg: Germany invades the Netherlands, Belgium, France and Luxemburg. German solders are given Methamphetamines. 35,000,000 pills are given out during this time period. Rotterdam is bombed. Luxemburg is occupied that same day. On this same day Winston Churchill is made the British Prime Minister.

May 12th 1940 the Belgium Brigade Blows up the Belgian bridges to try to slow down the Germans.

May 17, 1940 the German occupation of the Netherlands begins. After several days of fierce fighting, the Nazi invasion of the Netherlands had come to a stalemate in Rotterdam. Taken by surprise by the fierce resistance of the Dutch army, Hitler knew he had to break the spirit of the Dutch people as a whole.  Call it the Dutch equivalent of Pearl Harbor; the effect of the bombing of Rotterdam is as decisive as it is horrible. Even though preceding negotiations resulted in a ceasefire, the bombardment takes place nonetheless, in conditions which remain controversial, and destroyed almost the entire historic city center.  Bombers of the Luftwaffe drop incendiary bombs over Rotterdam, quickly starting a fire that destroyed approximately 85,000 homes and ends the lives of nearly 900 of the city’s citizens. The day after, the Dutch high command, knowing they are running low on supplies and ammunition and knowing they are no match for the Nazi war machine, yield to threats that the same fate would await Utrecht and Amsterdam, the Dutch surrender unconditionally. The Government and Royal family flee, and anti-Jewish measures are implemented. Jewish people are forbidden from visiting public places and fired from government positions.

It is Spring 1940 in the Netherlands and a dark cloud has transcended over the country. Rotterdam is still smoldering. The Nazis have taken over the country. The tulips are blind to what is happening. They ignore world events and go into bloom.

Eight brave people from the Erwteman and Leeda family give serious thought to escaping the Nazi’s. They will get help along the way but most people are like the tulips and close their eyes.

Benjamin (Benny) Leeda.  He was born February 21, 1901.  He is 39 years old and married to Elizabeth.  He is in the diamond business, providing for his family and doing very well.

Elizabeth (Betsy) Waas became Leeda when she wed Benny on September 24, 1919.  She was born on April 17, 1901 and is 39 years old.  Benny and Betsy were both 18 when they got married.  Betsy has a strong presence wherever she goes.  She and Benny have 3 children. 

Hendrika (Rika) Erwteman is the oldest of Benny and Betsy’s children. She was born January 13, 1920 and is 20 years old. She learned early on, from her parents, the importance of family. 

Isidore (Israel – Isi) Erwteman was born March 20, 1915. He is 25 years old and a diamond cutter.  Isi is informed, intelligent and intuitive. 

Salomon (Solly) Leeda is the second born child of Benny and Betsy. Born July 25, 1921, he is 18 years old. His girlfriend/ fiancé is Henny.  Solly is brave, brazen and has a good sense of humor; a bit of levity goes a long way in dire circumstances. 

Hendrina (Henny) Platvoet.  She was born June 8, 1924.  She is 15. Her love for Solly masks her fear but gives her strength to endure what might be ahead. 

Gideon (Donny)  Leeda is the youngest of the three children. He was born June 18, 1926. He is only 13 years old but smart beyond his years. 

Benny is reluctant to leave. He doesn’t think he has what it would take to endure the journey.  He expresses his concern to the family but the planning continues.

Betsy has strong family ties and wherever the family goes she will follow.  

Isi is fearless but fearful, brave, smart and intuitive.  He knows what must be done for the survival of his family.

Rika stands by Isi’s side.  She is fearful but knows Isi will protect her. She is brave. 

Solly is brazen and brave. He knows he has what it takes to escape the grip of the Nazi’s. 

Henny is young and in love.  She chooses to leave her eight brothers and sisters and her parents.  She is brave and very fearful. 

Donny is young but very smart. He and Solly are very closely knit. They make a good team and because of their confidence, they know they will succeed. 

December 27th 1940 Jules Erwteman is born. He is the driving force and main reason they attempt to escape.

May 28th 1940 Belgium surrenders.

June 14th 1940 Paris falls to German forces.

June 22nd 1940 France is divided. Germany occupies the Northern half and western coast line. The remainder becomes Free France. This does not mean it is free. This only means that it is not occupied as long as they cooperate with Hitler.

July 10th 1940 The Battle of Britain- Germany sends its bombers to England. English fighter planes need to and defend against German bombers for almost 4 months.

It should be understood that, in the summer of 1940, the germs of resistance are only breeding in a very limited number of individuals. The majority of the population in the occupied countries is still stunned by the defeat of their larger Allies and the unbelievably fast advance of the German army. The civilians are greatly surprised, discovering that the invaders seemed to be extremely polite, were readily and happily paying for luxuries and all sorts of good things they wanted to forward to their relatives in heavily rationed Germany. Indeed, these German visitors at least seemed to have respect for good order and discipline.

Western Europe is occupied by Germany. Attempting to escape from the Netherlands under Nazi control is virtually impossible. First, countries bordering on the Netherlands are now under German control. Crossing the Dutch border only means entering into another Nazi controlled country. Second, the North Sea borders the west and north coastline. Safe passage through German patrolled waters is highly dangerous.

Additionally, the Netherlands in 1940 is a densely populated country. The land mass is approximately one and a half times the size of Massachusetts. Yet, it is home to over nine million individuals. The land is flat providing little forest or mountainous terrain suited for partisan activity or refuge. In essence, the geography of the Netherlands provides no place to run and few places to hide.

