Stolpersteine in Wassenaar

On Thursday, Nov. 25 and Friday, Nov. 26, 2021, "Stolpersteine" (trip stones) were placed and unveiled in the sidewalk in front of seven Wassenaar homes.   

The life stories

The working group Stolpersteine Wassenaar, together with the municipality of Wassenaar and various supporters, was able to organize these meetings and stone-laying. Prior to the stone laying and unveilings, ceremonies took place on Thursday, November 25, at the Rijnlands Lyceum, and November 26, at the Kievietkerk, where various speakers spoke. Relatives, relatives and those involved shared life stories. In the Kievietkerk, many relatives were present who had come over from abroad to pay tribute to the affected family members.

Music and student contributions

There were also contributions from students at Rijnlands Lyceum and Bloemcamp School. Both schools have also adopted the stones. Every year they will pay attention to them in their classes and make sure that the stones look neat.

Marcel Sutedja, student of the Rijnlands Lyceum performed on violin - accompanied by Natasja Douma on piano - the Concertino, which the Jewish composer M.Weinberg composed in 1948 as a tribute to those who had been killed. Rabbi Menno ten Brink pronounced the Kaddish prayer. The prayer of life. After a word of thanks from the chairman of the working group Margaret de Vos van Steenwijk, the group left for the day's addresses. 

The first placement

At the first address, 106 van Zuylen van Nijeveltstraat, Mayor Leendert de Lange, together with a student of the Rijnlands Lyceum - Lies Vrancken Peeters - placed a Stolperstein in front of the house of Freddie da Silva. Freddie da Silva was a teacher at the Rijnlands Lyceum. Like his colleague Ernest Frijda, as a Jewish teacher he was only allowed to work at Jewish schools. Both were eventually deported and killed in concentration camps. This fate befell all those for whom Stolpersteine were placed. Entire families were deported from Wassenaar and murdered in concentration camps. And some even fled in despair into death. See the stories behind all 18 Stolpersteine placed in Wassenaar in the brochure at the bottom of this page. The brochure was created by Ton Beijersbergen, member of the Werkgroep Stolpersteine Wassenaar.

Stones and roses

After the placement of the Stolpersteine and the laying of white roses, those present were asked to symbolically lay down a stone in memory of the deceased according to Jewish custom. The imperishability of the stones represents eternal love and faith, everlasting respect and a remembrance of and connection to the dead.

Quote Mayor Leendert de Lange:

'A Jewish saying goes: a man is not forgotten until his name is forgotten. During the Second World War, nearly 100 Jewish residents of Wassenaar disappeared. They were your neighbors, friends, they went to the same school, were on the same sports team, did their shopping in your neighborhood store. Only because they were Jewish, they were arrested and deported. And did not survive. It is important that young people, but also people with a little more life experience, are reminded time and again what anti-Semitism, discrimination, hatred and exclusion can lead to. We must never lose sight of the fact that it is always about people. Behind every stone is an impressive history of a fellow villager. They deserve to be remembered again and again. To bow down and show our deep respect. To honor and learn from this. And that we never forget. This never again.

Mayor Leendert de Lange, along with Lies Vrancken Peeters -pupil of the Rijnlands Lyceum - lay a Stolperstein in front of Freddie da Silva's house.

"A man is not forgotten until his name is forgotten"

Thursday, Nov. 3, 2022, was a literal and figurative reflection on a
four people whose stories should not be forgotten. Jewish Wassenaarders with diverse backgrounds who became victims of the Holocaust in World War II. All four lived in freedom around the Kievietkerk. This church in its beautiful green surroundings became the setting for a very special ceremony. Organized by the Municipality of Wassenaar in very close cooperation with the Working Group Stolpersteine, Wassenaar is now richer in four trip-stones. 

"A man is not forgotten until his name is forgotten," Mayor De Lange recalled a Jewish proverb. Four people of Jewish descent were commemorated by relatives and other interested parties, thanks to the Werkgroep Stolpersteine Wassenaar. This working group consists of five very enthusiastic Wassenaar citizens, namely: Ton Beijersbergen, Evelyn Hompes, Niek Kat, Kees Neisingh and Margaret de Vos van Steenwijk (chairman), and is facilitatively supported by two employees on behalf of the municipality, Ingrid Sachumsky and Charlotte Veldkamp. This working group has completed another year of research with a beautifully designed booklet full of stories and photographs.

Stolpersteine

The laying of the Stolpersteine in memory is, thanks to the working group and the municipality, an ultimate gift to society to keep the names of these victims alive. Stolpersteine are so named because the hope is that people will symbolically trip over them and thus take a moment to reflect on history. It is a concrete block on which a handmade brass plate measuring ten by ten inches is attached. On it is a name, the year of birth and, if known, the date and place of death.

