Liberation Route Marker 012

Liberation Route Europe is a certified Cultural Route of the Council of Europe. With hundreds of sites and stories in nine European countries, the route links the main regions along the advance of the Allied Forces in 1943-1945.
The entire route consists of themed routes that can be travelled by by hiking, walking, cycling and car. These routes pass numerous historical and interesting sites and tell stories from a multitude of perspectives that were important in the final phase of World War II.
Many routes feature listening spots, offering the opportunity to listen to a historical story at a location. In addition, many ‘Vectors of Memory’ have been placed, indicating that the passer-by is on one of the Liberation Routes.
The routes can be found on the Liberation Route Europe website or in the app through which many stories can also be listened to.

The Diary of Rose Jakobs
The diary of Rose Jakobs is gripping and enthralling. A young Jewish woman, who went into hiding with her family, first in Nijmegen then in Beek. Her entries tell of hope, happiness, doubt, hopelessness, love, care, anxiety and much more. Her young life breaks like a rose when she is hit by a splinter bomb.

In the occupied Netherlands it was almost impossible to escape the terror and forced deportations. As early as February 1941, there were general strikes across the country in protest after the first deportations of Dutch Jews. However, open protests were soon impossible, and the behaviour of Dutch people regarding the fate of their Jewish neighbours ranged from active collaboration to active resistance against the occupying forces, and against the deportation of Jews to concentration and extermination camps.

According to official figures, 528 Jews lived in Nijmegen in 1941, and there too people went into hiding to avoid deportation. Often they were helped by non-jewish Dutch people, who found them safe addresses, supplied them with food, or supported them in other ways. This was highly dangerous for everyone involved, because the concentration camps awaited both the Jews and those who helped them. Many in the occupied Netherlands faced the same fate as Anne Frank, but their stories, like that of Rose Jakobs, are not so well-known.

Audiospot - The Diary of Rose Jakobs

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Source

• Text: TracesOfWar & Liberationroute.com
• Photos: RJ Army (1), Arie van Wijngaarden (2, 4), Liesbeth van Diggele (3), RJArmy (5, 6)