October 1940 Ban on ritual (kosher) slaughter – Removal of Jews from government employment (teachers, professors) – Confiscation of radios – Jews are banned from recreational facilities, hotels, restaurants – Jews must register with Dutch authorities by the deadline of January 1941

On January 10, 1941, the German government ordered that a mandatory census be taken of all people with “full or mostly Jewish blood.”

On February 11, 1941, agitators of the Dutch Nazi party attacked Jews in Amsterdam’s old Jewish quarter. The violence intensified around Waterlooplein Square, causing the death of Hendrik Koot, a Nazi of Dutch origin. The next day the Jewish quarter, temporarily surrounded and closed, resembled an Eastern European ghetto. The quarter was finally reopened but was demarcated by signs and banners indicating that it was Jewish and that the Wehrmarcht soldiers (regular German army) should not enter. The German authorities took advantage of the crisis and set up the Joodsche Raad (Jewish Council) to serve as an intermediary between the authorities and the Jews. The Council had to implement the orders of the authorities. In order to punish the Jews for the murder of Koot, however, the Germans carried out a raid in the Jewish quarter.

February 22nd 1941 German forces raid the Jewish Quarter in Amsterdam, 390 Jewish men are arrested and deported to Mauthausen in retaliation for a bomb attack. A month later 170 more Jewish men from provinces are deported to Mauthausen.

* February 22nd 1941 Solly has a girlfriend Henny that lives in Waterlooplein, a Jewish center. He goes over to visit her all the time. One night at about eleven o’clock he leaves to go home. On the way he gets caught along with some other young boys. This is called a Razzia. They are lined up and walked towards a bus that is two blocks away. The bus will bring them to the station for the Gestapo. As they walk towards the bus he sees an opportunity to slip away down a side street and takes it.

February 25th 1941 The Dutch people have a unique reaction. They organized a two-day general strike called the February Strike. Unfortunately, it accomplishes little. German officials brutally suppressed the strike. This action was followed by a hardening in Nazi policy. The German authorities and their Dutch collaborators segregated Jews from the general Dutch population, and incarcerated 15,000 Jews in German-administered forced-labor camps. The Germans then ordered the concentration of Jews in Amsterdam and sent foreign and stateless Jews to the Westerbork transit camp in the northeast part of the country. Some of the remaining provincial Jews were sent to the Vught camp.

*May 1941 Isidore goes to Liege to look for a guide. Rika is nurturing a 6 month old baby. Things have gotten bad in Amsterdam and he has a wife and new baby he wants to protect. This is his motivation. He also spoke many languages including German, French, Spanish, Dutch, English, Hebrew, Flemish and Yiddish. He is a 25 year old man that has seen the world more then most Jews of the time. He is a Master diamond cutter by trade and was in the military. He knows about Hitler and his hate for Jews and understands it in his own words. He knows he must get out of there. So he takes the risk and goes to Liege to look for a guide (a Passuer). When he returns he tells Solly about his trip. It sounded dangerous but when Isi tells him how good the french fries are, Solly says the next time he wants to come along.

June 22nd 1941 Germany and it’s Axis partners invade the Soviet Union and are defeated in Moscow and Stalingrad. In the Netherlands, things get worse as Germany demandes bigger contributions from the Dutch people. In Holland, this means that production becomes focused almost exclusively on supporting the war effort. The repression of the Dutch people increases, especially against the Jewish population.

* June 1941 It happens again. He gets caught in a razzia. This time he can not slip away. He is brought to see the Gestapo. Solly is a diamond setter by trade. They search him and find a rose colored diamond that is from Isi that needed to be set. The officer says “All the Jews have money and diamonds” so he takes it away from him. Next they needed to move the people around but only Solly understood German. They started hitting the captured. Solly helps by acting as a translator. He was expecting to get knocked out but he was not afraid. The next morning they decided to let them go. Solly didn’t want to leave without the diamond and says so. There is a stand off between the officer that took away the diamond and Solly. The officer gives Solly his diamond back. He says to him that he should check to see if it is the diamond. Solly says “No, I trust you that it is the one.” Solly knew that if he checked it that the officer would have probably knocked him out. Solly leaves with the diamond. This scared him but didn’t stop him.

September 1941 Jewish students are excluded from public schools

September 15, 1941 Razzia (the so-called “Twenty group”). 176 Jewish men are rounded up. All of them were killed at Mauthausen.

Generating Agency: Information Bureau for Jews,

Westerbork Sex: Male

Number of Persons (Exact):176

* September 15th 1941 Solly gets picked up for the third time with a group of Jewish men. He is waiting on line and two men are leaning on him. The guard comes over to him and hits him with the butt of his rifle. Solly falls to the floor. He is tough. The officer told him to stand up and he asks him in German how old he is. Solly is small. He told the officer he is 14 years old. He is really 18. The officer thought for a moment and then says for him to GO. He ran all the way down Weespastraat to his home. Nobody that is picked up on this day survives.

December 7th 1941 – Attack on Pearl Harbor

December 8th 1941 – United States declares war on Japan.

December 11th 1041 – Germany declares war on the United States.

January 20th 1942 in a Berlin suburb a plan for implementing the “Final Solution of the Jewish Question” was developed.

March 1942 Full Implementation of the Nuremberg Laws goes into effect. The Nuremberg Laws, adopted in Germany in 1935, strip Jews of their citizenship and aim to isolate them from the rest of the population, so as “to protect the purity of the Arian race.” Jews are therefore not defined by their religion but by their origins, their blood. These laws are implemented in various stages in the Netherlands, beginning with the anti-Jewish measures. The final stage decrees that Jews can no longer marry non-Jews.