Stories

After words of welcome by the chairman of the working group and our mayor, it was the honor of family members, members of the Historical Society Oud Wassenaer and the Working Group Stolpersteine, to tell the stories of the murdered Wassenaarders. Needless to say, this was an emotional event for many of the nearly eighty guests. Jan Kessler, for whom one of these Stolpersteine was laid earlier this year on Stoeplaan, was also remembered and his story shared once again in the presence of his sister Margo. "Please, for our future generation, let's keep telling these stories!"

Future generation

This generation was also present, first with an emotional violin and
piano by Luca van der Waals and Natasja Douma followed by the 8th grade students of the Kieviet School. They performed a beautiful homemade song entitled "I leave a light burning for you" and many in the pews did not keep dry. In their own beautiful way, the students paid respect to these 'sweet, beautiful and brave people'.

Jacques Gourevitch

After a poem and the reciting of the Kaddish, the party proceeded
to the Oranjelaan 16 where the first stone was unveiled. The current occupant of this house told about Jacques Gourevitch, for whom unfortunately no surviving relatives have been found. He was from Russia where it was not safe for people with a Jewish background. Perhaps it made his parents decide to defect to relatively safe Poland to
eventually ending up in the Netherlands. Unfortunately, history seemed to repeat itself, and after the Netherlands was overrun in the May days of 1940 and the first anti-Jewish measures were introduced, Jacques had nowhere to go. On October 21, 1941, he is reportedly arrested for "anti-German behavior" and is imprisoned in The Oranje Hotel in Scheveningen. Via Buchenwald concentration camp, he was transported to Mauthausen in Austria where, still only 39 years old, he was murdered on June 4, 1942.

Judith Rosen Jacobson-Ferares

This was followed by a visit to Nassaulaan 5. The family of Judith Rosen Jacobson-Ferares was present in large numbers and provided a
connection, which made this day so beautiful. This stone is for Judith, the grandmother no one knew, but about whom fortunately much has been found in the form of her paintings, photographs and written letters and texts. A positive-minded, brave, steadfast and artistic woman who was described as very caring, traveling and adventurous. Judith Rosen Jacobson-Ferares was murdered at Auschwitz concentration camp at the age of 55. That the very youngest family member was allowed to unveil the stone was a wonderful moment.

Henk Hartog

The current residents of Duinvoetlaan 9, the charming house where Henk Hartog lived, are honored to be involved in this fine project of the working group. Henk, an artist who made appealing drawings, came to live in Wassenaar by a twist of fate and circumstances, just when Wassenaar was being occupied by the Germans. On July 7, 1942, he and two friends tried to flee to Switzerland. But in a sleepy little town in France they try, with
briefcase, coat and hat, cross the demarcation line and are arrested. The intention is to have the prisoners deported to Poland
deported, but the two friends jump from the moving train and will eventually reach free England. Henk felt nothing for the jump and goes on transport with final destination Auschwitz. About nine months after his escape, Henk's life came to an end on April 30, 1943: he was not yet 28 years old....

Paul Jüdell

"Paul Jüdell chose his own coat of arms," said Kees Neisingh of the
Historical Society. The highly enterprising and traveled accountant and insurance professional, was also trained as an infantry reserve officer. He was called up as an infantry reserve officer as early as World War I, and in WWII he was mobilized for the second time in his life. Meanwhile, he lives at 22 Stoeplaan. Despite observing punctual neutrality, our country is attacked by Nazi Germany in the early morning of May 10, 1940. With the bombing of Rotterdam, the battle was settled and capitulation followed. Intolerable for Paul Jüdell. On May 14, 1940, together with several hundred Jewish compatriots, he chooses to escape
into death. This talented and energetic man is only 51 years old.

Memorable togetherness

It was a very moving, impressive and memorable gathering that will take place more often in the future. In fact, the working group is moving forward to also name the other Wassenaar victims of the Holocaust in World War II in the form of a tripstone

Stumbling head and heart over ten new Stolpersteine in Wassenaar

Marcus van Leeuwen, Henriëtte van Leeuwen-van Baale, Elizabeth Reijna van Leeuwen, John van den Bergh, Rudolfine van den Bergh-Jessel, Kaatje Frenk, Mietje Frenk, Sophia de Sterke, Joseph Kan and Werner Gans: these are the names of Holocaust victims engraved on a Stolperstein, located in front of the house where they last voluntarily lived in freedom.

Fourth ceremony

Thursday, November 2, an impressive gathering took place in Council House De Paauw. This fourth Wassenaar Stolpersteine Ceremony was organized by the municipality of Wassenaar in cooperation with the Werkgroep Stolpersteine Wassenaar. The ceremony was introduced by Margaret de Vos van Steenwijk, the chairman of the Werkgroep Stolpersteine. The moving gathering took place during an intense period. In the words of Mayor Leendert de Lange, "In light of the recent outbreaks of violence in Israel, the municipality of Wassenaar considers this moment extra important. We do not tolerate polarization, anti-Semitism and hatred. The peace flag symbolizes the feelings of the municipality of Wassenaar, because there is nothing more important than peace and freedom."

