Stumbling Stone Noordwolderweg 52

This small, brass memorial plaque (stolperstein or stumbling stone) commemorates:

* Jan Korthuis, born 1925, arrested 25 April 1944, deported 1944 from Amersfoort, murdered 16 October 1944, Borna.

Jan Korthuis was living with his parents at this address in Bedum when he was arrested at age 18 during a raid on 25 April 1944. The raid, in several villages, was a Nazi retaliation for the assassination by Dutch resistance of a state police lieutenant at the Bedum station. Jan and the other male hostages were sent to Amersfoort camp, from where he and others were forced to work in camps in Germany. Jan was in De Kippe camp (near Borna), which was set up for clearing rubble from nearby towns and factories. Harsh conditions included poor nutrition, poor sanitation, diseases, abuse, and bombing. Jan Korthuis did not survive. He was reburied later in Bedum.

"Stolpersteine" is an art project for Europe by Gunter Demnig to commemorate victims of National Socialism (Nazism). Stolpersteine (stumbling stones) are small, 10x10cm brass plaques placed in the pavement in front of the last voluntary residence of (mostly Jewish) victims who were murdered by the Nazis. Each plaque is engraved with the victim’s name, date of birth, and place (mostly a concentration camp) and date of death. By doing this, Gunter Demnig gives an individual memorial to each victim. One stone, one name, one person. He cites the Talmud: "A human being is forgotten only when his or her name is forgotten."

Borne was the first town in the Netherlands in which Stolpersteine were placed -- 29 November 2007.

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Source

• Text: Anne Palmer
• Photos: Suzanne Matrosov-Vruggink (1), Suzanne Matrosov-Vruggink (2)
• Stolpersteine: De Verhalen van Groningen – Jan Korthuis
• Groninger Gijzelaars: Over de razzia
• Stolpersteine.eu