April 29th 1942 Jews in Western Europe are made to wear Jewish stars while in public so they can be identified as being Jewish . Jews must deposit their money in designated banks under German control (blocked accounts) and are restricted on number and size of withdrawals. Jews must register real property with authorities and then sell. Dutch employers are authorized to fire Jewish employees at their discretion. Jews are barred from certain professions.

May 30th 1942 – Britain bombs Germany. Koln

June 1942 In Amsterdam Jews are required to turn in bicycles, banned from riding on public transportation and have a curfew from 8pm – 6 am

July 1942 First deportation notices are sent to Jewish residents in Amsterdam, requiring reporting to Zenstralstelle or Hollandsche Schouwberg (Jewish Theatre) collection centers; Jews are then deported to Westerbork transit camp

At the railway stations Jews are loaded into locked cattle cars covered in barbed wire. Over 100 people to a car without food. water, or toilet facilities. Anyone that tried to escape was shot on the spot. After a 2-3 day journey many would arrive to the concentration camp already dead. At the camps physicians conducted a selection process. Those who were too old, or unfit for work, were sent directly to the gas chambers. The second group were mostly young men in good physical condition. This group was moved to the barracks for camp processing and forced labor.

* May 1942 Isidore tells Solly he is going back to Liege and his plan to escape. Solly is not sure but Solly remembers the French fries and decides to join him. He wants French fries but they go there for a reason and that is to find a Passuer. A paid guide that will risk their life to help. They made some contacts in Liege and return to Amsterdam.

*July 18th 1942 On this day everything changes. Donny’s name is called. This means he needs to report to Westerborg. This is the train station where they put the Jews on trains to Concentration camps. At these camps they will unload the people from the trains and separate a few of the Jews because they need ditch diggers or slaves that they will be worked with little food until they die. The rest will just be executed or put into gas chambers. This is what’s happening but this is not what they are being told by the Authorities. They are being sent to work camps according to them. Solly says “Then why do they take old people and little children?” This makes no sense to them and not believe them. This is what saves them. They know something worse is happening and they need to leave immediately.

last good byes. who went who stayed.

Isidore goes to see his parents and family. He tells them that Donny has been called and that he is not going to report to Westerborg. In fact the entire Leeda family is going to attempt to escape today and Isidore is going with them. Everyone starts crying. He does his best to try and convince his parents that they should try to escape with them. Isi begs his parents so they can stay together. His father gets depressed and scared and in a terrible mood. He gets sick and passes out. Isidore realizes that his father wants to stay behind and that he doesn’t want to come. Isi has a baby. He has to at least try to escape.

The Leeda family is packing their bags. only essentials and valuables. Solly doesn’t want to leave without Henny. He packs quick and goes to see her. Solly tells Henny what has happened and that they are leaving the Netherlands immediately. Henny is young and has never been out of Amsterdam. She loves Solly and this sounds exciting. She decides to join Solly and goes inside and packs her bag. They are now in escape mode and need to keep quite about their escape. Henny has many brothers and sisters and her parents. They are not going to want Henny to leave so she secretly grabs her things and gets out of there. It all happens so quick and it doesn’t seem real.

Benny Betsy Rika Solly Donny Isi Henny and Jules have the Passeur waiting for them in Liege. but they are still in Amsterdam.

THIS AREA IS UNDER CONSTRUCTION

Because the first to die in a camp was Celina on Sept 30, 1942 then the family had to have left before that date.
Hendrina (Henny) Leeda,  born June 8, 1924, died Aug 8, 1998
Her parents were: Esther Sacksioni, born Nov. 8, 1886, died Oct. 2, 1942 in Auschwitz.  Occupation, fruit vendor Mozes Platvoet, born Aug. 8, 1885, died Oct. 2, 1942 Auschwitz

Her parents were: Esther Sacksioni, born Nov. 8, 1886, died Oct. 2, 1942 in Auschwitz.  Occupation, fruit vendor Mozes Platvoet, born Aug. 8, 1885, died Oct. 2, 1942 Auschwitz
Henny’s brothers and sisters were:
Duifje (brother) born Feb 15, 1922, died May 17, 1977, occupation, sponge maker Gerson (brother) born Sept 14, 1912, died Oct 29, 1993.  Occupation, tailor Elizabeth (sister) born Sept 11, 1914, died Oct 15, 1942 Auschwitz Salomon (brother) born May 28, 1916, died July 2, 1943 Sobibor Sophia (sister) born March 3, 1918, died Aug 19, 2005 Her husband’s (Peter Adrianus Willem van de Voored) occupation was freight forwarder Betsy (sister) born Oct 13, 1920, died July 9, 1943 Sobibor Celina (sister) born Aug 17, 1922 died Sept 30, 1942 Auschwitz Philip (brother) born Oct 3, 1926, died Jan 31, 1943 Auschwitz

Levie Sacksioni was married to Anna van Witsen. He was a diamond worker by trade. On 16 September 1943 their second child, the son Joseph, was born in Westerbork transit camp.
Record of birth certificates of the Westerbork municipality, currently at the archives of Gemeente Midden-Drenthe in Beilen

In addition, a Jokos file (number 13270) on this person is at the Amsterdam Municipal Archive. Access is subject to authorization from the Stichting Joods Maatschappelijk Werk.

Sixty thousand Jews were deported to Auschwitz; only nine hundred and seventy-two survived. Thirty-four thousand Jews were deported to Sorbibor; only two – two out of thirty-four thousand – lived to return to the Netherlands.