Poignant stories, the future generation and a special guest

In the presence of family members of the victims, friends, aldermen, city council members and other interested parties, poignant stories were told about fellow villagers who became victims of the Holocaust. The oldest were 80, the youngest only 13 years old. Among these victims were entrepreneurs who managed a business and were in the middle of life, residents and nurses of a Jewish rest home, and a happy family who so enjoyed their Wassenaar home.

After the storytelling and a heartwarming musical interlude by cellist Thomas Kanter, it was the turn of the groups 8 of the Herenweg School to contribute. The students sang an emotional song. They had taken a lesson at school about the horrors of World War II and adopted these ten trip-stones in the center of Wassenaar. With this, they are taking care of the maintenance. The audience included Her Excellency Shefali Razdan Duggal, the ambassador of the United States, who is known to have a special interest in the Holocaust. The organization was sincerely honored by her presence. The ambassador also laid a rose at the Stolperstein that was the first to be unveiled.

The Stolpersteine

The ten new Stolpersteine were officially unveiled in front of or near Raadhuislaan 4, Raadhuislaan 11, Jonkerlaan 75 and Lange Kerkdam 33a after the ceremony at the Council House. Stolpersteine are 10x10 cm stones with a brass plate on the head, in which name, year of birth, date of deportation, place, date and manner of death are stamped by hand. A Stolperstein is also called a "stumbling stone. It is intended to cause passersby to stumble with their heads and hearts, thus dwelling on the suffering inflicted on these Holocaust victims. For "a man is not forgotten until his name is forgotten. So that these people may never be forgotten.

Mrs. Moses-Eijl, bereaved, H.E. Shefali Razdan Duggal, U.S. Ambassador and Mayor Leendert de Lange lay roses at the first Stolperstein unveiling.

Stumbling stones are a lasting reminder

Joseph Tuvy, Ernest August Kan, Louisa Julia Carolina van Raalte, Bertha Abrahamson, Wolf van Leeuwen, Sophia van Leeuwen-Spanjar, Levie van Leeuwen, Heintje van Leeuwen, Heintje Lena Spanjar, Gabriel Levi, Marianne Levi-Ostwald and Isaac Hartogs: these are the names of Holocaust victims engraved on a Stolperstein. These Stolpersteine, also called tripstones, are located in front of the house where they last voluntarily lived in freedom.

Fifth ceremony

Thursday, November 7, an impressive gathering took place in Council House De Paauw. This fifth Wassenaar Stolpersteine Ceremony was organized by the municipality of Wassenaar in cooperation with the Werkgroep Stolpersteine Wassenaar.

The moving ceremony was introduced by Margaret de Vos van Steenwijk, the chairman of the Stolpersteine Working Group, who of course thanked her team of committed volunteers for all their efforts, as well as employees of the Wassenaar municipality who are committed to this project. Mayor Leendert de Lange underlined these words. "You don't erase people, talents and names. It is important to remember these people and talk about them. Especially in these times when we realize that freedom, peace and security are precious."

Gripping stories

In the presence of relatives of the victims, all aldermen, city council, committee members and other interested parties, poignant stories were told about fellow villagers who became victims of the Holocaust. With photos and even moving images in the background, relatives and members of the working group spoke an In Memoriam. The personal stories revealed that the laying of the Stolpersteine had revived the victims in everyone's memory. "This attention and reflection is the least we owe them," he said.

Musical interlude and the future generation

Reflection also took the form of a heartwarming musical interlude. Marinke Visser and Carien Dagnelie played on their cellos a composition by German composer Max Bruch. "Jewish melodies that are sad and also hopeful." Next it was the turn of Group 8 of St. Bonifacius School. The students sang an emotional song saying goodbye to the past and expressing hope that things will be better in the future. They had taken lessons at school about the horrors of World War II. The group has adopted these 12 trip-stones, ensuring their maintenance.

The Stolpersteine

The Stolpersteine, small stones topped with a plaque made of brass in which the name, year of birth, place of deportation and place with date where the victim was murdered or died were officially unveiled after the ceremony at the following addresses: Cornelis de Wittstraat 20, Jonkerlaan 58, Schouwweg 28, Schouwweg 72, Rijksstraatweg 701, Rijksstraatweg 791 and Klein Persijnlaan 31. With the sweeping away of sand, the laying of white roses and little stones, each became dignified ceremonies. A Stolperstein is also called Stumbling Stone. Passersby stumble with their heads and hearts, pausing to reflect on the suffering inflicted on these Holocaust victims. A Jewish saying goes: A man is not forgotten until his name is forgotten. So that we never forget.