Two Holocaust survivors give an address
Camp Westerbork Remembrance Center in the province of Drenthe postponed the 75th anniversary of the liberation of the camp twice last year due to Coronavirus measures, with the management wanting to mark the moment together with the last survivors and their relatives.
But now that restrictions are continuing, it has been decided that hold a digital and televised commemoration on April 11 will suffice, reports RTV Drenthe.
On April 12, 1945, the Canadian Allies liberated the camp. During the Second World War, more than 100,000 Jewish, Roma and Sinti people were deported from Westerbork to concentration and extermination camps in Germany and Eastern Europe.
Survivors Eva Weyl and Virry de Vries Robles will speak on April 11. Weyl and her parents ended up in Westerbork in 1942, whilst De Vries Robles along with her mother and her brother left in 1944 on the very last transport from Westerbork to Bergen-Belsen.
During the online commemoration, which will last an hour, Roma and Sinti music will be played. Bert Vos will read poems from his mother, writer Ida Vos. Rabbi Ies Vorst, who himself was also in Westerbork, will also speak, with the commemoration to end with a flower laying on the grounds of the memorial center.
The commemoration can be followed live on April 11 via NPO 2 from 10.45 am. There is also a live stream on the channels of the NOS and the remembrance center.