END OF CONSTRUCTION ZONE

July 18th 1942 – The Family sleeps that first night in a bakery in Amsterdam. There is an area above the ovens that is too hot to store things. This area was just enough space for them to hide for the night. It is very hot. They need to avoid the police and get out of the city. The next morning they board a train to Liege to meet the Passuer.

The Passuer brings them to Waremme, a small town near Liege and stay for almost 2 weeks in a bakery. There is a room upstairs that the bakery is using to hide Jews, risking their lives to help. German soldiers regularly come into the café to eat. They need to be absolutely quite. No shoes allowed. The second night they are there Henny decides she wants to go home. She cries and cries but this is not possible. She thinks she can just go home but she can not. She is realizing that she might not ever see her family again. This is clearly a pivotal moment in her life.

Henny is going through a lot but she can not give up. Danger is everywhere. One afternoon she is in the café eating and German officers come in to eat and sit in the chair directly behind her. They see Henny. She is cute and the officers flirt with her. She is engaged to Solly. She keeps her cool and gets out of the situation.

*August 9th 1942 – They need to get to Free France so they hire a guide. Travel by train is not always possible. Many bridges are destroyed. The guide recommends taking a small bus through the farm roads. The guide has a talk with them before they go. He says to them that they are a large group and that if someone from the group gets caught that the others should pretend not to be with them and to try and slip away. The family knew this was impossible. Betsy would never be able to remain quiet if one of her children was to be taken away. She would scream like crazy and the others would have to try to save her.

They gather there bags and get on the old country bus entering from the back and sitting up in the front. While on back roads of Belgium the bus is stopped randomly. It’s the Gestapo and they want to check for papers(Travel documents, ID, etc.). The family has nothing. The 3 or 4 soldiers check the papers for everyone starting from the back and go forward. When they reach the front of the bus there is nobody left to check but them. Isidore is sleeping or maybe pretending to be, with Jules the baby sleeping on his lap. The officer in charge looks over the group for a minute. During this pause the German in charge realized he was either was tired of checking papers or he realizes that this is a family of Jews with a baby and took mercy. He decides to stop checking for papers and tells the other soldiers they are done. The Gestapo exit the bus. They will never know why that officer stopped checking for papers but they knew that if they were caught that they would be killed.

*August 11th 1942 – They need to cross the Loire river to get into Free France. The guide goes during the day to find a safe place to cross the river. A spot that isn’t so deep and easy to cross. My guess is that he didn’t check the depth of the water and was just concerned with where the Germans were stationed along the river, but who knows. That night they take a train to where they are going to cross the river but they can not find the spot. They decide to just cross anyway. The river is guarded by Germans with machine guns and dogs every 500 – 1000 feet. When they hear something on the river they shoot their guns randomly around the river. They enter the water and it is freezing cold. The water comes from the mountains and is cold, running fast and is also deep. They need to be absolutely quit. With a one year old baby there was no guarantee of that. Donny carries the baby over his head. Betsy is very short and starts to float away. They grab her while others struggle and somehow they hold together and get to the other side with bags and all accounted for. They are cold and wet. Exhausted from crossing the river they spend the night under a bridge. They hear snoring. It is Solly. Catching some much need rest.

November 8th 1942 – Vichy fails to defend North Africa and re-alines with the Allies. Winston Churchill calls this the beginning of the end.

November 11th 1942 Germans occupy (Vichy) Free France.

*November 11th 1942 – They are hiding in a barn in Free France. They hear Germans all over. While they are in the barn there is a knock on the door. They say you must be Jews in there. Solly says “no no. We are from Holland. We are Dutch.” The banging stops and they leave. Why they left they are not sure. They could easily of busted in and checked but for some reason they didn’t. The barn is not safe anymore and they leave it. They head south and settle in a little village called La Conne in the south of France.

*November 15th 1942 They arrive in La Conne and stay for around 2 months. They start seeing more and more Germans. This is because Hitler wants to control the entrance to the Mediterranean so many German officers are there to make sure the Vichy government was doing its part. No place in Europe is safe. They were told by their guide that in Portugal they can get on a boat and go to Suriname. Suriname is next to Brazil in South America. It is Dutch owned and they will be safe there.

*January 1st 1943 – They want to get to the port in Portugal to get to Suriname. There is a country in-between. Spain. Spain has been neutral but Hitler wants to control the Mediterranean and at the entrance to it is Gibraltar. Gibraltar is in Spain. The people of Gibraltar were already evacuated to Camp Gibraltar on the island of Jamaica.

There is another problem. To cross the border into Spain, they need to get across the Pyrenees Mountains with a family of eight that includes older parents and a 1 year old child. It was known by the resistance that refugees from Hungary were escaping to Spain on the Eastern side of the border and that it is a one day trek. Many were being picked up and given directly to the Germans. They could of tried to cross the Pyrenees in other places but it would of required them to be able to survive the snow capped mountains for more than one night and this was probably not an option. Freezing to death is very possible. The Pyrenees Mountains span the entire boarder between France and Spain. A natural barrier that protects Spain from the north. Many people try to cross these snow capped mountains. It could take up to a week and serious mountaineering skills to survive this trek. Many froze to death trying.

They decide to cross these mountains on the far eastern side of the border. They board a train to Perpignan. It is time to give it a try.

*January 2nd 1943 They arrive in Perpignan. There is no time for French fries. They get off the train and head towards the mountains with the guide. They will be near the boarder and will need to be quiet. The guide is prepared. He has a sleeping pill for the baby. They get to the area where they need to be quiet. They give Jules the pill but it has the opposite reaction. He starts screaming. They cover his mouth as best they could and get through the area and onto the mountain trail. They hike with the baby, parents and bags all night. The father stops and tells them he can not go any further. The family rally’s and more or less carries him to the top of the Mountain. The sun is just starting to rise. They are standing on the border on top of a mountain. The Guide tells them this is where I leave you. It is too dangerous for him there. He pointed to a town that they could see and told them to avoid that town. That if they caught you in that town or close to the border they would very likely be sent back over the border but as a captured prisoner. They need to go around the town and get as far into Spain as possible. Further into Spain there is a less likely chance they would be sent back if you were caught. That morning they continue to hike down the mountain through valleys and very rough terrain. They go around the town and come to a barb wire fence. They lift the wire and crawl under carefully. As they get to the other side they find themselves face to face with thousands of Spanish soldiers. They were caught and brought to the local prison. This is exactly what they didn’t want to have happen.

*January 3rd 1942 – They are jailed in Figueres Prison. All their belongings are taken away and never returned. This includes gold and diamonds that they are using to escape. The women and the baby are separated from the men. The conditions were deplorable. Rika gets terribly sick while she is there. She survives the 5 weeks and is released into the custody of the Dutch consulate with the other women and Jules the baby. The men are jammed 10 people into small cells that were made for 1 or 2 people. When they sleep they rotate head feet head feet on the cement floor to maximize the space. They are packed so tight that when one person needs to roll over they all roll over. Benjamin gets sick and ends up in the prison hospital. For five weeks they scramble for food.

*February 7th 1943 The Dutch consulate had showed up. They provide care packages with food for the men and the girls are being released. The men are accused of being communists and they want to hold them until the end of the war. The men are still inside the prison, but it is too dangerous for the women to stay in that area. To protect her baby Rika has to leave her husband behind and go to Madrid. The women stay together and they hoped the men will be able to take care of themselves. The Dutch consulate was still trying to get them out. She is told they would bring them to Madrid when they got out.

*February 14th 1943 – The men are accused of being Communists. They believe this is it for them. They are in bad shape. They are covered with sores and flees and lice and are getting limited food. One piece of bread had to be split between two people. They believe they can not live more than a couple of months this way before they are dead. They will not make it to the end of the war in this prison. One maybe two weeks later the Consulate informs them that they will be set free. Benjamin is told but he doesn’t believe it is true. He doesn’t want to leave the hospital area but is finally convinced to leave. The Dutch consulate get them out of the prison. A limousine picks them up. They shaved them bold and completely wash them with machines to clean off the bugs. They are fed a good meal at a restaurant. They can not stay there so they get on the train and go to Madrid and bring the family back together.

*February 18th 1943 until August 1943 they stay in Madrid. The Dutch consulate tells them they need to go to Vigo. They would be able to catch a boat that is taking off for Jamaica to a refugee camp run by the British. They should get on a boat to Suriname from there.

May 1943 In Amsterdam Sterilization or Deportation of Jews in Mixed Marriages. Thousands of Jews are married to non-Jews. Until now, they have been exempt from deportation. In 1943, the Nazis force them to choose between sterilization and deportation.

August 31st 1943 The Marques de Comillas takes off for the island of Jamaica, Camp Gibraltar. The family is together for three weeks crossing the ocean. When they arrive on September 20th it is a relief. There is a small town where they get vegetables called

September 1943 the remaining Jews in Amsterdam, about 10,000, are rounded up for deportation.

Pepin and the camp was very nice and the food was good. they lived in tents. Jamaica was known as the British West Indies. They still wanted to be on Dutch territory so they decided to push on to the Dutch West Indies also known as Suriname.

Grab & Go

In mid 1943, Annie Sacksioni who is half Jewish becomes aware that her brother Levi, her pregnant sister-in-law Anna and their toddler daughter Trudy were picked up at their home and brought to Wallenstraat to be deported.  Annie, who has long blond hair, feels because of her looks that she won’t be in harm’s way if she takes her bicycle and her other brother to see if they can find them. As they approach one of the many canal bridges near Wallenstraat, they see young and old men and women and families with children by their sides, in a line waiting to be taken away to transit camps where they will be sent to one of many extermination camps. Annie spots Anna, Levi and Trudy; she crosses the bridge, approaches her brother Levi and grabs Trudy’s hand and continues down the street without being noticed. If they had been spotted during this grab and go they surely would have been taken or killed on the spot. A very brave move.  A very desperate move.  

On September 16 Levi and Anna are taken to Westerbork Transit Camp. Anna goes into labor. Their son Joseph is born. They get deported to Auschwitz where they were murdered on February 11, 1944.

Trudy is moved to Antwerp, Belgium and lives under the care of her mothers sister, Aunt Stella de Vries until the end of the war.

October 14th 1943 – 300 escape Sobibor extermination camp. 50 survive the war.

November 10th 1943 – Solly 22.5 years old and Henny 19.5 years old, are Married in Kingston, British West Indies.

The Dutch consulate provided so much help. There is going to be a bill for all of this that is going to need to be settled. The Consulate informs them that if Solly joins the service that the debt would be erased. Solly enlists. Donny is only 17. He wants revenge on the Nazis and will not be left behind. He volunteers.

Donny and Solly join the army together. They take a Water-plane to Miami. It is still warm but now they get on a train with five other boys and go to New York City. They are wearing their white uniforms in the winter and it is snowing in New York. For a short time they get to make some friends but this is temporary. They board a ship that is a part of a convoy of about 25 ships that cross the Atlantic to Britain. The convoy sails through a storm. The invasion is coming and they need as many troops as possible and they are not going to let the weather stop them. Surviving the storm would not be the only obstacle. A submarine attacks. They prepare to be hit by a torpedo. While standing by the rail of the ship They are told that if they see a torpedo coming, that it is best to jump off the ship before it hits. This increases their chances of surviving. Deep sea bombs are dropped…. The submarine didn’t show up again after that. They arrive in Britain and Go to Wolvehampton for 6 weeks of Basic training. Donnie wants to be a pilot but is told there would not be enough time. The invasion is around the corner. He elects to stay with his brother and they are put in the Prinses Irene Brigade.

Safe and Secure

While Solly and Donny are serve in the Dutch Army, the rest of the family stays in or near Paramaribo, Suriname. The family feels safe in this small Dutch colony.  Everyday life is rather mundane as they wait to hear from Solly and Donny, always concerned about their safety as they return to Europe and the hot spots of the war.  But life in Suriname is not without obstacles.  It’s tropical weather, numerous rivers, rain forests, grasslands and swamps harbors a myriad of plant species, trees, animals, mammals, birds and reptiles including caimans, iguanas, and the boa constrictor. One morning Rika wakes up. As part of her routine, she checks to insure Jules, a toddler at the time, is still sleeping and is ok.  As she approaches him she sees a large snake curled up apparently seeking warmth from his body. In a panic, Rita runs across the village to get one of the natives who quickly runs to their room, grabs the snake and immediately kills it, saving the toddler from a serious and possibly life threatening situation.  Life in Suriname is anything but mundane. Wherever they are, wherever they go, they are always in survival mode.

June 6th 1944 – Normandy invasion.

June 8th 1944 – Two days after the invasion and it’s their turn. The P.I.B are landing at Graye-sur-Mer Normandy, in northern France. This beach is located between Normandy and Juno Beach. P.I.B. served under the First Canadian Army until it moved forward with the British Second Army. Heavy fighting took place around the Chateau St Come (“Hellfire Corner”) and the brigade liberated Pont Audemer in the progress.A Loyd Carrier of the Prinses Irene Brigade, in September 1944.

In mid-September, the P.I.B. became involved in fighting with German forces at the town of Beringen.

It first re-entered Dutch territory at Borkel en Schaft on 20 September 1944, as part of Operation Market Garden – the operation to simultaneously capture nine bridges between the Bocholt-Herentals Canal and the Rhine (at Arnhem). At around this time, the brigade was also involved in combat against the Dutch Waffen-SS volunteer formation Landstorm Nederland, German SS, and paratroopers.^[1] From 26 September, the P.I.B guarded the then unnamed bridge spanning the River Maas at Grave. (The bridge known later as John S. Thompsonbrug, was the longest to attack and defend during the operation.)

On 24 October, the brigade was ordered to move south-west to Tilburg to attack the town from the south during Operation Pheasant while the 51st (Highland) Infantry Division attacked from the east. The P.I.B. was unable to get to Tilburg and was stranded at Broekhoven, where fighting took place and four soldiers were killed.

The Prinses Irene Brigade spent the winter of 1944/45 in the region of Walcheren and Noord-Beveland (Zeeland), losing several soldiers. From Zeeland, the P.I.B. went back to North Brabant.

Operation “Orange

The P.I.B. was involved in heavy fighting in the town of Hedel, north of Den Bosch, on the River Maas in April 1945. The P.I.B. was supposed to link up with the 30 Royal Marines, of the 116th Infantry Brigade Royal Marines, at Kerkdriel in an attempt to liberate the Bommelerwaard. However, the Royal Marines gave up due to German opposition in the town of Kerkdriel, leaving the P.I.B. stranded at the bridgehead of Hedel.^{[citation needed]} The Prinses Irene Brigade was under command of the 116th Infantry Brigade Royal Marines at this time. Still, they fought the Germans with great gallantry, and were able to hold the town for three days. In these fights, the P.I.B. lost twelve men; around thirty were wounded. Several gallantry medals were later awarded for actions in Hedel. At 11:15 hours on 25 April the order to withdraw from the bridgehead, in Hedel, came from 116th Infantry Brigade Royal Marines. At 23:30 hours III Independent Company withdrew from the town as the last unit to the south side of the river Maas. This effort was completed at 00:30 hours on 26 April.

The Princess Irene Brigade entered The Hague on 9 May 1945 as liberators. There were a total of 3000 troops that served in the brigade. 1000 of them lost their lives. After the war, the the Dutch Army stationed at Wrottesley Park, Wolverhampton during World War II were given the Freedom of the City of Wolverhampton on 19 August 2006.

July 25th 1944 – Forces break out of Normandy and head towards Paris.

August 25th 1944 – Paris is liberated.

December 16th 1944 – starts the battle of the bulge.

January 1st 1945 – Germany is in retreat.

March 7th 1945 – US troops cross the river Rhine into Germany.

April 12, 1945, the 896 Jews imprisoned in the Westerbork transit camp are liberated.

April 30th 1945 – Hitler commits’ suicide,

May 8th 1045 Germany surrenders unconditionally.

August 6th 1945 The United Stated Bombs Hiroshima followed by another on Nagasaki.

September 2, 1945 Japan officially unconditionally surrenders. ending World War II

Opa Isi, Oma Rika, and Jules are living in New York by December 23rd 1945. Rika had a baby girl born on that day. Aunt Mary was born in the United States. Eventually Opa Isi retired to Delrey Beach Florida where he lived out the remainder of his life enjoying Oma’s homemade soups swimming endless laps in the pools and watching Archie Bunker reruns. Isi passed on October 31, 1994 in Florida at age 79. Rika moved back to Amsterdam where she ate Matzah with brown sugar until she passed away on January 31, 2010 in Amsterdam at age 90 . Jules married Kaaren Belanger and lived in New York. They had two children David and Randy and eventually retired to Delrey Beach Florida.

After the war was over Oma Betsy, Opa Benny, Uncle Solly, Aunt Henny, and Uncle Donny returned to Amsterdam to try and reconnect with any survivors. Uncle Donny Married Aunt Annie. Solly and Henny had a baby Estella on October, 14 1946. They all moved to the United States. They were on a ship called Gripsholm that arrived January 1st 1947. They entered into the country through Ellis Island. They lived in the United States for a while but eventually moved back to Amsterdam permanently in July of 1960.

Elizabeth Leeda (Betsy) age 45. Died November 25, 1995 in Amsterdam at age 94
Benjamin Leeda (Benny) age 46 Died October 9, 1958 in New York age 58
Salomon Leeda (Sally) age 25 Died May 26, 1996 in Amsterdam at age 75
Hendrina Leeda (Henny) age 23 Died August 8, 1998 in Amsterdam at age 74
Estella Leeda (Stella)
Gideon Leeda (Donny) age 20gideon
Anna Leeda (Annie) age 23

All arrived at Ellis Island on the Grisholm in 1947. 

The escape started with eight. All of them survived. Almost all of the family members that did not attempt escape were killed in Auschwitz. Henny was one of nine children. The two oldest of her brothers were not living at home at the time survived. The rest of her siblings and her parents were all killed. Benny Betsy Rika Solly and Donny are the only surviving Leedas. Isidores parents were killed in Sobibor.

Trudy was raised by her mothers sister named Stella de Vries. Trudy survived the war. She lives in Antwerp, married David Jeger and they have two children Nathalie and Danny. There are bricks in the walkway in front of the houses were they were taken from so their names will always be remembered and that they were killed in Auschwitz.

Trudy lived under the care of her mothers sister, Aunt Stella de Vries. She moved to Antwerp, Belgium where she met her husband David Jeger and had two children, Nathalie and Danny.

In the winter of 2019, three “Stumble Stones” were placed at Nieuwe Uilenburgerstraat 74, Amsterdam, where Levi, Anna and Trudy called home. The stones are in memory of Trudy’s parents and the brother she never knew.  Trudy was at the ceremony, as were others from the Sacksioni family including one of Annie’s sisters, and the Leeda/Griffieon family. 

Rika had a friend that survived the concentration camp. Her name was Judy. She was one of only 5,200 Dutch Jews that left a camp alive. 102,000 Dutch Jews were killed in the camps. 75% of Dutch Jews were killed. This was the second highest percentage after Poland. She married Phil that also survived. They both were tattooed with numbers on there fore arms.

Hitler used propaganda to control public opinion to hate Jews. Jews were made the scapegoat for every ill of the country. Hitler was convinced that he needed to eradicate the Jewish population and all of its history. We know six million Jews were killed. The lost potential of those people is not known and is lost for ever. There is a pressure on those that were lucky to survive and there descendants. They know that they are either extremely extremely lucky or that there was some Devine intervention. At some point the luck doesn’t make sense anymore and you are left with Devine intervention. This is where the pressure is. There is a feeling that you need to do something great for this world to justify your existence. The extended family of the group that survived are all successful in there own ways. The Ertman and the Leeda’s have grown in numbers and they are all very smart people. Each is successful at whatever they do and I promises that the world has been and is being affected in very possitive ways by this small family.

What about Jewish history? Many Jewish temples across Europe were looted and destroyed. Hitler didn’t just want to kill all the Jews, he wanted to erase their existence. Religious artifacts were melted for the metal. Anything that referred to Judaism in any way was publicly defaced or destroyed. Anything of value was stolen and the rest was reused for the war or destroyed. The same happened in the ghettos. After the ghettos were emptied of the Jewish people the German soldiers with their dogs would go through the apartments and take what they wanted. The Nazis knew the Jews would try to hide valuables so they dug up what they could find. They knew where to look. When they were satisfied they would set up machine guns and light the place on fire. These fires destroyed what was left and flushed out any Jews that might be hiding. The Jews would exit the building to avoid being burned to death only to get gunned down by machine guns.

In Amsterdam, the Portuguese Temple (Esnoga) and its contents were spared. The community’s valuable possessions, the magnificent building, valuable ceremonial objects and the Ets Haim library, have been transferred to a separate foundation, called CEPIG, in 2003. This has made it easier to raise funds and attract subsidies for the restoration and maintenance of the synagogue and the community’s possessions. Since January 2009, CEPIG has been managed and operated by the Jewish Historical Museum, enabling the community to focus on its religious and social tasks.

For centuries Amsterdam was the center of the West-Sefardic world, bringing forth many rabbis, scientists, philosophers, artists, merchants and bankers, who made an enormous contributions to the prosperity of the Netherlands.

That prominence and wealth found its ultimate expression in the Esnoga, also referred to as Snoge, in the heart of the old Jewish neighborhood. To this day, the Esnoga is at the heart of our community. The Esnoga, together with the Old-New Synagogue in Prague, is the oldest functioning synagogue in the world.

The persecution of the Jews in that dark era dealt a heavy blow to the community. 3,700 of the 4,300 Portuguese Jews perished. Yet, on May 9, 1945, four days after the liberation of the Netherlands, services were resumed at the Esnoga, as can be clearly seen in a famous photograph taken by Boris Kowadlo. It shows the parnassim carrying a Torah scroll, almost as if nothing had happened. The Esnoga and its ceremonial object were untouched.

The survivors and their descendants worked hard to rebuild the community. Today, our number is growing, albeit slowly. About 250 families are affiliated with the community and there are about 630 members.

Hidden in the attic of Esnoga some personal possessions were saved. When the war was over many people never returned, These unclaimed items, the building, and the ancient library are managed by CIPEG

Artifacts like the Menorah below are extremely rare. This menorah is part of a collection that was donated to the Jewish museum in New York City by Dr. Harry G. Friedman. Many are on display but this one is not. It sits safely in storage. I have asked the Curator of Judaica at the Jewish Museum, Abagail Rapaport, to see if I could borrow the menorah for a Chanukah service at my temple. I was hoping to re-light it under the supervision of Rabbi Saachs from the Chai center in Dix Hills, NY.

Holocaust survivors believe their existence is a miracle. This is true for their subsequent generations. Chanukah is the celebration of a miracle of light. This menorah’s survival is also a miracle. A respectful holiday celebration and back to safety.

If you would like to show your support for re-lighting the Menorah you can do so by putting your name on our growing list. A menorah can ONLY be lit on Chanukah and the miracle of that light is traditionally shared…Please sign here: Thank you from a Survivor\ Jules Ertman, second generation survivors\David Ertman and Randy Ertman, and third generation survivors\Alexander Ertman, Cole Ertman, Jessie Ertman, Corey Ertman, Rachel Ertman and Jamie Ertman.

There are currently 11 names on the list.

Below is a picture the menorah and the information provided by the Jewish Museum website.

There is a Gallery for antique Judaica around the block from the JM museum. It is called Menorah Galleries and the proprietor is a gentleman by the name Avi. He has a few artifacts that he justifiably places a high value on. He is a business person that is trying to make a living while preserving history. Avi is also a good person that has a good heart. He knows our story and is hoping the Museum loans us the menorah we strive for. Avi has pledged to help make dreams into reality so there is hope.

Papa Benny had a parent Jules Thieboom that lived in Belgium?

On May 10th 1940 Germany invaded Holland. By May 17th Germany seized control. Holland was occupied territory. The Germans started rounding up the Jewish people to put them on trains to send them to work camps. In 1942 Donny Leeda was called down to be put on a train. Isidore Erwteman and his new wife Rika with a newborn named Jules. , her brothers’ Donny and Solly Leeda and Solly’s girlfriend and future wife Henny and the parents of Rika, Donny, and Solly, Oma Betsy and Opa Benny left friends and family behind to attempt an escape. They knew that if they were caught that they would be killed. This video speaks for itself. When the tape ran out they continued to tell about the experience. The people in this video never spoke about their experience until it all came out at once. Thankfully we filmed this video tape. These people are survivors and they are the roots we are built on.

Eight people were brave enough to leave the comfort of their homes, leave their close family members whom they loved dearly, leave their country and life style they thought would be their’s forever because they were fearful of certain death at the hands of the Nazi’s.

Three Ertman’s, four Leeda’s and one from the Platvoet family, left everything that mattered to them, not knowing if they would live another day. All eight survived. None of the Ertman family left behind survived, none of the Leeda family survived and  4 of 11 members of the Platvoet (including Henny) survived.  As terrifying as the escape was, the realization of how and why their family were killed was more than they could imagine. But survivors survive. Not only did they survive, they thrived. The eight became 51.  That’s thriving. 

The Ertman family grew to 26. Jules married Kaaren and had two children, David & Randy.  David married Jodey and had 3 children, Alex, Cole and Jessie.  Randy married Michelle and also had 3 children , Corey, Rachel and Jamie.  Mary married Solly and had 3 sons, Nicky, Isi and André.  Isi had 3 children, 1 from his first marriage, David, and 2 from his second marriage, Jonas and Anais. Nicky and Lana had 2 children. 

The Leeda family grew as well.  Solly and Henny had 3 children, Stella, Morris and Benny. Stella married Ruby and had a daughter, Mandy.  Benny married Ans and had 2 daughters, Nancy and Sharon.  Morris married Carla and had two children, a son, Salo and a daughter, Nathalie.  A family of 13.

Donny and Annie adopted one child, Lisa. Lisa married Ger and had two sons and adopted a girl, Donny, Randy and Ruby.  Donny married Kim and had three children.  Yuna, Zino (who died at 3 days old) and Xavi.  Randy had two sons with Hester, Joritt and Robbin.  Ruby and Tim had a son, Pim.  A family of 16.

As for those who were murdered….their memory will live on forever as their names are inscribed on brass bricks, throughout Amsterdam in front of the homes from where they were taken.  These “Stumble Stones” are seen not only by the people that remain and can safely live in Amsterdam but by the millions of tourists that visit.  There are over 70,000 stones in over 1200 cities across Europe. There are names on bricks in walls at Holocaust Memorial’s including the newest one in Amsterdam. 

The 37 direct descendants can thank the fearless eight for being smart enough and brave enough to take the first step on a journey of unknowns on a path to freedom. 

Let us never forget.  We must never forget. 

https://youtu.be/cEr8o58jsHQ Escape from Amsterdam during WWII. -1 Hour Video –

* Asterisks are for dates that are not confirmed. They are in line with the video and cross checked with other events that happened but not confirmed.